Too many Comptia certs?

Kai123

Hello forum,

I have my N+ and A+. I was working towards the MCITP but without constant hands-on its fairly hard to get into. I am not actively looking for a job since im getting married in August with 3 weeks of holidays from now and then.

I learnt alot from studying the 70-680 and im happy to gained alot of knowledge from it, but realistically I will not gain the cert for a good while.

I enjoy studying, and just bought a pre-owned copy of Security+ Passport. If I am able to learn and pass it soonish I would focus on the Server+, since why not? I do not want to try and study for the CCNA because alot of people make a clear distinction between helpdesk and a network role, dispite the advice you should have it for both.

Would a CV with 5 or more Comptia certs look silly?

NetworkVeteran

Do a job search on Monster or your favorite job search engine. That will quickly tell you what certifications are required or desired for your dream job role and what certifications are extraneous.

jibbajabba

You can always do those cents if you want to do them and modify you cv based on the job description of jobs you are applying for. There is certainly no harm in leaving certs out of your cv ... The other way around is much worse.

joshmadakor

I have 5 CompTIA certs. I get emails/calls when I put my resume out there so I think it's fine. Although the emails/calls are usually about SCCM and not CompTIA stuff....

Iristheangel

I wouldn't say they would look "silly" but I would consider the cost/benefit of what you're hoping getting out of the certification. When I was starting out in IT, I loaded up on CompTIA certifications but I don't feel as though they helped me get any jobs. There is a lot of overlap with other certifications I've gained or am going for which are more appealing to employers (Network+/CCENT, Security+/CISSP, etc). If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't have wasted over a $2000 on CompTIA tests and study material.

jmritenour

I guess it depends on your level of experience. I've got A+, Net+ & Sec+, but I don't list them on my resume anymore, or on my LinkedIn profile. The reason was I was getting pinged constantly by recruiters looking to fill positions that are well below my current level of experience. I'd come up in their searches since I had all three of those, but they wouldn't pay attention to the fact that I'm also a CISSP, MCSA, en route to MCITP:EA and specializing in VMware, and thus, would be overqualified and uninterested in a desktop support or entry level NOC role. >_> That's more of a recruiter fail, but at this point, those 3 certs are doing nothing for me but attracting the wrong kind of attention, so I don't bother with them.

But they are still relevant, and required for certain government jobs. One of our clients requires at a minimum A+, Net+ and Sec+, and some type of OS cert for any of our admins to touch their systems. Higher level certs can be substituted (ie, CCNA for Net, CISSP for Sec), but as a result, my company pushes for all of our guys to get those basic certs.

N2IT

@ Josh That's because SCCM actual has value and CompTIA has very little IMO

I have 5 CompTIA certs, Project, Security, Server, A, and N. I list none of them anymore, except on the occasion it's a PM role I list Project. But with the CAPM there is really no reason too.

I like clean and consolidated not sloppy and all over the place.

dmac17

I tend to think you have some options to be able to include cert's that they are looking for at the job you are applying. As was said recruiters may not properly know how to place your certifications. However the walmart for certs seems to be Comptia (IMO). Either way the point is the recognition. It has value and maybe just needs to be used when you need it.

spiderjericho

Yeah, as someone who has probably 7+ (plus the CE Sec+ and Net+), the only ones of value are the A+, Sec+ and Net+. I'd say Linux+ is good too since it aligns with LPIC1.

It would be better to invest in CCNA, MCSA (or the very least the client 70-680 and one server 70-640).

Except for the foundations from the trinity, no concrete skills are obtained whereas Checkpoint, Fortunet, F5, VMware, Juniper, Cisco, Redhat and Microsoft provide concrete skills that are sought after.

Even ITIL would be better than one of the superfluous ComTIA certs. I'm not sure who is in charge there, but they have done a poor job creating value and demand for Server, CTT, Instructor, etc. and they've only managed to expand their portfolio even further. Like Doh.

Kai123

Will go for the Sec+ and then the CCNA afterwards. CCNA feels like home, been studying it lightly for two years now and keep forget key elements but its like remembering old tricks.

The only path I have for IT work is a entry level helpdesk job. The MCITP is perfect but it would only be to get my foot in the door.

