Founded twenty-eight years ago, the Computing Technology Industry Association (or 'CompTIA' in short) is a non-profit association. They've developed progressively & now are world leaders in I.T. certifications that are vendor neutral. Which means they're able to independently create and monitor a whole range of I.T. industry examinations and produce their very own accreditations that don't just apply to one specific vendor's solutions. This really is very good for students, as they can learn about different platforms and how they inter-connect & 'integrate' with each other - a common situation now in industry. Whenever a new examination is being assembled (or an old one up-dated), CompTIA discusses the content with leading associates of the commercial and educational world in order to create balanced & highly relevant material.

If you're focused on any of these careers, the A+ would certainly work well - Depot Technician, Call Centre Technician, Remote Support Technician, Help Desk Technician, Field Service Technician, IT Administrator and PC Technician . With the 'CompTIA' Network+ also, you could look at becoming an IT Cable Installer, a Network Installer, a Network Technician or a Network Administrator.

Average learning time for these exams are considered to be about 100-150 hrs for the 'A+' , & 75-100 hrs for the Network+ . Studying part time, this could be done over a 6 month period if you pick out the right quality of training & first-rate exam prep materials.

Naturally these job opportunities often lead on to more advanced jobs if the appropriate certifications have been put in place. That's why its imperative to examine your long term plans prior to picking out your career-training path. Do take the opportunity to discuss every little thing with a training & I.T. advisor - it will help safeguard you from any set-backs later on. Training companies should offer to produce a tailored training-path by putting together a selection of training programs that will get the trainee from where they're starting from to wherever they would like to go.

The two exams have recently been subject to a 2009 upgrade in line with CompTIA's work towards ISO standardisation. The former A+ (version 2006/2007) examinations that were classified using the '600' prefix are now being retired globally during 2010. Come the end of Aug 2010, the exams will retire in the British Isles. Up until then, students can take either the '600' or the newer 700 exams in regional test centres (namely Vue and 'Prometric'). Common sense suggests that new trainees should take version '2009'. 'A+' 2009 is currently presented as 220-701 CompTIA A+ Essentials and 220/702 'CompTIA' 'A+' Practical Application. Along with some more subject matter on newer technology, there are now 2 examinations that cover elements of all four of the earlier examinations. Originally, the A+ was broken into 4 exams: 1 essential and 3 'elective' specialisations. Over the last 4 years, the market has grown to the stage where all 4 exams are now considered essential - hence the re-formatting into two required examinations. CompTIA also have introduced the 'BR-003' bridging examination, for trainees accredited in the 600 examinations who need to get up to date with the current 700 examinations. Supplemental training will undoubtedly be necessary, particularly for individuals who only initially worked on two of the four electives. The newly created subject areas will clearly call for some extra studying.

By far the most renowned of all of the 'CompTIA' accreditations are undoubtedly the 'A+' & Network+. A very valuable set considered as a bundle, they are the starting point for quite a number of successful career paths. 'A+' training teaches all of the fundamental basics of Computer maintenance, fault-finding & repair; including security, installation and support. Additionally , it covers several personal and communication skill-sets needed to get established in I.T.. Advancing this awareness, the 'Network+' accreditation examines networks, (this includes routers and servers) & describes how they communicate with each other. Both 'Security' and Wi-Fi are dealt with to some level. The two certifications complement each other nicely, & together form an excellent start-up platform for other exam programs, or a strong career in IT support.

New starters in the I.T. industry can look to 'CompTIA' for many of their preliminary training packages. Anyone looking to get into networks & support, or security, systems & servers will most often start with 'CompTIA', though it is fair to state that CompTIA accreditations will boost any CV geared for the IT sector. A new package of starter level programs called STRATA have been put together by CompTIA. These are for those who could do with a greater understanding of fundamental I.T. information, but do not specifically work in I.T. themselves.

In relation to 'Network+' , the old N10-003 has now been updated by the 'N10-004', the '2009' edition. A greater importance is focused upon security in the 2009 Network+ examination, in addition to network-design and wireless-networking. This naturally is as well as the key elements of network management & infrastructure.

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