Established twenty eight years ago, the 'Computing Technology Industry Association' (or CompTIA in short) is a non profit association. They've developed through the years to become the number one in vendor neutral IT accreditation. What this means is they are able to provide & over-see independent industry-recognised I.T. examinations & certifications that do not reflect a single organisation's interests more than another. With the current shift towards inter connectivity & systems convergence, this is a welcome step for the IT student, as it provides cross platform learning and a comprehension of 'integration'. Each time new syllabuses are created, CompTIA invites a number of academic & commercial organisations to join them and verify that every area has been regarded equally, and the programs are appropriate from a commercial perspective.

The two examinations have fairly recently been subject to a 2009 update in line with CompTIA's advance towards ISO standardisation. Worldwide the 2006-2007 editions of A+ (with the exam pre-fix number 600) will be phased out over the next year. In Great Britain, they discontinue on 31.08.2010. As 2009 examinations (700) are already available at test-centres around the country, these newer study programs are probably a more sensible alternative for anyone just starting out. 'CompTIA' A+ Essentials & CompTIA 'A+' Practical Application are the new examination titles (220-701 and 220/702 respectively). As well as some added subject matter on more recent technologies, we now have 2 examinations which cover components of all four of the previous examinations. Formerly, the A+ was broken into 4 examinations: one essential & three elective specialisations. But as the market has developed, the know-how from all four exams is actually considered essential, & so has been condensed in to two required exams. 'CompTIA' have also introduced the 'BR-003' bridging test, for people accredited under the '600' exams who need to up-date to the new 700 exams. This would almost certainly involve further learning, although less so if you studied all 4 of the previous exams, as opposed to only the minimum of two. Enough study hours should be factored in for the new technology aspects though.

Usual study-times for these exams are judged to be about 100 to 150 hours for the A+ , & 75 to 100 hours for the Network+ . With the appropriate multi-media training package that is supported by accredited exam preparation software, both accreditations could very well be completed in 6 months for the trainee who's studying whilst holding down employment.

These certifications & job-roles are often done on the way to a more advanced IT placement. Before you opt for a particular training-program, bear in mind just where you plan for your ultimate destination to be. Take time to go through every little thing with a training program & I.T. advisor - it will safeguard you against set backs down the road. Training organisations can often build a personalised training path by putting together a combination of training programs to get the student from wherever they are now to wherever they want to go.

The actual 'Network+' 2009 exam has been referred to as N10-004, superseding the earlier N10-003. As well as maintaining it's focus on network infrastructure & management, the upgraded 2009 examination points to an increased importance on Security, wireless-networking abilities and network-design concepts.

By far the most well known of all the CompTIA qualifications are without doubt the A+ and 'Network+'. Together they encompass the basis of many career-paths in IT, and as such are market leaders in their field. 'A+' training programs cover all of the fundamentals of PC maintenance, fault finding & repair; including installation, security and support. To help you to establish yourself in the I.T. sector, the 'A+' also covers a number of communication and personal abilities. The CompTIA N+ certification stretches this expertise to a deeper comprehension of networking, servers & routers, and exactly how they communicate. Both Security & Wi-Fi are discussed to a certain degree. Acquiring these two qualifications will give a solid grounding for anybody thinking of getting into the systems side of the I.T. market, as well as a platform of knowledge for additional accreditation.

New entrants into the IT industry can look to 'CompTIA' for many of their preliminary study courses. Typically, individuals who are planning on employment opportunities in Networking, Security, Servers, Systems, Support & Communications will begin with 'CompTIA', however students within any IT sector could find a 'CompTIA' certification a helpful addition to their CV. There is also now a drive at 'CompTIA' to offer their beginner-level STRATA programs to those men and women who don't actually work in I.T., but would benefit from a comprehension of the basics of IT and exactly how it impacts their job.

The employment roles listed here will be appropriate for the applicant with a CompTIA A+ accreditation: PC Technician, IT Administrator, Remote Support Technician, Field Service Technician, Call Centre and Depot Technician & Help Desk Technician. With 'CompTIA' Network+ also, you can think about becoming an IT Cable Installer, a Network Installer, a Network Technician or a Network Administrator.

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