Choose your path based on career goals. CompTIA certifications build progressively from core IT skills to advanced specializations.
Core IT Track
For: Beginners starting their IT career
- Entry: CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71) — IT fundamentals, terminology, infrastructure basics
- Start: CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) — Hardware, networking, mobile devices, virtualization
- Next: CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) — OS installation, security, troubleshooting, operational procedures
- Then: CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) — Network architecture, security, troubleshooting
- Project Management: CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) — IT project management, Agile, Waterfall methodologies
Infrastructure Track
For: System administrators and network engineers
- Foundation: CompTIA A+ (Core 1 & Core 2) — IT fundamentals
- Networking: Network+ (N10-009) — Network design, implementation, management
- Linux: Linux+ (XK0-006) — Linux administration, scripting, security
- Servers: Server+ (SK0-005) — Server hardware, administration, disaster recovery
- Cloud: Cloud+ (CV0-004) — Cloud architecture, deployment, operations, troubleshooting
- Cloud Networking: CloudNetX (CNX-001) — SD-WAN, SASE, network automation, cloud connectivity
Cybersecurity Track
For: Security analysts and cybersecurity professionals
- Entry: Security+ (SY0-701) — Security fundamentals, threats, cryptography, risk management
- Intermediate: CySA+ (CS0-003) — Threat detection, security operations, incident response
- Offensive: PenTest+ (PT0-003) — Penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, ethical hacking
- AI Security: SecAI+ (CY0-001) — AI security, AI-enhanced threat detection, AI governance
- Expert: SecurityX (CAS-005) — Enterprise security architecture and engineering (formerly CASP+)
Data & Analytics Track
For: Data professionals and business analysts
- Foundation: Data+ (DA0-002) — Data concepts, environments, analysis, visualization, governance
- AI & Analytics: DataAI (DY0-001) — AI/ML techniques, data pipelines for AI, predictive modeling
- Database Systems: DataSys+ (DS0-001) — Database administration, SQL/NoSQL, performance optimization
Pro Tip: CompTIA A+ is the industry-standard entry point for IT careers. Security+ is the most popular CompTIA certification and satisfies DoD Directive 8570 requirements for information assurance roles.