Question on what to do next..

(puma)

Long story short I was studying for my a+ cert, landed a job in the finance, network & fix support field. I have continued to study for the a+ but now I really feel like I'm wasting my time , because ultimately networking and security is really where I want to be. My question is should I stop and move on to study for the network+ exam, will it start me from the very beginning And enable me to learn from the ground up, would it enable a person with no network knowledge to be proficient by the end of the exam? I have a lot of basic knowledge from my day to day problems at work but would like to be extremely profficient and knowledgeable. Thanks in advance guys .

tahjzhuan

I would take the A+, Net+, Sec+ for foundation and then build on it.

ssnyderu2

Network+ is basic, foundation material. If you really want to get into networking, Cisco is the ticket. If you are new to this then Network+ will give you the basics. then you can move on to your CCENT/CCNA. These days I have a hard time recommending CompTIA. They are very expensive. So if you know you want to do networking I would say skip A+, get your Network+ then move on to Cisco.

(puma)

Thanks guys

orlandofl

I had a similar problem recently. I earned Network+ and Security+ and didn't really know If I should jump into networking, security, and Linux certs as that’s where my interests are. Kudos to you for landing your first gig. I’m transitioning from telecommunications into a ‘real’ IT enterprise desktop/ help desk role.

While I did get some replies and interviews with Net+ and Security+ I feel that A+ would give me more of an edge and show that I’m rounded in the basics of IT. I've been studying for A+ for a week now..and have flat out learned a lot! My tech experiences were mainly network, I've never taken a PC apart before or swapped hard drives or any of that good stuff. I followed Messer’s videos along, had an old PC, took it apart, took the motherboard out, screwed with it, and put it back together. I've definitely learned from the experience. If hardware questions were to ever come up in an interview I’m confident now that I know what I’m talking about, whereas before I would have had only a general idea.

I'd say it's your call and depends on your experience level. If you've been building PC’s in the last few years, you’d likely not need the experience or certification. However, if that isn't the case and you don’t have any hands on or know that your experience is limited, I don’t think it would hurt you. The A+ exam is expensive. In my case I’m using it to leverage the CompTIA ‘trinity’ in hopes of it helping me to get that first gig to build on, so to me, it’s worth every penny.

Good Luck

-Travis

jeef

"I would take the A+, Net+, Sec+ for foundation and then build on it."

I agree.

(puma)

Thanks orlandofl, Jeef and the other guys that replied as well I appreciate the help. I do think I am going to continue studying for the a+ and grab that cert first. I don't have too much experience building pcs but I had an old gateway that I opened up and messed around with so I am comfortable with the internals. Just sucks because I was halfway through studying with Mike Meyers passport book in tandem with professor messers videos , and was halfway through the book before I took a break for a few months thinking i would skip the a+.

NetworkNewb

If you already have a entry level computer job, skip the A+. It will not help you advance at all. Personally I think the CCENT teaches enough networking basics in the beginning topics that people should skip the N+ as well. Just my opinion though, I wish I would've skipped the N+ and just gone for the CCENT back when I did it.

I think people see it is a Cisco certification instead of Comptia one and get nervous. It is still an entry level cert... Yes it goes deeper into networking and cisco devices, but if you actually want to get into networking you will need to learn it. I found it alot more interesting to study for than the Network+ as well.