Founded 28 years ago, the Computing Technology Industry Association (or CompTIA in short) is a non profit establishment. The operation offers vendor-neutral qualifications that have made it a global number one in it's industry. This basically means they're absolutely free to independently develop & monitor exams & certifications which are required by the IT market, regardless of a specific business' commercial interests. As systems regularly converge & inter-connect in the business world, this supplies the I.T. trainee with a much more rounded knowledge and grasp of cross platform integration. Whenever a new examination is being developed (or an old one upgraded), 'CompTIA' consults with leading members of the commercial and academic world in order to produce well balanced and very relevant content.

Several of these jobs are often starting-points for advanced level IT careers, therefore, much like all career tracks, its important to first look at what your end-goals are, and which learning-style you prefer. This requires talking to a skilled IT training advisor to ensure that the route you select is right and cost-effective. The best companies offer discounted career paths which can include these certifications, and so buying in a career 'bundle' can provide substantial cost savings.

In 2009 each programme under-went up-grades, and new exams are actually available for them both. The previous 'A+' (version 2006-2007) examinations that were categorised using the '600' pre-fix are being phased out worldwide during 2010. After 31st August 2010 they will no longer be available in Britain. Up to that date, students can take either the 600 or the more recent 700 exams in local test centres (namely Vue and Prometric). Reason dictates that new entrant students should learn version 2009. The individual 'A+' 2009 examinations are now: 'CompTIA' A+ Essentials (examination 220-701) & CompTIA 'A+' Practical Application (exam 220/702.) In addition to some extra content on newer technology, we now have two exams which cover components of all four of the past exams. Formerly, the A+ was split into four exams: 1 essential & 3 'elective' specialisations. Over the last several years, the market has grown to the stage where all four examinations are now considered necessary - hence the reformatting in to 2 required examinations. Anyone who has previously passed the 600 examination is allowed to bring their qualification up-to-date by taking a bridging examination : 'BR-003'. Passing the up-grade exam will normally require more study, but it ought not to be too difficult for those who originally studied all four. Adequate training hours must be factored in for the new aspects however.

Essentially the most well known of all of the 'CompTIA' accreditations are without doubt the A+ & Network+. An extremely valuable group taken as a package, they're the starting place for many effective career tracks. A+ training programs cover all the basics of Computer maintenance, fault-finding & repair; including security, installation and support. Additionally, the A+ handles certain relationship-building skill-sets to assist you to communicate much better with other people. Advancing this awareness, the Network+ qualification looks at networks, (including routers and servers) and shows exactly how they communicate with each other. Both 'Security' & wireless technology are covered to some degree. Obtaining both of these qualifications will give a solid grounding for anybody considering getting into the systems area of the IT industry, as well as a platform of knowledge for further accreditation.

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