How to get certs as fast as possible?

So when I start focusing on a cert, I try to get it as fast as possible and I'll give you the reasons. Also, this is coming from someone who's only been working professionally in IT for a year.

1. So far, at least for me, it seems that if I'm not doing the work that I learned from whatever certification on a daily basis, I'd lose a good amount of what I learned during studying.

2. It seems like experience is valued more than certifications, which I understand.

3. Even with certifications, once you're in a job role for whatever certification, it's still pretty new. You may know a lot of the terms and certain things that come with that role but actively putting everything together on a daily basis will be pretty new. So I feel like you'll get most of the knowledge from on the job training or just doing the job.

4. Certs with no experience doesn't typically get you very far from my experience. They may get you looked at though. I don't know if employers feel this way but to me, certifications alone don't mean that you know how to do the job but more so that you could more than likely learn how to do the job if put in that position. Having the certs also shows a certain level of commitment.

With that being said, I try to get the certs as fast as possible since I know that I won't retain most of the info if I'm not using the knowledge I learned in the cert on a daily basis. I could get a cert and not work in that field or do a job where that cert is needed for months. By the time I get a job that requires whatever that cert is, I may have forgotten a good amount of knowledge. Jobs don't always come quick.

I'd rather get 3 certs in 6 months than 1 if possible.

Does anyone else feel this way? If so, what do you do in order to be able to get the cert as fast as possible? How do you decide what information you need or don't need for the exam?

Thanks!

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Comments

anhtran35

I took the Security +CE 4 years ago. I don't recall anything. I took the VCP 2.5 years ago. We don't use VMware here. Got move to another base. Only option??? Labs at home.

EagerDinosaur

I try to spend no more than 2 months studying for a single exam, otherwise I will start forgetting the material I studied at the start before taking the exam. I spend at least 10 hours a week studying while preparing for an exam, to accelerate the process.

It's also true that I forget some of the stuff I learned to pass the exam, unless I'm using it on a daily basis. That said, sometimes stuff from exams I took years ago (and haven't used since) suddenly pops into my head and helps me solve problems at work.

DatabaseHead

TechGromit wrote: »

If they can counterfeit drivers licenses and passports, how hard really is it to counterfeit a college degree? The verification system employers use is flawed. I just need the name of someone who has a good degree, lots of certifications and isn't so well known people recognize his face. Preferably with someone as the same first name as me, I get my name legally changed, now when I go for jobs, if they verify my degree and certification's, they all check out. I just need to know enough to BS my way though an interview. Hopefully I do not get IristheAngel grilling me during the interview. Another thing I can do is pay for Linkedin Premium, this way when someone does a search, my face is the first to come up.

I guess the answer is it isn't. No way I could navigate life with that albtross around my neck. It's too much guilt and all sorts off negative other emotions to go with it. But back to your point, it makes sense.

I can laugh about it because it's not me.

PJ_Sneakers

fabostrong wrote: »

Thanks for all of the input guys.

I don't want anyone to think that I'm trying to **** my way through the certs or anything because that's extremely far from the truth. I study very hard and give a lot of time to whatever cert I'm going for.

I'm more so curious about people's study habits that allow them to pass whatever certification as quick as possible.

Videos and reading. Make study guides. If you download a study guide, print it and write notes on it to make it "yours".

Study at lunch. Study at night. Listen to the videos while driving or cutting the yard. Quizlet will read the flashcards to you, it's a decent resource.

Take one day a week where you ease up on the studying a little. Then hit it hard again without fail, every week. Just don't stop until you pass the exam.

thatguy67

I view most of OP's reasons as arguments against certs rather than to quickly collect them. I get that you want the acronym handy if a job comes up that you want, but what's the point if you can't back it up in an interview?

I had this mindset when I had no experience as a student studying IT at a community college. I actually made a thread about it (http://www.techexams.net/forums/general-certification/104366-would-realistic-valuabe-focused-cert-path.html), saying how I wanted to pass an exam every month and get CCNP, MCSE, RHCE, etc. I was thinking that the more certs I could get, the higher my chances of getting a job because I would have had an edge on other entry-level candidates.

I specified that I would get my CCNA, MCSA and VCP within 3-4 months then continue on to the professional level certs in a year's time. In reality I spent over a year "just" getting those three certs. I felt a need to get those certs because I took a semester long course tailored towards each exam required to obtain all three, and it somehow comforted me knowing I got something more out of my time at the CC rather than just an associates degree.

Do I regret it? No. Was I disappointed that I didn't complete them in my desired timeframe? No, because the input I got from my thread showed that such a feat was pretty ridiculous, and if people already in the field are telling me that, I shouldn't be in a delusional race against myself. While they were checkmarks I wanted to complete, the thought of sitting in an interview and looking like a dumbass would mean all the stress I went through just to get them done as quickly as possible would have been for nothing. I think to have an active certification on your resume and then say "yeah, well I never used the material daily so I forgot it" is along those same lines.

Even now I find myself refreshing material that was covered on the certs I've obtained, which was accurately predicted by others in my thread. It goes back to issue of real-world work not lining up with some material. I've never used DirectAccess or EIGRP in my job but I've got Active Directory/Group Policy and OSPF/VLANs down. If I'm tasked with DirectAccess and EIGRP, I've put in such long hours studying them during my cert pursuits that a quick refresh isn't that demanding or stressful.

In the end, those credentials did for me what I wanted and expected. Potential employers noticed that I could buckle down, study and take exams while their current employees have to get bribed or prodded constantly to even attempt an exam. It also showed I wasn't a complete moron when it came to networking/server tasks. By no means did I expect to get a role beyond helpdesk but it helped with my fundamentals. I could troubleshoot most issues and hold my own.

I think the best thing it did for me was establish a habit of studying. If I wanted to get into the role I have now, I'd need to pass certain exams. Because I was no longer afraid of taking exams and failing (because I've failed the majority of the exams I've taken already), I had that mental hurdle already conquered. After talking to those employees that had to be constantly prodded to attempt an exam, this was the primary concern among them.

MAC_Addy

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Are you driving? well you better learn that certs while driving?

Back when I started down the certification path, there were a lot more vendors that would do just audio files for studying. You don't see that much anymore, unfortunately. I get it, though. If you're studying for something (like me currently), the CCNP R&S track - it would be hard to convey commands and topologies.

To add on to the OP's question. If you're going for something like CompTIA certs, you can get those knocked out quite easily. When I took the Network+ exam, I only studied for 2 weeks. Albeit, I did have a little bit of experience in networking. But nothing compared to what I have now.

shimasensei

Pay the proctor. Lol jk!

Experience. You will already know most of the fundamental concepts by heart.