CompTIA Blog

ChannelCon’s Community Day, set for Aug. 4, is when CompTIA’s most engaged members gather to share insights, network with peers and build initiatives that drive the IT industry forward. Start your day with the Community Breakfast: 8 Nuggets to Start Your Day, where leaders from CompTIA’s eight communities will entice you to attend their meetings.

IT is a great place for women — that’s the simple message Dream IT, a new program by CompTIA’s AWIT Community, is sharing with 10,000 people this year. Through speaking engagements and the new AWIT Career Resource Center, and the community is both spreading the word and compiling a robust packet of slides, videos and instructions for those who would like to share their stories. “All we need are volunteers,” said project lead Cathy Alper.

Beginning with a hearty community breakfast, ChannelCon’s Community Day features collaborative meetings open to anyone who has an interest in driving their particular niche of the IT channel. If you’ve never been to a CompTIA community meeting, don’t be shy. Check out the schedule and join us.

Dublin tech Andrew Murphy said after using CertMaster, he felt 100 percent ready to sit for his CompTIA A+ exams. “This way of learning was so much easier and much more enjoyable than reading a textbook … it certainly keeps you interested for much longer,” he said. Read more about his experience with CompTIA’s new neuroscience-based, adaptive learning tool.

Cloud computing, mobility and Big Data analytics are not merely new options for a company to utilize as they build out their IT architecture. Instead, they create a new platform that drives a radically different technology strategy. CompTIA researcher Seth Robinson examines the paradigm shift in the industry’s approach to enterprise IT.

Happy customers are loyal, less expensive and willing to pay more, according to insight from this summer’s CompTIA UK Channel Community Meeting. Under the theme “Managing Toward Business Excellence,” speakers touched on areas every company can start improving immediately: team excellence, operational excellence and customer service excellence. Read on.

Priding itself in graduating job-ready IT professionals, Canadian owned and operated triOS sought out vendor-neutral certifications to enhance their offerings. A partnership with CompTIA complemented what the IT-based training center had already built.

In just a few short weeks, IT professionals nationwide will come together to take advantage of the industry-leading channel education, social events, networking opportunities and influential speakers at ChannelCon. Attendees have come to expect takeaways from the conference that can be put to immediate use in their business, and 2014 is no different. This year, CompTIA is pleased to feature the Social Media Rally Station – powered by Channel Maven Consulting.

If applying for a CompTIA Trustmark has ever entered your mind, ChannelCon is the time to make a decision. This year, ChannelCon attendees can participate in the Trustmark Workshop, scheduled for 2:15 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 6. Pair your newfound knowledge with a $100 discount and you have a recipe for success.

If climbing the corporate IT ladder was a video game, CompTIA CertMaster would be the golden coin that helps you conquer the end boss. In CompTIA’s new YouTube video, Career Level Up, an entry-level IT technician uses CompTIA CertMaster to take him on an epic journey from his status quo cubicle to an office with a view.

If you manage or work in an IT company, you are fully aware of the industry’s shortage of skilled professionals — and with the explosive growth of the technology field, the skills shortage will not go away without your help. From educating high school guidance counselors to sponsoring internships to joining CompTIA’s AWIT Community, there are plenty of ways you can get involved with filling the skills gap that affects us all.

When it comes to a successful career in IT, relationship skills are as important as technical skills; this according to a recent national research study. The study, “Bridge to Career Success” by NOVA Workforce Development, the Economic Advancement Research Institute and San Jose State University’s Department of Anthropology, surveyed successful IT professionals. Researchers found that tech career success depends as much on a worker’s ability to navigate multiple and varying job opportunities as it does on the acquisition of technical skills.

UK-based Firebrand Training Center, which offers boot camp-style courses at its all-inclusive training centers, has some pretty impressive numbers to report about its apprentice program. Thanks to help from the UK government and CompTIA, 99 percent of Firebrand’s apprentices are offered a permanent job by their employer at the end of the first year.

Hiring managers read resumes, sure, but more often their impression of you is defined by Internet search results. Rather than waiting until negative results pop up, experts recommend a proactive approach to updating your professional, online profile.

If you manage or work in an IT company, you are fully aware of the industry’s shortage of skilled professionals — and with the explosive growth of the technology field, the skills shortage will not go away without your help. From educating high school guidance counselors to sponsoring internships to joining CompTIA’s AWIT Community, there are plenty of ways you can get involved with filling the skills gap that affects us all.