The non-profit institution CompTIA - Computing Technology Industry Association - was formed in 1982. They have developed step by step and now lead the world in IT qualifications that are vendor-neutral. This essentially means they're absolutely free to independently generate and monitor examinations & qualifications which are required by the IT industry, irrespective of a particular business' commercial interests. With today's move towards inter connectivity & systems 'convergence', this is a welcome step for the IT student, because it provides cross platform learning & a comprehension of integration. Whenever a new examination is being developed (or an old one updated), CompTIA consults with leading associates of the industrial and academic world in order to produce balanced and extremely relevant material.

The 'A+' program & the Network+ program are 'CompTIA's' most widely recognised certifications. Both of them, as a set, form the building blocks of many contemporary IT career tracks - and justly so . The 'CompTIA' A+ accreditation covers the fundamentals of PC maintenance, installation, support, security, fault-finding and repair. To help you establish yourself within the I.T. sector, the 'A+' also addresses a variety of communication and personal skill-sets. Advancing this knowledge, the 'Network+' accreditation examines networks, (this includes routers and servers) & explains exactly how they communicate with each other. Security is needless to say very important, and wireless technology is discussed to some extent. 'CompTIA' A+ and N+ will give you a firm base for a Systems career in I.T., & also an excellent platform for various other more senior certification programs.

With regards to Network+ , the earlier N10-003 has today been updated by the 'N10-004', the '2009' edition. As well as the solid component of managing networks and their infrastructures, this latest exam concentrates heavily on design, security and wireless skills.

These accreditations & job roles are often taken en-route to a much more advanced I.T. position. Before you opt for a particular training program, consider just where you plan for your ultimate destination to be. The best way to maximise your career path fully is to take guidance from an IT professional prior to starting with your training program. It can be sensible to consider personalised career-training products that feature the 'A+' and Network+ programs. 'Bundling' several course materials into one can be very cost-effective.

The CompTIA 'A+' exams are mainly suitable for anyone looking to begin work in any of the following roles: I.T. Administrator, P.C. Technician, Remote Support Technician, Field Service Technician, Call Centre and Depot Technician & Help Desk Technician. With 'CompTIA' Network+ on top of that, you could consider becoming a Network Installer, an IT Cable Installer, a Network Administrator or a Network Technician .

Average study times for these exams are judged to be about 100-150 hrs for the 'A+' , and 75 to 100 hrs for the N+ . This makes obtaining both of them within six months part-time study very possible, providing quality multi-media training materials are used, along with decent examination preparation software.

New starters in the I.T. sector can turn to 'CompTIA' for a good deal of their preliminary study courses. Individuals wanting to get into networking & support, or security, systems & servers should most often start with CompTIA, though it's fair to state that CompTIA qualifications will boost virtually any CV geared for the I.T. industry. CompTIA are also now promoting 'STRATA' qualifications - these are not specifically for men and women employed in the I.T. industry, but for those whose careers would benefit from a fundamental understanding of computing.

Both of the exams have quite recently gone through a 2009 'facelift' in-line with the company's work towards 'ISO' standardisation. Internationally the 2006-2007 editions of A+ (those with examination prefix number 600) will be retired within the next 12 months. In Great Britain, they cease being offered on 31.08.2010. Since both these, & the recently released 700 examinations are currently allowed to be taken in Prometric & 'Vue' test-centres, it makes sense to study for the 700 examinations now, and not have to certify again later. The specific A+ 2009 exams are now: 'CompTIA' A+ Essentials (examination 220-701) & 'CompTIA' A+ Practical Application (exam 220-702.) The principle modifications were a total re-structuring of the earlier four exams into only 2 exams, & the addition of some teaching on more recent technologies. Even though the older A+ had 4 exams in the complete program, only 2 were required to get the certification. Today the market requires professionals with expertise that was in all of the previous exams. Individuals will get that information from the 2 '2009' compulsory A+ programs. An up-grade exam has been produced by CompTIA for those with the old qualification. BR-003 is the reference number. Additional training will almost certainly end up being required, particularly for those who only originally studied for two of the four electives. The extra topics will clearly involve some extra studying.

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