Established twenty-eight years ago, the 'Computing Technology Industry Association' (or 'CompTIA' in short) is a non-profit institution. They've grown step by step & now are world leaders in IT certifications that are vendor neutral. This essentially means they're free to independently produce & monitor examinations & certifications which are required by the I.T. market, irrespective of a particular company's commercial interests. With today's shift towards inter connectivity and systems 'convergence', this is a great step for the I.T. student, because it offers cross-platform learning & an understanding of integration. Whenever new syllabuses are produced, CompTIA invites several academic and industrial groups to join them and confirm that every aspect has been considered equally, and the training programs are appropriate from a commercial perspective.

Not surprisingly these job opportunities can often lead to much more advanced roles if the correct certifications are in place. That is why it's imperative to look at your long-term ideas before choosing your career-training path. Take the opportunity to discuss everything with a training and I.T. professional - it will help safeguard you from any set-backs as time goes on. It's often beneficial to look at tailored career-training packages that incorporate the 'A+' & 'Network+' programs. 'Bundling' a number of course materials into one is often quite financially attractive.

Both exams have recently gone through a 2009 'facelift' in line with the company's advance towards 'ISO' standardisation. Worldwide the 2006-2007 editions of A+ (with examination pre-fix numbers '600') will disappear within the next 12 months. After August 31st '10 they will not be available in Britain. Up until that time, trainees can take either the 600 or the newer '700' examinations in regional test centres (specifically 'Vue' and Prometric). Common sense dictates that new entrant students should take version '2009'. 'A+' 2009 is now presented as '220-701' CompTIA 'A+' Essentials and 220/702 CompTIA 'A+' Practical Application. The most crucial changes were a whole re-structuring of the preceding 4 exams in to only two exams, & the addition of some information on more recent technologies. Initially, the A+ was split into four exams: one essential and three elective specialisations. Today the industry requires workers with know-how that was in all the four previous exams. Individuals can get that subject matter from the two '2009' essential 'A+' programs. An upgrade examination has been produced by 'CompTIA' for those with the older certification. BR-003 is the exam number. Supplemental training will undoubtedly be needed, especially for those who only originally studied for 2 of the four 'electives'. Sufficient training hours need to be factored in for the newer technology elements though.

The employment roles that follow are all appropriate for the applicant holding a CompTIA A+ qualification: Depot Technician, Call Centre Technician, Remote Support Technician, Field Service Technician, Help Desk Technician, PC Technician and IT Administrator. Employment prospects open up to include Network Administrators, Technicians and Installers when you pass the 'CompTIA' 'Network+' as well.

For the 'A+' exams set aside for yourself somewhere around 100 to 150 hrs to train and prepare, & somewhat less for the N+ exams (possibly around 75 to 100 hours). With the best multi-media training package that's backed up by accredited examination preparation software, both certifications could very well be accomplished within 6 months for the student who's learning whilst holding down employment.

New students to the I.T. market can turn to 'CompTIA' for many of their preliminary study courses. Individuals looking to get into networking & support, or servers, security & systems will most often begin with 'CompTIA', although its fair to state that CompTIA certifications can enhance virtually any Curriculum Vitae designed for the I.T. industry. There is also now a drive at 'CompTIA' to supply their beginner-level STRATA courses to those people who don't work within I.T., but would reap some benefits from an awareness of basic I.T. and just how it influences their career.

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