CompTIA is arguably the most widely recognized IT professional certification available. Many of the IT courses your teen might take through dual enrollment or college will include the preparation for CompTIA exams. If this is your teen’s career path, be sure to bookmark this resource!

Ask anyone studying for CompTIA exams what their “go-to” resource is, and they will almost unanimously tell you “Professor Messer!”

Professor Messor teaches CompTIA courses on youtube for FREE! He’s had over 97 million views, and even hosts study groups within his community. I love the community he’s built- and he even has a really great website with extras.

CompTIA certifications are good for 3 years, but with the entry-level A+ certification, your teen can get a part-time job gaining valuable industry experience that will help them launch into their career. I have one son who earned an internship working for a college’s IT Help Desk (worth college credit) based on this knowledge!

Entry Level: CompTIA A+

CompTIA A+ is for professionals looking to start a career in IT and have 9 to 12 months of hands-on experience in the lab or field or equivalent training. CompTIA A+ prepares candidates for the following job roles:

Service desk analyst
Help desk tech
Technical support specialist
Field service technician
Associate network engineer
Data support technician
Desktop support administrator
End-user computing technician
Help desk technician
System support specialist

Professor Messer’s CompTIA A+ videos

Once your teen has studied, they must register to take the CompTIA A+ exam. Exams can be taken in person or online. CompTIA Testing Information Yes! They offer testing accommodations for those who need them! The current price to take a CompTIA A+ exam is $226 in the United States.

Some colleges will award college credit for holding CompTIA A+ certification. Among colleges that do, expect 2 lower-level credits in IT.

NOTE: this exam is nearly identical to the competitor TestOut PC Pro. If your teen has already obtained TestOut PC Pro certification through dual enrollment, they likely already have the skills necessary to pass CompTIA A+

blur close up code computer — Photo by luis gomes on Pexels.com

You might also be interested in these FREE Cybersecurity classes through Texas A&M Engineering Extension. Though they only offer a limited likelihood of transfer, these free classes ARE worth college credit! Texas Engineering Extension TEEX (new!)