CompTIA Offers Stackable Certifications

CompTIA on Wednesday introduced “Stackable Certifications,” a new destination for the many of the vendor-neutral skills certifications that it offers.

CompTIA’s Todd Thibodeaux

CompTIA Stackable Certifications follow two CompTIA Career Pathways – infrastructure and cybersecurity – and offer a number of eligible routes to attaining a stackable certification.

Calling this a major expansion of its credentialing program, CompTIA notes that a Stackable Certification recognizes a certification holder’s deep expertise and strong commitment to continuous professional growth and development.

“The technology professionals who’ve earned CompTIA Stackable Certifications have done so by passing rigorous exams developed by the industry to validate the technical and business skills that are in the highest demand in today’s economy,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA.

Here are the routes for CompTIA certified IT professionals to attain a stackable certification:

• CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ = CompTIA IT Operations Specialist
• CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Linux+ = CompTIA Systems Support Specialist
• CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Server+ = CompTIA Network Infrastructure Professional
• CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Cloud+ = CompTIA Cloud Administration Professional
• CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ = CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Associate
• CompTIA Security + and CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst = CompTIA Security Analytics Specialist
• CompTIA Security+, CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst and CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner = CompTIA Security Analytics Expert

More than 145,000 IT professionals who have earned more than one CompTIA certification have earned a CompTIA Stackable Certification.

How it works?

The Stackable Certifications follow the two CompTIA Career Pathways: CompTIA Infrastructure Career Pathway and CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway. Then, within each pathway, the Stackable Certifications are categorized by experience level — Specialist: early career IT professional with less than two years of experience; Professional: mid-level IT professional with two to five years of experience; and Expert: established IT professional with more than five years of experience.

Stackable Certifications require active CE certifications. If you have a “good for life” certification, that also counts toward a stackable certification as long you re-certify and validate that your skills are up to date, CompTIA said.

“More so than any other certifying body, CompTIA makes extensive use of performance-based questions and simulations in its exams,” said James Stanger, CompTIA’s chief technology evangelist. “These simulations accurately reflect the real-world scenarios IT pros face daily, requiring test-takers to demonstrate skills in networking, cybersecurity, and other areas under the pressure of a timed test.”