Can You Get a CompTIA ITF+ Certification or Course For Free?
Imagine you see signs inviting people to a house party—and it looks pretty fun. Through the windows, you see people like you having a good time. The music sounds good, and you decide to go in… but can't find the door. You circle the house: no door! How do you get into this party?
Sometimes, starting a career in IT can feel the same way. People your age are making money and having a good time, but you can't figure out how to get in. What makes it so hard to find the door to a career in IT is that you need a certain amount of knowledge before you can get started.
You can't get started in a career in IT by only learning one thing – the fundamentals of IT include many different topics and subjects, and you have to learn at least a little of all of them. So, where do you learn the basics of IT? Most importantly, where can you learn the fundamentals of IT for free?
We want to help you get there. Read on to learn about free IT fundamentals training and how to prepare for your very first IT certification for free.
What are IT Certifications?
In IT, trusted organizations decide what skills and knowledge a person needs to do certain jobs. They test those skills and knowledge and give a credential to those who pass the test. Since employers trust those certifications, they hire people with them.
Some certifications are advanced, validating deep, extremely specialized knowledge with highly specific technology. Some entry-level certifications prove a person's readiness to start a career. We think that one of the best entry-level IT certifications is IT Fundamentals+ from CompTIA (also known as ITF+).
The ITF+ is particularly good because it's vendor-agnostic. This means it covers all aspects of technology, regardless of which manufacturer built it or what developer made the software. With a CompTIA certification, you don't narrow your options; you expand them.
Who Should Take the ITF+?
The ITF+ from CompTIA is a good certification for newcomers to the IT career field and people thinking about changing to IT careers. If you're already working in IT, there are more advanced certifications that are better suited to advancing your career.
The ITF+ is best at determining if a career in IT is right for you. It's a good cert for a range of people: high school students thinking about different careers, college IT students who want to start their job search with an easy cert, or people changing their career who want to find out if IT interests them.
If you're working in an entry-level IT position and would like to develop your skills in a new field of IT, the ITF+ can help you learn what you're best at. Taking the ITF+ could show you that you love manipulating databases, installing and managing hardware, or maybe you're a coder at heart. Use the ITF+ and free IT fundamentals courses to help you identify your strengths in IT.
Consider what interests you when you take courses to prepare for the ITF+. If you like the sections on networks, look for more networking training. If cybersecurity excites you, learn more about keeping networks safe and secure.
It's an introduction to the concepts of IT, but the ITF+ is still worth studying for. Next, we'll explain IT fundamentals so you can find high-quality, free ITF+ training. After all, why pay for the ITF+ before you're even sure you want to work in IT?
What are the CompTIA ITF+ Objectives?
The ITF+ covers six areas. In the higher levels of IT, these six areas get subdivided even further. But when it comes to IT fundamentals, these are the most important categories:
The easiest way to learn the basics about these fundamental areas of IT for free is at CBT Nuggets' YouTube page. CBT Nuggets has playlists full of videos covering all the basic categories of IT and tons of others. Watch the videos, and you'll learn every IT fundamental for free. In addition to learning the concepts and terminology of each field of IT, you'll also get a sense of what a career in that field feels like.
Technology infrastructure is a precursor to systems administration. These videos show that it mainly means knowing your way around computers, devices, and networks. IT careers don't always involve adjusting hardware or moving cables, but recognizing them is vital.
You probably already have some knowledge of applications and software. Working in IT requires understanding how different software interacts with one another and how to provide desktop support for users. These YouTube playlists show that as the apps and software become more complicated, the topic also gets into virtualization and the cloud.
You don't have to code your apps to get a job in IT. However, you do have to understand different types of programming languages and what computer logic is, as this free YouTube playlist helps explain.
Databases were never simple, and they've become much more complicated. IT fundamentals training must include understanding how databases work and how to navigate and use them, even if only at a basic level.
This YouTube playlist orients IT newcomers on the basics of cybersecurity, which is crucial because inexperienced people often create the biggest vulnerabilities. A cybersecurity career can be complicated, but the basics are essential.
CBT Nuggets YouTube playlists are the best, free way to learn these IT fundamentals. The videos can't offer the benefits of a full CBT Nuggets course, which includes virtual simulations, quizzes, and practice exams, but they do explain IT fundamentals—for free.
As you continue looking for IT fundamentals courses, ensure these six topics are covered (at a minimum). Some IT courses might focus on only one of these areas, which is another reason YouTube videos are a good place to start—by learning the fundamentals, you can filter good training from bad in the future.
How to Prepare for the ITF+ For Free
As we covered above, the CBT Nuggets YouTube channel is the best place to get started with IT fundamentals for free. Dozens of introductory videos explain how technology works together to produce incredible results.
Another excellent free IT fundamentals training resource is CBT Nuggets' Intro to IT courses. These are ten completely free entry-level courses that help explain broad areas of IT in simple terms and with full video presentations. If you watched every one of those introductory courses, you'd have a strong foundation of the basics of IT and be prepared to choose an area of IT to pursue professionally.
While everything we've mentioned so far is a very good introduction to the fundamentals of IT, none of them are exactly IT fundamentals and prep. As you now know, the ITF+ is a specific certification.
It covers IT fundamentals, but you still have to know the information that CompTIA decided belongs on its exam. In most cases, that'll be fundamental IT knowledge, but the only way to pass the test confidently is to take a course designed for the ITF+.
CBT Nuggets offers an ITF+ course, but you need to be a member, which costs money. Fortunately, there's a free way to take it, but you have to plan and be careful with your time.
If you want to prepare for the ITF+ for free, sign up for a free CBT Nuggets membership and use your free week to take the ITF+ course. If you're dedicated and use your time well, you can easily complete the entire course in a week.
A CBT Nuggets membership gives you access to their entire course catalog for free, so with your membership, you can take any CBT Nuggets course that you like. Once you take the ITF+ for free, follow up by taking a more advanced course in the field you like most.
Unlike the free YouTube videos, CBT Nuggets courses have features to help you stay engaged. You can take practice exams for the ITF+ certification exam for free and personalized support from coaches to navigate the IT training landscape.
Ready to Start Studying for CompTIA ITF+?
A free CBT Nuggets membership is the best way to get free ITF+ training, but you should do it in the right order. First, watch free YouTube videos on the basic concepts of each IT category. Then, take any (or all) of the free CBT Nuggets Intro to IT courses. Once ready to tackle the ITF+, sign up for a free week of CBT Nuggets and hurry through their ITF+ course.
This combination of free online resources and free access to the full ITF+ course is the best way to prepare for your very first IT certification, and doing it for free makes the party even better.
Ready to earn your first IT certification? Check out CBT Nuggets' CompTIA Training!
delivered to your inbox.
By submitting this form you agree to receive marketing emails from CBT Nuggets and that you have read, understood and are able to consent to our privacy policy.