After the two certs now I get return calls and e-mails so I guess its progress. Slowly making use of LinkedIn of which someone told me thats how alot of recruiters are taking on small-time contracts.

kurosaki00

The holy trinity of basic knowledge - Sec+, Net+ and A+
If you work, like, want to work into linux but are very new to it, Linus+ is great for it
If you know some linux already to a good point, skip and go for LPI
If you are a monster god of linux, go for red hat

I think server+ is meh...
But The printer (PDI+ I think) cert is required for many j obs, for example I know that at least here the RICOH technicians have to certified in it
I think comptia provides a great array of basic knowledge certifications, and some medium level ones for a good expensive price
but too many? No dont think so

Somnipotent

the CompTIA trifecta serves you well for entry level positions or positions that need to comply with DoD directive DoD 8570.01-M. otherwise, your brain power could be better used elsewhere.

Kai123

PDI+ is definately next after the Sec+. Printers are my weakness and learning about them would be great. Problem is with the smaller certs its hard to find good learning material.

Thanks for all the replies everyone My Sec+ passport book arrived today and im reading it every chance I get.

Kai.

Freeguy

I don't think it's ever a bad thing to gain more knowledge in the field. I currently have the A+ and the Network+ and I am comfortably set to take the Sec+ in a few weeks. Do I think that these certs will wow all potential employers and get me showered in great lucrative job offers? No.

Have these certs helped give building blocks for future studies? Absolutely. When I learn, I like to "tie" knowledge together, add on to the overall structure, and in my opinion the CompTIA certs give a solid learning foundation. Right now I am studying for my CCNA and because I already recognize some key concepts from Net+, it's made the learning easier for me.

Your mileage may vary.

jmritenour

Actually, doesn't passing Linux+ get you LPIC-1 at this point? And the Novell CLA as well?

N2IT

JM Yes it does!

Someone mentioned in the Linux+ forum it also gives you Novell Data Center Specialist or something like that.

quinnyfly

They are only "entry-level" certs at best. Seems many who have them only end up in call-center (desktop support) type jobs and certainly not those lucrative ones promised on the CompTIA website and other places pushing these certs. Funny thing is, CompTIA seems to charge like wounded bulls to take an exam, yet the weight for that cert does not at all correspond to it's merrit. On the other hand, should you sit an MS cert, it's cheaper and has more weight in the industry, as seemingly does Cisco certs and various others.

If I had my time again, would I do all the CompTIA certs? NO....only A+ and then focus directly on those other vendor certs that will be specific to your ideal job role. Athough Security+ is a very good introduction into the security field at a very basic level. I am also inclined to believe <so far as my experience goes?> that perhaps the CCENT may carry more weight for prospective employment than the Network+ offered by CompTIA.

Just my two bobs worth!!

N2IT

Good points quinny

For the price of the exam and re certification annoyance the only one that I personally see value in is Linux + because you get 3-4 certifications for the price of 1. (On the Linux + forum one poster mentions a 4th cert you get from Novell as well as the CLA. Besides Linux+ at this point and time doesn't require CE.

With the CE designation with the trio, I wouldn't get those certifications anymore. I would rather focus on the CCNA or MCTS of your choice, unless you are looking to get into Linux then Linux + seems like a logical choice. And there have been a few members on here who have claimed to have landed admin jobs with those 3-4 certifications (Linux+,L-Pic-1, CLA, Novell Data Center Admin (something like that))

Of course there is the government jobs and A+, Security + etc fulfill their requirements. So maybe one CompTIA exam would be of value, but all 3 anymore is a huge waste of money IMO. I recommend learning the basics in all 3, but dropping 250+ on the exams and then having to pay for training materials is just not worth it IMO.

erpadmin

(Deep Sigh...)

Listen, the CompTIA certs are what they are. Anyone who has earned A+, Network+ and Security+ should not expect a job with those certs by themselves, but rather a demonstration of basic concepts that those certs cover.

With A+, I can pretty much discuss the components of a PC. I can also take one apart, diagnose it, and put it back together again, but I didn't need an A+ cert for that...

Network+, I can, at a high level, discuss each layer of the OSI model (in order and without google thanks to the various mnuemonic devices .)

Security+, I can discuss such things as the CIA triad, crytography, steganography, encryption at both a high level and technical level (in part because I do work with obtaining certs for my devices...much of those topics are within the domain of the SSCP/CISSP and if I so wished, I could prep for those exams, albeit with more detailed study, of course.)

Project+, much of the Project Management methodology that I've been involved with for the past nine years.

