Earning a CompTIA A+ certification
CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association), was founded in 1982 and has more than 2,000 member companies in over 100 countries around the globe. It is the world leading developer of vendor-neutral qualifications such as A+. Their vendor-neutrality means that their qualifications suit a wide range of requirements rather than being tied to specific software or hardware.
The A+ certification consists of two exams: A+ certification exam code 220-801; A+ certification exam code 220-802; and focuses on the development of hardware support skills including being able to perform tasks such as installation, configuration, diagnosis, preventative maintenance and basic networking. It also covers the communication and customer services skills you'll need to support end users.
CompTIA A+ is part of the certification track for companies such as Microsoft, HP and Cisco. Other technology companies, including Dell, Intel, Lenovo and Ricoh have made CompTIA A+ certification mandatory for their service technicians.
Job roles with CompTIA A+
CompTIA A+ is the certification most often suggested as the starting point for a career in IT. It will help you find jobs installing, repairing and configuring PCs - working in Technical Support roles. Because it's recognised around the world and it's vendor-neutral, lots of organisations list this qualification as the minimum technical requirement for their support staff.
Other job titles related to the A+ qualification include:
- Technical Support Specialist
- Field Service Technician
- Desktop Support Specialist
- 1st Line Support Engineer
- IT Support Administrator
- PC Technician
- Support Engineer
Whilst the names of these job roles differ significantly, they are all focused on supporting business and users to get the most efficient use of their IT.
CompTIA A+ can also be useful if you're working in a career that requires IT knowledge outside of formal IT job roles. This could include Technical Sales or Pre-Sales Support, Customer Service in a technical environment or any role that requires an understanding of computer repair issues and the ability to talk confidently about them with customers.
The Computeach CompTIA A+ certification is an ideal start to almost any of the Computeach career tracks and the CompTIA A+ certification is recognised worldwide by employers small and large.
