So I've been working in retail for three years and my cousin keeps telling me to get into IT. I finally looked it up and I keep seeing CompTIA A+ everywhere, but honestly I had no idea what CompTIA was until like two weeks ago. From what I understand now, CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) is basically a nonprofit that creates vendor-neutral IT certifications — so you're not learning just Cisco or just Microsoft, you're learning foundational skills that apply broadly. Makes sense for someone like me with zero formal IT background.
What is CompTIA A+ certification exactly, and is it actually worth it for someone starting from scratch? I've also been trying to figure out how much is the CompTIA A+ exam — I saw something like $253 per voucher, and there are two exams (Core 1 and Core 2), so that's potentially over $500 total which is a lot on my budget. I've been drilling with the CompTIA Software Troubleshooting Practice Test 3 to see where I stand and honestly I'm lost on about half of it.
Also someone mentioned the cert expires — does CompTIA A+ expire? If I'm investing this kind of money and time I need to know what I'm signing up for long-term. Any advice from people who've done this would be genuinely appreciated.