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CompTIA Training, Certifications, and IT Careers: Your Questions Answered

A+Tech SupportTech+
January 3, 2025

How much money can I make in IT? Why should I get a CompTIA certification? If you are unfamiliar with CompTIA or if you’re deciding whether to get certified in IT, we know that you have questions and we want to help you gain a better understanding of our certification offerings and why you might want to consider getting certified in IT. Below, we have gathered some of our most frequently asked questions.

Your IT career questions

I want to work in IT, but I don’t know where to start. Which certification is best for me?

The CompTIA Tech+ (formerly IT Fundamentals or ITF+) certification is recommended for career changers and students preparing to enter the IT workforce. CompTIA Tech+ helps professionals decide if a career in IT is right for them or to develop a broader understanding of IT. The CompTIA Career Pathway showcases different paths you can take and the certifications within that pathway.

If you have some technical knowledge but need credentials to get your foot in the door, check out CompTIA A+. This certification is the industry standard for entry-level IT jobs, including technical support specialist and help desk technician. CompTIA A+ certified professionals are proven problem solvers.

How much money can I make in IT?

According to CompTIA's State of the Tech Workforce 2024, IT pros in the United States earn an estimated median wage of over $104,000—more than double the median national wage. Your salary depends on many factors, including your employer, industry, experience, education, occupation, and where you live. 

What skills do I need to be successful in IT?

IT pros must actively acquire new skills to keep up with evolving technology. These in-demand skills will keep you competitive and functioning well in your IT career, regardless of what the future holds. The most sought IT skills include not only technical skills—such as cloud computing, programming, and tech support—but also professional skills like project management, communication, and problem-solving.

Why should I get certified?

You should get certified to be more competitive in the job market. Even if you don’t have any IT experience, entry-level certifications can separate you from the rest.

Additionally, there are a variety of reasons why you should earn IT certifications, including:

  • To validate your knowledge and skills
  • To transfer what you learned during your certification training to your job
  • To show that you are proactive and committed
  • To build foundational knowledge in technology
  • To explore a specialty like computer networking or cybersecurity
  • To further your IT career

Gaining industry-recognized IT certifications is a professional development opportunity that will differentiate you in a challenging job market, heighten career advancement opportunities, and set you on a lucrative career path.

Do certifications replace on-the-job experience?

IT certifications are a great place to start, but they do not replace hands-on experience. Luckily, if you choose CompTIA certifications, you get hands-on learning as part of your training—the best of both worlds.

For example, many CompTIA certifications include performance-based questions (PBQs). This type of question is designed to test a candidate’s ability to solve problems in real-world settings and is delivered as either simulations or within virtual environments. CompTIA offers training solutions in a variety of formats, including CompTIA Labs, to prepare for PBQs. CompTIA Labs helps learners gain hands-on experience with real equipment and software to put their learning into practice. I’m already an IT professional.

How will certifications help me?

Certifications can help you continue to upskill! As an IT pro, you understand how quickly the technology industry can change and must keep pace. Upskilling may help you earn a promotion or start to specialize in an area of tech you are passionate about. Think of IT certifications as an investment in yourself and your career. If you know where you want to put your energy, you could add a new certification to your resume in as little as six weeks.

Your IT certification questions

Why should I choose CompTIA?

There are a lot of other certifications out there. It depends on what area you want to get certified in and which companies offer those certifications. CompTIA is vendor-neutral, so the skills you learn can be applied to any product. Other certifications, such as Cisco and Microsoft, are vendor-specific, meaning the skills you learn only focus on a specific product. Starting with a vendor-neutral certification like CompTIA’s can help you build a foundation of skills that allows you to dive deeper with a vendor-specific certification.

Are there any requirements or prerequisites?

There aren’t any age requirements or educational prerequisites to take a CompTIA exam. However, we recommend that candidates for any certification be at least 13 years old. We also outline recommended experiences for each exam to set you up for success. You can find this information on our website in the exam details chart for any CompTIA certification.

I’m interested in getting a CompTIA certification. What are the fees/how much does it cost?

To earn a CompTIA certification, you must pass an exam (two for A+), and exam voucher prices range from $130 to $480 (USD). 

We know how pricey it can be to get certified, especially when you’re a student. We have exam voucher discounts to help you save money on CompTIA certifications.

How do I prepare for my CompTIA exam?

You can purchase learning products to help you prepare for your exam. We offer instructor-led options, as well as self-study options like the CompTIA CertMaster products, which is a suite of online IT training solutions that includes eLearning, labs for hands-on practice and exam prep.

