Established twenty eight years ago, the Computing Technology Industry Association (or 'CompTIA' for short) is a non profit organisation. The operation produces vendor-neutral accreditations that have made it a world number one in it's industry. This basically means they're free to independently deliver and monitor exams & certifications which are needed by the IT industry, regardless of a particular business' commercial interests. This is excellent for IT students, because they can learn about various platforms and how they inter-connect & integrate with each other - a common circumstance in industry today. Every time a new syllabus is created, 'CompTIA' invites several educational and commercial organisations to come together & validate that each aspect has been regarded equally, & the training programs are appropriate from a commercial perspective.

Typical study-times for these examinations are thought to be about 100 to 150 hours for the 'A+' , and 75-100 hrs for the 'Network+' . This means accomplishing them both within 6 months part time study entirely likely, provided that superior multi-media training products are used, together with effective exam preparation-software.

CompTIA 'A+' & 'Network+' are by far and away the most widely recognised of their accreditations. These two, as a group, form the building blocks for many contemporary I.T. career-tracks - & for good reason. Students learn a good deal of important computer concepts with 'A+' , such as maintenance, support, repair, security, installation and fault finding. To help you establish yourself in the IT market, the A+ also addresses various communication & personal skill-sets. 'Network+' takes things further, by building in a more in depth understanding of how networks function & communicate with each other. The important issue of 'Security' is introduced, and Wireless networks are spoken about at an elementary level. CompTIA 'A+' & 'Network+' provide a solid foundation for a Systems career in IT, & furthermore a great platform for various other advanced certification programs.

Needless to say these job opportunities often lead to more advanced roles if the correct certifications are in place. That is why its essential to look at your long term plans before choosing your personal career training path. This means a discussion with a professional industry advisor to ensure that the path you decide on is appropriate & cost effective. IT Training organisations can often build a bespoke training path by assembling a combination of programs to take the trainee from where they're starting from to wherever they want to go.

In 2009 both programs underwent upgrades, & new examinations are now available for each of them. A+ exams which commenced with the number 600 (that is the 2006/2007 version) are being phased out internationally. After August 31st '10 they will no longer be obtainable in Britain. As both the '600', & the new '700' exams are now available to sit in Prometric & 'Vue' test centres, it's sensible to study the 700 examinations now, & not have to certify again later. The specific 'A+' 2009 examinations are now: 'CompTIA' A+ Essentials (examination 220-701) & CompTIA 'A+' Practical Application (examination 220-702.) The principle modifications were a complete restructuring of the earlier four exams in to just two examinations, and the inclusion of some coverage on more recent technologies. Even though the previous A+ had four examinations in the whole program, just two were expected for the accreditation. During the last 4 years, the industry has progressed to the point where all 4 exams have become considered essential - hence the re-formatting into two required exams. A bridging exam has been created by 'CompTIA' for anyone with the older qualification. BR-003 is the exam number. Successfully passing the upgrade exam will almost always require further study, but it ought not to be too onerous for those who initially studied all electives. Adequate training time need to be factored in for the new technology elements though.

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