The not for profit institution CompTIA - 'Computing Technology Industry Association' - was established in the early 1980's. They've developed over the years to become the number one in vendor-neutral I.T. certification. So they can independently produce & be in control of a complete collection of I.T. industry exams & produce their own qualifications that don't just apply to one specific company's products. As systems regularly converge and inter connect in industry, this provides the IT trainee with a much more wholesome knowledge & understanding of cross-platform integration. CompTIA brings together various commercial & learned industry groups when creating or updating an examination, to ensure all things are thought about and the very best commercially relevant syllabuses are crafted.

Standard study times for these examinations are considered to be about 100-150 hours for the A+ , and 75-100 hours for the 'Network+' . Studying part time, this could be achieved over a six month time period if you choose an appropriate quality of training & excellent examination prep products.

CompTIA 'A+' and the Network+ are by far the most broadly recognised of their certifications. Both of them, as a set, create the building blocks for many contemporary IT career-tracks - & for a good reason. Trainees get to grips with many fundamental computer concepts with A+ , such as maintenance, support, repair, security, installation & fault finding. To help you to establish yourself in the I.T. marketplace, the A+ also covers several communication and personal skillsets. The Network+ takes things further, by developing a more significant knowledge of how networks operate & connect with each other. Both 'Security' & Wi-Fi are dealt with to some degree. Acquiring both of these certifications will provide a solid platform for anybody considering getting into the 'systems' side of the I.T. industry, as well as a platform of knowledge for additional certification.

The employment roles that follow are all possible for the applicant with a CompTIA A+ accreditation: Remote Support Technician, Call Centre and Depot Technician, Field Service Technician, Help Desk Technician, PC Technician & IT Administrator. With CompTIA 'Network+' on top of that, you're able to think about becoming an IT Cable Installer, a Network Installer, a Network Administrator or a Network Technician .

New starters in the IT marketplace can look to 'CompTIA' for many of their initial study programs. Generally, trainees who are aiming for employment opportunities within Networking, Security, Servers, Systems, Communications and Support will start out with 'CompTIA', although in fact students within any IT sector would find a CompTIA accreditation a worthwhile addition to their CV. A new set of starter level programs named STRATA have been put together by 'CompTIA'. These are designed for those who could do with a more effective idea of basic IT information, but do not essentially work with I.T. themselves.

The 'Network+' 2009 examination has been known as N10-004, replacing the previous N10-003. In addition to retaining it's attention on network infrastructure and management, the up-graded '2009' exam points to an increased importance on security, wireless-networking abilities & network-design principles.

The two examinations have recently gone through a 2009 upgrade in-line with CompTIA's advance towards 'ISO' standardisation. Internationally the 2006/2007 versions of 'A+' (with examination prefix numbers '600') will be retired within the next year. After August 31st '10 they will not be obtainable in the UK. As 2009 examinations ('700') are already offered at test centres around the country, these newer study programs are probably a more valuable option anybody just starting out. CompTIA A+ Essentials & CompTIA 'A+' Practical Application are the new exam titles (220/701 and 220/702 respectively). The four previous examinations have been streamlined in to 2 new exams, and some additional up-dated information has been added. The previous structure was 1 compulsory 'essentials' examination and 3 electives, of which just one was required to be taken. During the last four years, the market has evolved to the point where all 4 exams are now regarded as essential - hence the reformatting in to two required exams. CompTIA have also produced the BR/003 bridging test, for students accredited under the '600' exams who want to up-date to the new '700' examinations. Passing the upgrade exam will generally take more study, although this ought not to be especially onerous for people who originally studied all 4. Enough training time really should be allowed for the new technology elements though.

These accreditations & employment options can be taken enroute to a senior I.T. role. Before you decide to commit yourself to a training course, think about just where you intend your ultimate destination to be. Do take time to discuss the whole thing with a training and I.T. advisor - it will help safeguard you against set-backs in the future. Training organisations may offer to develop a bespoke training path by putting together a combination of programs that will get the individual from where they're starting from to where they want to go.

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