For a help desk job, BLS says a college degree isn’t necessarily required, and candidates may qualify with a high school diploma plus relevant IT certifications. The two credentials in this guide do different jobs. CompTIA A+ is a certification you earn by passing two exams. The Google IT Support Certificate is a self-paced course series on Coursera with no prerequisites. Google graduates who also pass both A+ exams earn a dual credential from CompTIA and Google, so the real choice is often whether to take the course first or go straight to the exams.

This guide is desk research from CompTIA’s A+ exam and continuing education pages, Google’s and Coursera’s certificate pages, and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, checked between October 5 and October 9, 2026. Exam and subscription costs change, so check them on CompTIA’s and Google’s own pages.

What IT support specialists do

BLS splits the job in two. Computer user support specialists, also called help-desk technicians, usually help non-IT users in person or by phone, online chat or email. Typical duties include diagnosing a user’s computer problem, documenting what the user describes, walking them through fixes, setting up or repairing equipment, and installing and training users on new hardware or software. Computer network support specialists test, maintain and troubleshoot networks, often under network and computer systems administrators.

Most work full time, and because support may need to be available around the clock, some work nights or weekends. On working from home, BLS says some computer support specialists are able to telework, while others must be onsite or may need to travel to clients’ locations.

A+ vs Google IT Support side by side

CompTIA A+ (V15) Google IT Support Certificate
What it is Two certification exams: Core 1 and Core 2 A 6-course series on Coursera
Before you start CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on IT support work No prerequisites
How you earn it Up to 90 questions and 90 minutes per exam Finish the courses, quizzes and assessments
Passing 675 (Core 1) and 700 (Core 2), on a scale of 900 Course completion
Upkeep Valid 3 years; renew with 20 continuing education units No renewal rule listed on Google’s pages

What CompTIA A+ involves

CompTIA launched the current version, V15, on March 25, 2025, with exam codes 220-1201 (Core 1) and 220-1202 (Core 2). You must pass both, and both must come from the same version. CompTIA says you can take them in any order. Each exam has a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, mixing multiple-choice, drag-and-drop and performance-based questions. CompTIA says versions usually retire about three years after launch and estimates 2028 for V15, so check which version is current before you buy study materials.

CompTIA’s published objectives show where the weight sits:

  • Core 1: hardware and network troubleshooting (28%), hardware (25%), networking (23%), mobile devices (13%), and virtualization and cloud computing (11%)
  • Core 2: operating systems (28%), security (28%), software troubleshooting (23%) and operational procedures (21%)

CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support role before the exams. That is a recommendation, not a requirement, but it tells you the exams expect practical troubleshooting, not just definitions.

If you buy a study guide, match it to the V15 exam codes. Wiley’s sixth-edition Sybex set names both:

Our Sybex sixth-edition review covers how to confirm you have the right edition.

Renewal. CompTIA says A+ is valid for three years from the certification date. You can renew without retesting by earning 20 continuing education units (CEUs) within that cycle. If it lapses, you must pass the latest exam version to regain it.

What the Google IT Support Certificate involves

Google describes the certificate as fully online training for an entry-level IT support job, with no prerequisites and no experience or degree required. Coursera lists it as a 6-course series at the beginner level, taking about 3 months at 10 hours a week:

  1. Technical Support Fundamentals (19 hours)
  2. The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking (22 hours)
  3. Operating Systems and You: Becoming a Power User (28 hours)
  4. System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services (24 hours)
  5. IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts (23 hours)
  6. Accelerate Your Job Search with AI (6 hours)

Google calls the job-search course an optional addition across its certificates. After you finish, Google says US graduates get access to CareerCircle for coaching, mock interviews, resume tools and a job board. Google also says over 150 US companies in its employer consortium are committed to considering its certificate graduates for entry-level jobs. The program carries an American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendation, though each school decides whether to accept it.

How the two connect

Coursera says the program prepares you for the CompTIA A+ exams, and Google says graduates who also pass both A+ exams earn a dual credential from CompTIA and Google. Coursera suggests downloading the A+ exam objectives once you finish the course, to make sure you’ve covered everything before testing.

A simple way to decide:

  • Starting from zero: the Google course gives you structure and practice before you face exams that CompTIA pitches at people with about a year of hands-on work.
  • Already doing informal tech support at work: you may be close to the A+ objectives already. Compare your skills to the domain list and consider going straight to the exams.
  • Postings near you name A+: plan to finish with the exams, since the Google certificate isn’t the CompTIA certification. BLS notes that companies may also require certifications in the specific products they use.

The outlook in numbers

BLS measure Computer user support specialists Computer network support specialists
Median annual wage, May 2025 $61,860 $76,220
Lowest 10 percent earned less than $40,980 $47,120
Highest 10 percent earned more than $100,540 $127,780
Jobs in 2025 About 750,600 About 152,500
Projected change, 2025 to 2035 −3 percent 1 percent

BLS expects user support employment to decline as organizations use automated tools, such as chatbots, for troubleshooting. Across both occupations, it still projects about 48,700 openings a year, all from the need to replace workers who move to other occupations or leave the labor force. BLS says many support specialists advance to other IT jobs, such as information security analyst, network and computer systems administrator or software developer.

Help desk pay by state

BLS state data for May 2025 shows the five states with the most computer user support specialists, then the highest and lowest medians among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

State Jobs Median annual wage Lowest 10% earned less than
California 74,490 $79,570 $52,270
Texas 72,030 $59,490 $38,690
Florida 51,220 $58,740 $38,750
New York 39,100 $72,560 $46,620
Pennsylvania 30,560 $58,670 $38,280
District of Columbia (highest median) 3,140 $80,950 $59,980
Arkansas (lowest median) 4,390 $46,360 $34,950

These medians include experienced technicians, so a first help desk offer may come in lower. Our guide to salary by state for tech roles shows how to weigh pay against local costs.

A practical order of steps

  1. Read 10 local or remote help desk postings and note whether they ask for A+, another certification, a degree or experience.
  2. If you have no IT background, take the Google course or another structured program first.
  3. Download CompTIA’s current A+ objectives and use them as your checklist.
  4. Schedule Core 1 and Core 2 from the same version, and note the version’s estimated retirement date.
  5. Build small proof of skill alongside study. Our guide to using practice projects to prove skills shows how.

If you are still choosing between support, networking, cloud and security, start with our tech credential path guide.

FAQ

Should I get CompTIA A+ or the Google IT Support Certificate?

The Google certificate is training with no prerequisites, while A+ is a two-exam certification that CompTIA recommends after about 12 months of hands-on support experience. Google graduates who also pass both A+ exams earn a dual credential from CompTIA and Google, so you can do the course first and the exams after.

Do I need a degree for a help desk job?

Not necessarily. BLS says user support jobs require some computer knowledge but not necessarily a college degree, and candidates may qualify with a high school diploma plus relevant IT certifications. Some large software companies may require a bachelor’s degree.

Can IT support jobs be done from home?

Some can. BLS says some computer support specialists are able to telework, while others must be onsite or travel to clients’ locations. Google describes IT support as in-person or remote help desk work.

How long is CompTIA A+ good for?

Three years from the date you certify. You can renew by earning 20 continuing education units in that cycle instead of retaking the exams.

Are help desk jobs growing?

BLS projects employment of computer user support specialists to decline 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, partly because of automated tools such as chatbots. It still projects about 48,700 openings a year for computer support specialists overall, all from the need to replace workers who move to other occupations or leave the labor force.

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