The non-profit institution 'CompTIA' - 'Computing Technology Industry Association' - was established in the early 1980's. They've developed through the years to become the leader in vendor-neutral IT accreditation. So they can freely produce & be in control of a whole range of IT industry exams and produce their own accreditations which don't just apply to one particular organisations' solutions. This really is very good for trainees, as they can learn about various platforms & how they 'inter-connect' and integrate with each other - a not unusual scenario now in industry. Each time new syllabuses are produced, CompTIA invites several academic & commercial groups to come together & validate that each aspect has been considered equally, & the packages are appropriate from a commercial perspective.

Many of these jobs are often starting points for more professional I.T. positions, and so, much like all career tracks, it is important to first talk about precisely what your end-goals are, & what type of learning style suits you. Do take time to go through everything with a training program & I.T. advisor - it will protect you against set backs in the future. Many organisations also offer packaged career-tracks which can include these accreditations, & so purchasing in a training 'bundle' can offer considerable reductions in price.

If you're focused on any of the following careers, the 'A+' would certainly work well : Call Centre Technician, Depot Technician, Field Services Technician, PC Technician, Help Desk Technician, IT Administrator, and Remote Support Technician. 'CompTIA' 'Network+' presents opportunities for Network Administrators & Technicians, Network Installers & IT Cable Installers.

On to the '09 version of the Network+ : 'N10-004' has become the exam number. As well as the strong component of managing networks and their infrastructures, the new exam focuses heavily on design, security and wireless skill-sets.

For the A+ exams set aside for yourself something like 100 to 150 hours to study and prepare, & a bit less for the 'Network+' exams (possibly up to 100 hours). Learning part-time, this could be accomplished over a half year period if you select an appropriate quality of training and superior examination preparation software.

'CompTIA' A+ and the Network+ are easily the most commonly accepted of their accreditations. Both of them, as a pair, form the foundation for many modern IT career tracks - & for a good reason. A+ training covers all the basics of Computer maintenance, fault finding and repair; including support, security & installation. To help you become established within the IT market, the 'A+' also handles a number of communication & personal skill-sets. The Network+ takes the subject further, by developing a greater understanding of how networks operate & connect with each other. Both Security and 'Wi-Fi' are covered to some degree. Obtaining these two qualifications will give a solid grounding for anyone looking to get into the 'systems' side of the I.T. sector, together with a platform of knowledge for additional certification.

New entrants into the IT industry can look to CompTIA for quite a number of their preliminary study courses. Individuals wanting to get into networking and support, or systems, servers & security should most often begin with CompTIA, although its reasonable to state that 'CompTIA' accreditations can boost any Curriculum Vitae designed for the IT sector. 'CompTIA' are now also producing 'STRATA' qualifications - they're not necessarily for those working in the I.T. industry, but for those whose roles would benefit from a basic knowledge of computing.

In 2009 both programmes under-went upgrades, and new examinations are actually available for them both. Worldwide the 2006-2007 editions of 'A+' (with exam prefix numbers '600') will be retired over the next 12 months. Come the end of Aug 2010, the exams will retire in Britain. Up to then, individuals can sit either the 600 or the more recent 700 exams at local test-centres (specifically 'Vue' & Prometric). Logic dictates that new students should learn version '2009'. CompTIA A+ Essentials & CompTIA A+ Practical Application are the new examination titles (220-701 & 220/702 respectively). The 4 previous exams have been re-structured into 2 brand new examinations, and some further updated material has been introduced. Originally, the A+ was broken into 4 exams: one essential and three elective specialisations. Over the last four years, the marketplace has grown to the point where all 4 exams are actually thought to be necessary - hence the reformatting into 2 required examinations. An up-grade examination has been produced by 'CompTIA' for any person who have the old certification. BR/003 is the exam reference. Successfully passing the upgrade examination will generally take further study, although it shouldn't be especially onerous for those who formerly studied all 4. The newly created subjects will naturally involve some extra learning.

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