In 2009 both programs under-went upgrades, & new examinations are now in existence for them both. A+ examinations which commenced using the prefix '600' (i.e. the 2006/2007 version) are now being phased out globally. In the UK, they discontinue on August 31st 2010. Because both the '600', and the new 700 exams are now allowed to be taken in Prometric and 'Vue' test centres, it seems sensible to study the 700 exams now, & avoid having to re-certify later on. A+ '09 is currently presented as '220/701' CompTIA A+ Essentials and 220-702 CompTIA A+ Practical Application. The 4 earlier examinations have been re-structured into two new exams, and some additional updated material has been included. Initially, the A+ was split into four examinations: one essential & three elective specialisations. Nowadays the industry requires workers with know-how that was in all of the past examinations. Individuals will get that knowledge from the 2 '2009' compulsory A+ programs. A bridging examination has been created by CompTIA for anyone who have the old certification. 'BR-003' is the exam reference. This could probably require extra study, although not so much if you covered all four of the earlier exams, rather than only the minimum two. Sufficient training hours should be allowed for the newer technology elements however.

Review the points below carefully if you're inclined to think the sales ploy of a guarantee for your exam looks like a reason to buy:

Obviously it isn't free - you're still footing the bill for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing. It's well known in the industry that if students pay for their relevant examinations, one by one, they'll be in a better position to pass every time - since they're aware of what they've paid and their application will be greater.

Do the examinations somewhere close to home and hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take it. Many so-called credible training providers make big margins through getting paid for exams at the start of the course then hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Pay heed to the fact that, in the majority of cases of 'exam guarantees' - they control when and how often you are allowed to do a re-take. You'll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they'll pay for another exam.

With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE exams costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it's common sense to fund them one by one. It's not in the student's interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

A typical blunder that students everywhere can make is to choose a career based on a course, instead of focusing on the desired end-result. Universities are full of unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good - instead of the program that would surely get them an enjoyable career or job. Avoid becoming one of the unfortunate masses who select a program that seems 'fun' or 'interesting' - and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for something they'll never enjoy.

Make sure you investigate how you feel about career development, earning potential, and if you're ambitious or not. It's vital to know what industry expects from you, what particular accreditations will be required and how you'll gain real-world experience. Obtain help from an experienced advisor who 'gets' the commercial realities of the area you're interested in, and is able to give you 'A typical day in the life of' understanding of what kinds of tasks you'll be undertaking on a day-to-day basis. It's good sense to know if this change is right for you well before your course begins. There's little point in kicking off your training only to realise you've made a huge mistake.

Getting your first commercial position can feel more straightforward if you're offered a Job Placement Assistance service. Having said that, occasionally too much is made of this feature, for it is actually not that hard for any motivated and trained individual to get a job in IT - because companies everywhere are seeking well trained people.

Update your CV at the beginning of your training though (advice and support for this should come from your course provider). Don't procrastinate and leave it till the exams have actually been passed. Having the possibility of an interview is more than not being known. A decent number of junior jobs are bagged by students who are still at an early stage in their studies. If it's important to you to find work near your home, then it's quite likely that a local IT focused recruitment consultancy might serve you better than some national concern, for they're far more likely to be familiar with the local job scene.

Not inconsiderable numbers of trainees, so it seems, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (sometimes for years), and just give up when it comes to finding a job. Promote yourself... Make an effort to put yourself out there. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.

Some trainers are still offering the rather old-fashioned idea of in-centre classes. Usually touted as a major benefit, after discussion with someone who has first-hand experience, you'll find them listing some or most of these:

- All that travelling - frequent journeys and quite often hundreds of miles a time.

- Workshop accessibility; frequently Mon-Fri and usually 2-3 days at a time. It's never convenient to take the required work-leave.

- And let's not ignore the lost holiday days. Often, we get 4 weeks annual leave. If at least half is sacrificed to learning, then we haven't got much left for ourselves.

- Workshops invariably become far too big.

- You may prefer to move at a pace that is different to the other class members. Sometimes this causes a classic case of 'classroom tension'.

- Rising travel prices - arranging transport to and from the training centre plus over-night accommodation can start to get expensive over several visits. Assuming just an average of 5 to 10 workshops at a cost of 35 pounds for an over-night room, plus a petrol cost of 40 pounds and food at 15 pounds, we find an extra four to nine hundred pounds of costs that we weren't expecting.

- Training privacy can be very important to most trainees. Why would you want to throw away potential advancement, wage increases or achievement at work because you're getting trained in a different area. When your boss discovers you're putting yourself through training in a completely different market, how will they regard you?

- It's quite usual for trainees not to put a question forward that they would like answered - just down to the fact that they're surrounded by fellow attendees.

- For those of us who need to at times work elsewhere in the country for several days at a time, imagine the increased difficulty in making the needed classes, when time-off becomes even harder to obtain.

A more flexible training route is to exploit filmed classes in the comfort of your own home - and do it when it's convenient to you - not someone else. Do them at home on your desktop PC or use your laptop to enjoy the sun. If you have any questions, then get onto the live 24x7 support (that we hope you'll insist on with any technical courses.) Just go back and re-cover all the study modules whenever you need to. And of course, you don't have to make notes because you'll always have access to the teaching. Even though this doesn't suddenly stop every little difficulty, it certainly removes stress and makes things simpler. Plus you've got less costs, hassle and travel.

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