I'm with N2 on the value of Linux+ but NOT for the reasons he stated about getting 4 certs into 1. For me, Linux+ would be the one cert that would be new for me to obtain...I have never used Linux either personally or professionally, except for accessing email on a Berkely shell years ago. However, I understand why *Nix would be used in a variety of organizations. As it was explained to me by a consultant, in a *Nix setup, I can have multiple environments with multiple versions of an application tied into one user/environment. If I wanted to do this within Windows, virtualization would be required. That's pretty impressive and I understand why a lot of shops would use *Nix. If I wanted to stay in the technical realm, I would get a nice "distro" (most likely Red Hat), install it, and play around with it, while following the Linux+ guide. For me, I am not only prepping for an exam, but learning Linux as well, and because of my technical background, I could apply an apple-to-apple (or even apple-to-orange when appropriate) comparison. I'm already familiar with command-line functions thanks to my time in DOS many moons ago. (I'm not comparing Unix to DOS...just saying that I don't fear command-line funcitons... )

My point is that getting a cert should be for what certs are intended for...certifying knowledge. Certs are not intended to get a job. Because then we bring those other components into play. As for the legitimacy of the CompTIA certs themselves, based on my earlier example, I don't necessarily see them as a waste of time or expense. I'm not in that camp that will tell you to get a CCNA instead of Network+ (especially if you can't even spell the OSI model, let alone state what it is.) Network+ is a good enough cert if you just want to demonstrate an understanding of how networking works, yet are not going to be a Network Administrator/Engineer.

N2IT

@ ERP

Agreed about Linux + and actually learning Linux. I think that is a valid reason to go through the course curriculum. The 4 for 2 or 1 or whatever the heck it is, isn't a bad deal though. In fact it's pretty nice, especially if it's your first IT certification. As a new IT graduate or highschool grad and placing 4 NOC/Linux/System Admin certs on your resume isn't a bad thing granted you want to jump over the help desk phase. I personally didn't mind the help desk, it opened up my eyes to corporate IT.

Again I stated earlier several people in on the Linux + forum, claiming to have skipped deskside and helpdesk and moved straight into a junior Linux admin position. I'm not saying this is the way to go, still......I find it very interesting if these claims are true, which I have no reason to think they aren't.

I can confidently say I think someone who goes the Linux + route has a much better chance of skipping helpdesk and deskside for a junior admin position. I'm curious what others think of this.

Who knows I could be way off, it wouldn't be the first time.

erpadmin

@N2,

I wasn't disagreeing with your point; just so that I'm clear. Having 4 certs can be advantageous to anyone either starting out or even those who are seasoned professionals. I was just stating why someone like me would find value in having Linux+...whether I'd get four certs or ten.

But as for your opinion on Linux+ being a gateway to sidestep the helpdesk...it's more of a valid point than a that's true or that's false point. There are a lot of ways one can sidestep the helpdesk. I've seen folks sidestep it by going into software development and then going into an administration role. I've seen folks sidestep the desk with nothing more than a smile (connections.)

There are no rules...just exceptions. Linux is just one of them. All I know is that in the beginning of my career I was pretty much a JOAT for three years, coupled with 1.5 years of desktop support before I got into the role I'm at. The desktop support gig paid more money and if I could do it all over again, I would have never bothered with it. Thankfully, it was not a career killer.

N2IT

LMAO about the smile comment. Nice

Great statement no rules only exceptions, that is the freaking truth. And for the record I am glad you made it to the ERP level. I would love to support the functional side of PeopleSoft or SAP, to be on the back end would be a dream come true. However I don't feel like that path is within reach so BA and PM here I come. At least I am in position to land one of those gigs again.

+1 on Linux being an exception. Again right on the money no questions about it. I had an interview for a IT support job that paid 80,000+ located in the midwest. My lack of Linux knowledge was the the reason they went with the other candidate even though I probably had him beat in almost every other category. (According to my recruiter)

antielvis

I don't agree with the statement that you can have too many Comptia certs. The Comptia certs are often maligned and made out to be a waste of time. I don't agree with that. Comptia certs are great for the basics & a good foundation makes for a strong technician (as a good foundation makes for a strong building).

The CCNA won't teach you why you would use Cat 5e stranded over solid core. Network+ will. What if you're in the position of being the "system admin" at a medium sized company & you're asked to spec out a standard machine & a specialized machine? The MCITP won't teach you that, but A+ will. Man, over time I've seem some pretty BIG mistakes made because the IT guy in charge didn't know his basics. How about overspending on equipment or, just as bad, underspending on equipment.

Obviously, if you're a CCIE it's probably a waste of time to take your A+ and of course some people have financial limitations and they need the best bang for their buck. But otherwise, Comptia certs make for great building blocks.

