Progression of certifications?

New to the forum. Looks like some great info onthe site. Just wanted to get some info on what certifications I should start with. which ones will help the most, and will sites like this one, Professor Messer,and proprofs.com really help me pass these certifications exams. What info can anyone give me to be succesful on my certification journey. Any info is appreciated. Hope to become a valuable member in these forums with the help of all of you.

Thanks,
Steve

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Comments

cyberguypr

Welcome aboard Steve. If you elaborate a bit on your experience and technologies of interest the community can provide an informed opinion.

Dakinggamer87

Welcome to the forums!!

stevo7624

What I am looking to do is start building a resume to go along with my degree once I graduate. I want the perspective of people in the industry of what certifications I need, and of those, which will be most important for my career. My goal is to be on the Network side of things, but also have interest in hardware, and software as well. The other part of my question is what is the best approach in preparing for the exams. I recently found wesites such as professor Messer, proprofs.com and the info on this site. Do I need to spend a fortune preparing for these exams? Also what exams do I start with and what path of certifications do I follow? Thanks in advance for any answers.

Steve

idr0p

Stevo,

It depend on what path you would like to take.

Networking -

Good Starters: Networking+, CCNA

Security - This also depends on concentration

Good Starters: CEH, GSEC
Medium: GCIH, GCFW, GCIA
Hard: GPEN, GCFA, CISSP, OSCP.. etc

techie2012

idr0p wrote: »

Stevo,

It depend on what path you would like to take.

Networking -

Good Starters: Networking+, CCNA

Security - This also depends on concentration

Good Starters: CEH, GSEC
Medium: GCIH, GCFW, GCIA
Hard: GPEN, GCFA, CISSP, OSCP.. etc

Yeah, if you are wanting to go the network route, Net + and CCNA are a good direction. If you cruise through the forums under each certification you will normaally see a post of study methods used for the cert exams.

powerfool

It may not be bad just to start out with A+ and Network+. I generally am not worried about those certs, but they will give you a foundation in hardware and networking (and hardware is still important for networking). After that take a look at Cisco certifications, like the CCNA; as a matter of fact, if you do the Network+, I am not sure I would actually use anything besides the CCNA study material, focusing on the general networking topics and staying away from the Cisco CLI until you have passed the Network+.

stevo7624

Thanks for all the info from everbody. What does everyone think was most beneficial in getting their careers started in in the IT industry. I am 35 now and will be finishing my degree next december. I am anxious to find a job that will allow me to grow, learn, and be succesful. I am worried I am starting way too late though. Anyone in the Buffalo NY, area looking for someone who is very motivated to be very succesful? How is that for a plug? Again I appreciate the feedback everyone is giving.

Steve

networker050184

stevo7624 wrote: »

Thanks for all the info from everbody. What does everyone think was most beneficial in getting their careers started in in the IT industry. I am 35 now and will be finishing my degree next december. I am anxious to find a job that will allow me to grow, learn, and be succesful. I am worried I am starting way too late though. Anyone in the Buffalo NY, area looking for someone who is very motivated to be very succesful? How is that for a plug? Again I appreciate the feedback everyone is giving.

Steve

You are getting some very vague answers here because "IT" is such a diverse field that what works for one concentration doesn't always translate to success in another. If you want to get into the networking side of the house look into the CCNA and most importantly look for someone to give you a shot in a NOC or something similar. For example there is no point in going for a Microsoft certification if you don't ever plan working with the technology.

badrottie

The answer? It depends on what your desired end-state is and what your current state is (Hmm, topic for another discussion: your career as a finite-state machine).

Want to be a Cisco network god? CCNA -> CCNP -> CCIE
Want to be a security wonk? Security+ -> CEH/GIAC GSEC -> CISSP/CISM/CISA

The same steps exist for Windows, Citrix, VMware, etc.

From personal experience: I went straight for the CISSP and followed it up with the CISM, as HR/headhunters use those credentials as search criteria on their mandatory requirements list to qualify/disqualify applicants (Or in other words, backfilling with a Security+ is not going to add any significant value at this point in my career).

As with any journey, you must know where you are, and where you want to go. The rest is up to you.