Is CompTIA A+ Certification Worth It? [Updated]

IT certifications, a form of continuing education, proves that the professionals have the mentioned skills. This validation helps the professionals to land up in a lucrative career with a promotion from the existing position, a hike in the salary, knowledge gain, an appreciation from the coworkers and peer groups, and, etc.
 

The right certifications when coupled with experience gives the edge to the career growth.
 

Among the certifications available for varied domains, CompTIA A+ stands as the best recommended for Networking domain.
 

Let’s learn more about CompTIA A+ certification here.

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the leading provider of vendor-neutral IT certifications provide CompTIA A+ as a foundation for IT career among the other related ones.
 

CompTIA A+ stands as one of the most preferred credentials for IT operation roles and technical support.  
 

The certified professionals are able to comprehend, troubleshoot, and solve the problems in relation to operating systems and networking to security and mobile devices.  
 

The CompTIA A+ certification is designed for the aspiring professionals who are working as Network engineers, System Analyst, Network Planners, Network Administrators, and Network Developers.
 

The certification is ISO 17024 compliant and accredited by ANSI.
 

Business News Daily Contributors state that “The CompTIA A+ certification is the granddaddy and best-known of all hardware credentials. For anyone serious about working with PCs, laptops, mobile devices, printers or operating systems, the A+ should at least be on their radar if not in their game plan”.
 

And, one more interesting feature to note in the game of gender equality is that “CompTIA A+ stands as one among the top 5 courses women take”, Miley added while citing a data from the e-learning platform Cybrary as stated in the Blog Post. [The other four courses include Ethical Hacking, CompTIA Security+, Cisco CCNA, and CISSP].
 

By earning CompTIA A+ Certification, you will be able to obtain the following skills:
 

• Identify, use, and, connect the hardware devices and components.
• Gain knowledge of networks and connections namely, TCP/IP, WIFI, and SOHO.
• Install and configure the mobile devices, laptops, Windows OS, and, etc.
• Troubleshoot the hardware, devices, application security, and other network issues.
• Comprehend the technologies like Mac OS, Linux, and, mobile OS.
• Identify the security vulnerabilities for network connections and its devices.
• Protect the network connections and the devices.
• Follow the best practices for safety and environmental practices.
   

CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Details:
 

CompTIA A+ exam curriculum is not bound to a specific company or vendor but based on an industry-wide job task analysis. This exam is persistently increasing popularity as the IT industry has again gained momentum.

Top Six[6] Benefits of CompTIA A+ Certification
 

1. Credibility:

IT certifications validate IT professionals’ knowledge and prove their ability to perform a particular job role.
 

2. Better Career Opportunities:

Hiring managers these days prefer certified candidates for job roles. Being CompTIA A+ certification, professionals’ gain a better position in getting a promotion at a job and it also opens up better career opportunities.
 

Few organizations have made CompTIA A+ certification mandatory requirement for their services.
 

3. Increased Compensation:

Latest salary surveys show that IT professionals with certifications are always offered better pay packages unlike non-certified counterparts in equivalent positions.

4. Better enhanced confidence:

Surveys also indicate that certification gives the candidates a higher level of confidence.
 

5. Credits towards Other higher IT Certifications:

CompTIA A + certification program is considered popular as other vendors, like Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Novell and many more recognize CompTIA A+ certification in their advanced certification tracks.
 

6. Act as a prerequisite for higher IT certifications:

Many organizations require candidates to be CompTIA A+ certification, to get qualifies for their other IT training programs.
 

Job Roles and Salary for Employees with CompTIA A+ Certification:
 

• Computer Operator: Rs 180,000
• Technical Support Engineer: Rs 240,157
• Desktop Support Engineer: Rs 182,951
• Information Technology [IT] Manager: Rs 1,020,000
• System Support Administrator [Computer]: Rs 145,320
• System Engineer [Computer Networking/IT]: Rs 108,000
• System Administrator [Computer/Network]: Rs 138,000
   

Source: PayScale
 

What Next?
 

CompTIA Certifications Career Pathway:

Conclusion:
 

Earning CompTIA A+ certification proves that an IT professional has a broad base of knowledge and competency in core hardware and operating system technologies including installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking.
 

For those who plan to build, repair configure or maintain computers or computer networks, or plan to perform other functions of a computer service technicians, A+ certification will let you emerge much stronger in your career.