Founded 28 years ago, the Computing Technology Industry Association (or 'CompTIA' for short) is a non-profit association. They have grown step by step & now are world leaders in I.T. certifications that are vendor-neutral. This essentially means they are free to independently generate and monitor exams & accreditations that are needed by the I.T. industry, irrespective of a specific company's commercial interests. With the current shift towards 'inter-connectivity' & systems 'convergence', this is seen as a welcome move for the IT student, as it offers cross platform learning and a knowledge of integration. 'CompTIA' gathers together numerous business and learned industry groups when designing or upgrading an exam, to ensure all things are considered and the most industry related syllabuses are created.

CompTIA 'A+' & Network+ are easily the most widely accepted of their accreditations. An exceptionally important pair taken as a bundle, they are the starting place for many thriving career paths. A+ training teaches all the fundamentals of Computer maintenance, fault-finding & repair; including support, security & installation. To help you to establish yourself in the I.T. market, the 'A+' also covers various communication and personal skills. Expanding on this awareness, the N+ certification looks at networks, (which includes routers & servers) and explains exactly how they communicate with each other. 'Security' is obviously vital, & wireless technology is dealt with to a certain degree. CompTIA A+ & 'Network+' provide a firm basis for a systems career in IT, and also a great basis for other more advanced certification programs.

In line with their 'ISO' standardisation drive, 'CompTIA' have upgraded both A+ & Network+ exams to 2009 editions. Worldwide the 2006/2007 versions of 'A+' (those with exam pre-fix 600) will be phased-out within the coming twelve months. In Britain, they discontinue on August 31st 2010. Up until then, students can sit either the 600 or the newer 700 exams in local test-centres (namely Vue & 'Prometric'). Reason dictates that new students should take edition 2009. 'A+' '09 is now offered as '220/701' 'CompTIA' A+ Essentials & '220-702' 'CompTIA' A+ Practical Application. The main modifications were an entire restructuring of the previous 4 examinations in to only two examinations, and the addition of some teaching on more recent technologies. Although the old A+ had four examinations in the whole program, only two were required for the qualification. During the last 4 years, the market has developed to the point where all 4 examinations have become regarded as essential - hence the re-formatting in to 2 required exams. 'CompTIA' have also released the BR-003 bridging exam, for trainees accredited in the 600 examinations who want to update to the new 700 exams. Further training will almost certainly be needed, especially for many who just originally worked on 2 of the 4 'electives'. Clearly however the newer technological content will have to be mastered.

For the 'A+' examinations give yourself around 100 to 150 hours to study and prepare, & somewhat less for the N+ exams (possibly around 75-100 hrs). Learning part-time, this can be achieved over a six month time period if you select an appropriate quality of training matter and superior examination prep materials.

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