The not-for-profit organisation 'CompTIA' - 'Computing Technology Industry Association' - was established in the early 1980's. The organisation offers vendor-neutral accreditations that have made it a global leader in this industry. So they can freely produce and control a whole range of I.T. industry exams & issue their very own certifications which don't apply to just one particular organisations' goods. This really is excellent for students, because they can be taught about different platforms and how they inter-connect and 'integrate' with one another - a not unusual situation today. CompTIA gathers together different business & academic industry organisations when creating or updating an exam, to ensure all sides are thought about and the most industry relevant syllabuses are crafted.

Many of these roles can be starting points for advanced level I.T. careers, and so, as with all career tracks, it is important to first talk about exactly what your end goals are, and which kind of learning-style you want. Do take the opportunity to discuss every little thing with a training and IT expert - it will help safeguard you from any set-backs later on. Training organisations can often create a bespoke training-path by combining a number of programs to get the student from wherever they are now to where they would like to go.

In-line with their ISO standardisation drive, 'CompTIA' have up-graded both 'A+' and Network+ examinations to 2009 editions. Internationally the 2006-2007 editions of A+ (those with examination prefix number 600) will be phased out within the next 12 months. After 31st August 2010 they will no longer be available in Britain. Up to that time, students can take either the '600' or the newer 700 examinations at regional test-centres (specifically Vue & 'Prometric'). Common sense suggests that new entrant students should take version 2009. The individual A+ '09 exams have become: CompTIA 'A+' Essentials (exam 220/701) and 'CompTIA' 'A+' Practical Application (examination 220-702.) The 4 original examinations have been stream-lined in to two new examinations, & some additional updated material has been included. Originally, the 'A+' was broken into four exams: 1 essential and three elective specialisations. But as the industry has developed, the expertise from all four examinations is now deemed essential, and so has been condensed in to two required assessments. CompTIA also have produced the BR-003 'up-grade' test, for students qualified under the 600 exams who wish to update to the new 700 exams. Passing the up-grade examination will usually require further study, but this shouldn't be especially difficult for those who initially studied all four. Adequate training time should be factored in for the new aspects however.

For a new entrant to I.T., CompTIA offers the basic foundation training in many areas. Students thinking of getting into networks & support, or security, systems & servers should usually start with CompTIA, although its reasonable to state that 'CompTIA' accreditations can boost any Curriculum Vitae designed for the IT marketplace. The latest set of beginner level programs named 'STRATA' have been released by 'CompTIA'. These are designed for those who could do with a better understanding of fundamental I.T. knowledge, but don't essentially work with IT themselves.

The career roles listed here are all possible for the applicant with a CompTIA A+ certification: P.C. Technician, I.T. Administrator, Remote Support Technician, Field Service Technician, Help Desk Technician and Call Centre & Depot Technician. Employment opportunities will also include Network Installers, Administrators & Technicians for those who hold the CompTIA 'Network+' as well.

The actual Network+ 2009 exam has been referred to as N10-004, updating the previous N10-003. As well as keeping it's attention on network management & infrastructure, the updated 2009 examination points to an increased importance on Security, wireless networking abilities & network-design standards.

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