'CompTIA' ('Computing Technology Industry Association') is a non-profit enterprise formed in the early 1980's. They have grown step by step & now lead the world in I.T. qualifications that are vendor-neutral. So they can freely develop & monitor an entire collection of I.T. industry exams & issue their own qualifications that don't apply to just one particular company's products. This is very good for IT students, as they can be taught about different platforms and how they inter-connect and integrate with one another - a not unusual situation now in industry. 'CompTIA' brings together different business and learned industry groups when designing or upgrading an examination, to ensure that all sides are thought about & the most commercially related syllabuses are crafted.

Anybody who is new to IT will certainly profit from programs and qualifications developed by 'CompTIA'. Anyone wanting to get into networking and support, or security, systems & servers should most often begin with 'CompTIA', although it's reasonable to state that CompTIA accreditations will boost any Resume designed for the I.T. industry. A new set of beginner-level courses named 'STRATA' have been released by CompTIA. These are designed for people who need a better understanding of basic I.T. knowledge, but do not necessarily work in I.T. themselves.

Many of these roles are often starting-points for higher level I.T. positions, therefore, much like all career-tracks, its extremely important to first explore exactly what your end goals are, & which kind of learning style you favour. Take time to discuss the whole thing with a training and IT expert - it will help safeguard you against set backs as time goes on. The best companies offer 'packaged' career tracks which incorporate these accreditations, & so buying in a training bundle frequently offers considerable reductions in price.

Both examinations have quite recently gone through a 2009 upgrade in-line with CompTIA's work towards ISO standardisation. The earlier 'A+' (version 2006-2007) exams that were categorised with the '600' pre-fix are now being phased out internationally throughout 2010. In the UK, they discontinue on 31st August 2010. As both these, and the recently released 700 examinations are now available to sit in Prometric & 'Vue' test centres, it's sensible to study the '700' exams now, and not have to re-certify later on. 'A+' 2009 is now offered as 220-701 'CompTIA' 'A+' Essentials & 220/702 CompTIA A+ Practical Application. The most crucial modifications were a complete restructuring of the earlier four examinations into just two exams, and the addition of some coverage on more recent technologies. Originally, the 'A+' was broken into four examinations: 1 essential and 3 elective specialisations. Nowadays the marketplace demands professionals with knowledge that used to be in all the four earlier exams. Individuals can get that subject matter from the 2 '2009' essential 'A+' programs. CompTIA also have released the BR-003 'up-grade' test, for students certified in the '600' exams who wish to update to the current 700 examinations. Additional training will almost certainly be necessary, especially for individuals who just originally studied for 2 of the 4 electives. The new technology subjects will obviously call for some extra study.

If you are excited about any of these work opportunities, the A+ will work well - Depot Technician, Call Centre Technician, Help Desk Technician, Field Service Technician, PC Technician, IT Administrator & Remote Support Technician. Employment opportunities open up to include Network Administrators, Technicians and Installers when you have the CompTIA Network+ as well.

Expect to allow yourself about one hundred to a hundred & fifty hours learning time for the 'A+' exams, & for the Network+ close to seventy-five to a hundred hours. Studying part-time, this could be accomplished over a 6 month period if you pick out the right quality of training and excellent examination preparation materials.