A+ certification vs. associates degree?

Question

Is an A+ technician certification equivalent to an associates degree? If not, how "far away" is it?

Answer 1

Its really just different.  It might make you more money than an associates degree in some cases.  

Answer 2

Industry certification and academic education are very different things.  Those few colleges that give credit for A+ certification will award about 3-6 semester hours credit.  That means that A+ is about 2 years of full-time study away from an associates degree.  I've heard of people justifying about 15 semester hours but that's still a full year and a half away from being equal to an associates degree.

In fact, A+ certification is very basic as computer tech certifications.  "CompTIA A+ is the only entry-level, vender-neutral PC certification and is recognized around the world as the industry standard "  It is intended to be the bare minimum of competence verification.  That's very different than 2-years of full time college study (an associates degree).

Most important though is that industry certification and academic credentials are not the same creature.  If you want to do well in most tech fields you will need both.