IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)
- Thread starter fendi_mane
- Start date
I would skip A+ and go for the Network+
From everything I've gathered and researched (and as someone that was studying for the A+ from when the quarantine started) unless you're planning to get stuck in a service desk/support job, get that Network+
It's crazy to me how the A+ covers almost all aspects of computing / hardware / security / networking / mobile, yet it's the least paying job... shyt feels like hustling backwards. Wasted 2 months learning all that stuff. Then they want you to recertify every 3 years..... fukk that. Some brehs might say otherwise, but that's just my opinion and an overwhelming majority of others opinions. The stuff you learn when studying the A+ is useful if you aren't already a power user.
ryda518
Randy Orton=Legend Killer
The best advice I wish I gave myself is to start looking at the jobs you want and see the requirements
it will give you a blueprint of what you need to study for
can you answer all of the interview questions? How many troubleshooting scenarios do you know how to fix?
understand that experience is king so if there’s anywhere you can do some volunteer/internship type work then go for it
I had my A+ and N+ and did 5 months of free work before getting my first job
you always have to think of your competition
Rhyme n Tekniq
Superstar
Yeah I agree
For Tier 1 support jobs, the A+,, is a good way to get your foot in the door IF you're in the right geographic area,
However once you start doing Tier II stuff like desktop support, It's time to drop that shyt from your resume and start aiming for Cisco, Citrix, Dell, VMware, Palo Alto, ISC2, Linux and Microsoft certs etc ASAP.
The ROI on an A+ cert is little and short lived. By the the time you find your second job in IT, you should have other certs on your resume with the A+ omitted.
Treat the A+ like a ticket of admission to the IT life and nothing more unless an unsually good job is posted asking for it. In that case, do ya thing.
I tried to tell this guy who had 15 years of experience and a bunch of retired MS certs from the early 00's not to go for the A+ as it would be pointless, but he didnt listen because somehow, he thinks it will be his golden ticket. Some Mfers love ice skating uphill.
Yo I'm just reading this over again...
15 years experience and he going for the A+ ?!?!
Huuuuuh ?
Rhyme n Tekniq
Superstar
Yo I'm just reading this over again...
15 years experience and he going for the A+ ?!?!
Huuuuuh ?
Some people don't know their value and how to hustle, tis a cotdamn shame
and he told me he just started making 30 an hour.
Dude should be Architect level pulling major bank with government contracts or something at this point.
to each his own though.
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BeachBum Unreal
SD Born & Raised: 760, 619
Good looks definitely keep that in mind. I'm not going to lie im going in this kind of blind. I'm still researching and trying to figure out which sector I want to get into.
Is it a must that I go to school? I want to get the appropriate certs and experience but I want to be realistic also.
So a couple things...
1. Best way to research is to just keep checking indeed.com daily or weekly and see the job openings in your area or the area you want to work in. You'll have a good understanding of what's required of you. Every city/state is different. Search "CompTIA," "CompTIA A," "Network+," "Information Technology" etc... you get what I'm saying...
2. You don't have to go to school, but having a degree opens the door to more jobs opportunities just like with everything else.
3. I'm personally studying/working on web development (Front-End). Most jobs don't require any degree and job entry is mainly based on experience/portfolio. Also, once you learn how to be a web developer you can freelance and be your own boss and not always have to depend on being hired by a company. Not so sure about IT techs, I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Technically you can freelance any skill you have, but I'm not sure the demand is the same. Plus Web Developing doesn't require dealing with anything physical (unlike Networking/Tech Support) so if you're mobile and on-the-go a lot, you can just study and practice stuff on your phone/laptop/tablet wherever.
4. Realistically set aside the next 2 years to study and practice stuff before you become a pro. It's a long term journey. The way I stay motivated is, I have a hour tracker app so that I track all the hours I've studied for the day/week/month. Tracking your hours will help you stay motivated. Once you see all that time building up it's gonna be harder to fall off track and you'll refuse to quit.
Steel
Superstar
Did your employer sponsor the Vmware certs? Those designated courses required to sit for the exam are expensive af
Rhyme n Tekniq
Superstar
Yeah it was sponsored.
had a choice to do it boot camp style (5 day course) or at my own pace. I chose at my own pace.
I can tell you straight up that you cant cram for that shyt in 5 days
I used the cloud based labs they provided and the practice exams which was just all the questions from earlier chapters combined
Because I've been working with VMware + the labs and practice exams, I knocked out both of my certs about a months or so apart but the process took about 3 months.
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Rhyme n Tekniq
Superstar
delete
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Mirin4rmfar
Superstar
Like someone said, skip. Network plus, security plus and Linux cert will cover the fundamentals. This is what my job will look for to get an interview.
Cybersecurity Spending To Reach $123B In 2020
Cloud Security is the smallest, fastest-growing cybersecurity market segment with market size of $439M last year. Its projected 33% growth this year is a function of its small initial market size and organizations’ preference for cloud-based cybersecurity solutions. Gartner predicts networking security equipment, including firewall equipment and intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) will be most impacted by the pandemics’ hard reset on enterprise IT spending.
Cloud Security is the smallest, fastest-growing cybersecurity market segment with market size of $439M last year. Its projected 33% growth this year is a function of its small initial market size and organizations’ preference for cloud-based cybersecurity solutions. Gartner predicts networking security equipment, including firewall equipment and intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) will be most impacted by the pandemics’ hard reset on enterprise IT spending.