Online CompTIA ITF+ and A+ Certification Training
Earn Your CompTIA ITF+ and A+ Certifications
CompTIA's IT Fundamentals (ITF+) certification provides an introduction to IT concepts and skills. It is intended as a "pre-career” certification that organizes basic IT knowledge IT professionals. After mastering the fundamentals, CompTIA recommends moving on to the A+ certification, the industry's first performance-based curriculum designed for starting IT professionals. This 100% online course will help you will master core concepts that directly apply to the ITF+ and A+ certification exams.
Job Outlook for CompTIA A+ Certified Professionals
Professionals with computer support skills are in high demand. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that computer support specialist jobs will enjoy 10% growth between now and 2028. This is a rate of approximately double that expected for overall job growth.
In addition to this strong job growth, the BLS notes that growth in IT areas such as networking, security and device management means that the field also holds strong advancement opportunities.
Salaries among IT support specialists generally reflect this high demand. The BLS notes that salaries for computer support specialists average $63,460 per year. The Bureau notes that lower salaries, such as those offered to inexperienced professionals, average $38,990, or around $19-20 per hour.
CompTIA ITF+ and A+ Certification FAQs
According to the CompTIA, the A+ certification is the industry-leading credential for support specialists, field service, desktop support and help desk support jobs.
Although job titles may vary by organization and department, the following job titles feature duties covered by the CompTIA A+ certification:
- Service and user help desk support
- Technical support specialist
- Associate network engineer
- Data support technician
- Desktop support administrator
- Help desk technician
- System support specialist
Although the ITF+ certification is not listed as a formal prerequisite for the A+ exam, CompTIA highly recommends ITF+ for those embarking on their first formal training for a career in IT. It is designed to provide a framework in IT skills that can lead to a wide variety of specialized areas or can lead a prospective employee to another area outside the formal IT domain.
ITF+ is an ideal introduction to the IT concepts addressed in the more advanced A+ certification process. A+ preparation courses can be expected to address:
- Hardware, including networking and troubleshooting
- Mobile devices
- Operating systems
- Software troubleshooting
- Networking, including virtualization, cloud computing and security
CompTIA A+ Core exams require candidates to demonstrate skills in:
- Baseline security skills for IT support professionals
- Configuring device operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, Android and iOS
- Administering client-based as well as cloud-based (SaaS) software
- Troubleshooting and problem-solving service and support challenges, applying best practices for documentation, change management, and scripting
- Supporting basic IT infrastructure and networking
- Configuring and supporting PC, mobile and IoT device hardware
- Implementing data backup and recovery methods, applying best practices for data storage and management
Course Objectives
- Identify the purpose and function of software, hardware, and security components
- Analyze, manage, and troubleshoot mobile devices, networking technologies, hardware, virtualization and cloud computing, and network systems
- Install, configure, and troubleshoot operating systems, expanded security, software, and operational items
- Prepare to take and pass CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1001) and Core 2 (220-1002) exams
Prerequisites and Requirements
There are no prerequisites to enroll in this course. However, CompTIA recommends having up to one year of hands on experience before taking the A+ exam.
Course Outline
IT FUNDAMENTALS PREPARATION
IT foundations, framework, programs, programming, databases and security
A+ PREPARATION
Core 1: hardware, networking and mobile; Core 2: troubleshooting and security for
Windows, Mac and Linux
Instructor
- David Grimes
David Grimes has more than 10 years of management and leadership experience in the private and non-profit sectors. Grimes is passionate about technology and education, having worked as academic dean, student services director, technology coordinator, teacher, consultant, and technology columnist. He holds a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Science from Ohio State University, both in Technology Education.
Registration and Enrollment
This course is 100% online. Start anytime.