  • CompTIA CertMaster Learn is great if you’re just learning about a topic. This comprehensive, interactive, and self-paced eLearning environment has activities and features designed to help you learn and retain content engagingly. The customizable learning plan allows you to learn in a way that is most efficient for you.
  • CompTIA Labs is great if you already have some knowledge of a topic. It helps you practice solving real-world problems in a browser-based environment of live servers hosted in a data center. With extensive side-by-side lab guides and pre-configured exercises, we made learning easy yet thorough.
  • Integrated CertMaster Learn + Labs is available for many CompTIA certifications in bundles. This allows you to work in one platform to learn the information and then practice the hands-on skills with activities on real virtual machines and software. All bundles include an exam voucher and a free exam retake, just in case.
  • CompTIA CertMaster Practice is great if you want to build upon the hands-on skills you already have. It reinforces your knowledge—moving quickly through what you know and focusing on what you don’t with personalized feedback—to prepare for CompTIA certification exams efficiently.

We also offer FREE helpful resources like our exam objectives, practice questions, and book samples to help you decide which training solution is right for you.

When does my certification expire?

Some CompTIA certifications are good for life and do not have to be renewed. However, most of our certifications are part of the CompTIA Continuing Education program and need to be renewed. These certifications expire three years from the date you earned them and must be renewed before that expiration date.

How do I renew my CompTIA certification?

You can either renew with a single activity or complete a combination of activities to earn the continuing education units (CEUs) you need to renew your CompTIA certification. View complete details here.

I am finished studying for my CompTIA certification exam, and I’m ready to take the test. What’s my next step?

If you don’t already have one, your next step is to purchase an exam voucher through the CompTIA Store or at a testing center. We also recommend scheduling your exam rather than walking in. With online testing, exams are available 24/7, so you can find a time and location that’s convenient for you. Check out these tips on how to set yourself up for exam success.

What are my testing options?

You can take a CompTIA certification exam either online or in person at a Person VUE test center.

Online testing offers you the ease and convenience of testing for your certification from any quiet, distraction-free, and secure location at any time.

Choose online testing if you want:

  • A secure and easy way to test from home, a closed-door office, or any place that has a private area available to you
  • The flexibility to schedule your exam at any hour convenient to you
  • Technical support if something goes wrong during your exam session

CompTIA in-person testing offers testing options at any of the thousands of Pearson VUE test centers worldwide.

Choose in-person testing if you:

  • Don’t have access to a private, distraction-free location
  • Don’t have reliable internet access
  • Have limited understanding of written and spoken English or other language barriers

I’ve passed my CompTIA certification exam and am ready to apply what I’ve learned. What now?

You're now ready to apply your knowledge and skills in the real world. So, start by exploring job opportunities in the IT industry. Sign up for job alerts on various job sites to stay informed about the latest openings that match your skills and interests. Remember, your certification is a valuable asset that can help you stand out in the job market. Keep your resume updated, and continue to hone your networking skills. You're now on the path to a successful career in IT.

I have completed and passed my CompTIA certification. Which certification should I study for next?

Check out CompTIA’s IT career path planning tool to choose your desired or existing occupation and see which certification you should take next. You can also check out the CompTIA Career Pathway, which highlights CompTIA certifications that align with IT infrastructure and cybersecurity career paths.

  • The CompTIA IT Infrastructure Career Pathway, aligns CompTIA certifications with the skillsets needed to support and manage IT infrastructure. This pathway begins with the core skills certifications (CompTIA Tech+, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, and CompTIA Security+), then continues with three infrastructure-specific certifications (CompTIA Server+, CompTIA Linux+, and CompTIA Cloud+).
  • The CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway is for IT professionals that want to achieve cybersecurity mastery, from beginning to end. This pathway also begins with the core skills certifications (CompTIA Tech+, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, and CompTIA Security+), then continues with three cybersecurity-specific certifications (CompTIA PenTest+, CompTIA CySA+, and CompTIA SecurityX).

CompTIA Data+ is also now available! CompTIA Data+ is the first certification on the CompTIA Data and Analytics Career Pathway and is the only entry-level, vendor-neutral, and hands-on data analytics certification on the market. It's designed for those who contribute to an organization’s ability to make data-driven decisions and those who want to learn about:

  • Mining and manipulating data
  • Applying basic statistical methods
  • Analyzing complex datasets while adhering to governance and quality standards throughout the entire data lifecycle

CompTIA Data+ is recommended for those with 18 to 24 months of hands-on experience in a business intelligence or data analyst role.

Where can I get a discounted exam voucher?

The best discount for students is through the CompTIA  Store. You'll validate your student status with a third-party group.

If you aren’t a student, there are multiple ways to save such as on CompTIA Bundles, combining exam vouchers with training materials to help you fully prepare for your certification exam and save.

We hope you found this helpful.