Set up twenty-eight years ago, the Computing Technology Industry Association (or CompTIA for short) is a not-for-profit institution. The organisation offers vendor-neutral accreditations that have made it a global number one in it's field. Which means they're able to independently develop and be in control of an entire range of IT industry exams & issue their very own certifications which don't apply to just one particular company's solutions. Because systems frequently 'converge' & inter-connect in industry, this provides the IT student with a much more rounded knowledge and grasp of cross-platform 'integration'. CompTIA gathers together various commercial and academic industry organisations when creating or upgrading an examination, to ensure that all things are thought about & the very best industry relevant syllabuses are crafted.

If you're considering any of these work opportunities, the 'A+' will work well - IT Administrator, PC Technician, Remote Support Technician, Field Service Technician, Call Centre & Depot Technician and Help Desk Technician. 'CompTIA' 'Network+' presents opportunities for Network Administrators and Technicians, IT Cable Installers & Network Installers.

Essentially the most popular of all the CompTIA certifications are undoubtedly the A+ & 'Network+'. A very valuable group taken as a bundle, they're the starting point for quite a number of excellent career paths. Trainees get to grips with many fundamental computer principles with 'A+' , including support, repair, maintenance installation, security & fault finding. Additionally, the 'A+' teaches specific relationship-building abilities that will help you to communicate more effectively with other people. The CompTIA N+ accreditation extends this expertise to a wider comprehension of networking, servers and routers, & exactly how they connect together. Both Security and Wi-Fi are discussed to a certain degree. Getting these two accreditations will provide a good platform for anybody seeking to get into the systems area of the I.T. marketplace, as well as a platform of understanding for additional accreditation.

Anybody looking to establish themselves in IT will benefit from programs & accreditations produced by CompTIA. Individuals thinking of getting into networks & support, or security, systems & servers will most often begin with 'CompTIA', although its reasonable to say that 'CompTIA' certifications will boost just about any CV designed for the IT marketplace. The latest package of starter level programs called 'STRATA' have been released by 'CompTIA'. These are designed for those who need a more effective understanding of fundamental IT knowledge, but do not specifically work with I.T. themselves.

Several of these positions can be starting-points for more professional I.T. positions, therefore, as with all career-tracks, it is extremely important to first explore what your end goals are, and which learning-style you prefer. The way to optimise your career path the most is to obtain advice from an I.T. expert prior to starting out on your training. It can be a good suggestion to think about personalised career-training programs that feature the 'A+' & Network+ courses. 'Bundling' several program materials into one is often very cost effective.

For the A+ examinations give yourself approximately 100 to 150 hrs to train & prepare, and somewhat less for the 'Network+' exams (perhaps around 75 to 100 hrs). Using the best multi-media training that is backed up by authorised exam practice software, the two certifications could very well be achieved inside 6 months for the trainee who is learning whilst holding down employment.

On to the '09 edition of the Network+ : 'N10-004' is now the examination reference. A bigger emphasis is focused on Security in the 2009 N+ exam, as well as network-design & wireless networking. This obviously is in addition to the core elements of network management and infrastructure.

In line with their ISO standardisation move, CompTIA have upgraded both A+ and N+ exams to '2009' versions. 'A+' exams that began with the prefix '600' (that is the 2006-2007 version) are now being phased-out around the world. In Britain, they cease being offered on 31st August 2010. As 2009 examinations (700) are already available at test centres up and down the country, the newer learning programs would be a more practical solution for anyone just starting out. 'A+' '09 will now be offered as 220-701 CompTIA A+ Essentials and '220-702' CompTIA A+ Practical Application. The 4 previous exams have been stream-lined into 2 brand new examinations, and some more up-dated information has been introduced. The previous format was one compulsory Essentials examination and three electives, of which only one was required to be taken. Today the market needs workers with expertise that was in all four preceding exams. Trainees can get that knowledge from the two new obligatory 'A+' programs. Those who have previously passed the 600 exam may bring their certification up-to-date by sitting an up-grade exam - 'BR-003'. This will almost definitely involve extra study, although less so if you studied all four of the previous examinations, and not just the minimum of two. Sufficient training time really should be factored in for the newer technology aspects however.

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