Recent job hunting shows that most entry level IT related positions enlists the CompTIA A+ certification as a basic requirement. CompTIA basically means the Computing Techonology Industry Association which is a US based organisation providing very useful professional certifications for the IT industry.
According to the CompTIA website found here (clicky) and I quote :
For entry-level IT technicians, the CompTIA A+ exam covers preventative maintenance, basic networking, installation, troubleshooting, communication and professionalism.
This sounds like another ideal certification for me to pursue at the moment. I’ve done some research and have bought a book called “CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition (Exams 220-701 & 220-702)” from Amazon UK .
Basically, in order to obtain the CompTIA A+ certification you’d have to sit two exams :
- 220-701 for CompTIA A+ Essentials
- 220-702 for CompTIA A+ Practical Application
There are 100 questions for each exam and your are given 90 minutes per exam. Passing score is 675 for CompTIA A+ Essentials, 700 for CompTIA A+ Practical Application on a scale of 100-900. Not what I call easy then 🙂
One thing to note about CompTIA exams is that they have “expiry” dates for the modules and certifications. This is to keep the certifications update to the latest requirement. I find this highly appealing and of course also useful in securing that job!