The only thing I don't like about Comptia is the high cost of their exams.

erpadmin

antielvis wrote: »

What if you're in the position of being the "system admin" at a medium sized company & you're asked to spec out a standard machine & a specialized machine? The MCITP won't teach you that, but A+ will. Man, over time I've seem some pretty BIG mistakes made because the IT guy in charge didn't know his basics. How about overspending on equipment or, just as bad, underspending on equipment.

It's been awhile since I've taken A+, but I can't remember if RAID was a part of A+ objectives. I think Server+ would have been a better example for your argument. Otherwise, I'm in complete agreement with this and your overall point you've made.

+1 and Rep.

N2IT

I think it goes both ways. Immediately pushing someone to the "trinity" I feel is just as silly and has wasted millions of accumulative dollars. People are consistently advised to go for the little 3 immediately time and time again, (***on this message board). I'm not buying into that strategy its piss poor and don’t meet everyone's needs. Spending ~750 USD + learning material is a lot of scratch for some people. Let's be honest most people on this board aren't exactly rolling in hundred dollar bills. I'm against the one suit fits all theory and think CompTIA does a hell of a job exploiting people into think so.

There is a mitigating factor that can neutralize what you experienced Anti, it's called experience. Usually it's a good idea to put people with experience in those situations, not people who have to leverage A+ knowledge.

erpadmin

N2IT wrote: »

Immediately pushing someone to the "trinity" I feel is just as silly and has wasted millions of accumulative dollars.

What is the alternative? Experience?

If this was 1997, I would have agreed with you, but the "trinity" does have it's uses as well. I already stated the obvious in my first post in this thread, so I won't repeat that here. I think it was you or someone else who mentioned DoD 8570, so that's another benefit.

One thing I will repeat is that I equally find it a waste of time for someone to do a Cisco cert (and I mean a CCNA...with all due respect to those who hold a CCENT, I feel that's one half of a CCNA...not it's own cert) over Network+ if someone isn't going to do Network Engineering or Administration (some support role where one is configuring a router or switch.) If someone is going to go into the Network realm, then yeah, that's a different story and they should be gunning for all the Cisco and Juniper sets all day. But for a high level understanding of networking for a systems admin or even database administration role, then Network+ is more than enough.

N2IT

I agree CompTIA can make sense, but getting all 3 for the sake of it or because you have no direction is silly. The DoD directive can be obtained with one CompTIA cert not all. I agree however that it has value in that instance. Not all instances are like that however. I still stand strong that getting all 3 because you have no direction is crazy. Of course this opinion is reserved as my thoughts are from a retroactive view point. I can easily see how it can be attractive and convenient for someone fresh out of high school or new to the IT world. CompTIA is aware of this as well, so the marketing is geared towards such exploits.

Iristheangel

I agree with N2IT.

In reality, the knowledge is nice to have and I encourage anyone to learn the material from all the free resources that are out there, but if money is EXTREMELY tight, study up for more of the mid-level exams after you learn the CompTIA materials. If you plan on having a long-term IT career and to pick up advanced certifications later on then you probably will one day end up taking the CompTIA certs off your resume

Kai123

I am not in IT and trying to get any entry level job. It is much easier getting a network admin role from a helpdesk role rather then bakery.

I bought the Passport Comptia Security+ for 7 Euro, and you can get exam vouchers for........

Cant find vouchers on ebay anymore thats a game-changer. Might just read through the book for general studying and go for the CCNA. I am not keen trying to achieve the CCNA when not working in IT at all though. When I get back in August from my two week wedding/holiday Im confident I can find another job once I am completely dedicated to finding one.

Mstavridis

Stop hating on COMPTIA haha, they list on their website that these vendor neutral certs are for entry/tier II potions, most of the people posting here are well beyond that. As for me I'll stick with my COMPTIA certs I still get calls for jobs that require A+N+S+ and pay very well.The fact is having a COMPTIA certification will never hurt you, and having alot will never hurt you, EVER.

Also I keep reading on and on i this post, and all I see is foresight bias, that if you had the chance to do it over again you would have focused on vendor specific certs and skipped the basics.But those vendor certs requires you already know the basics gained from studying for the A+ N+ S+. Again that's foresight bias, you can't walk before you crawl.

IMO COMPTIA certs are great but too damn expensive for what you get.

erpadmin

Mstavridis wrote: »

...if you had the chance to do it over again you would have focused on vendor specific certs and skipped the basics.But those vendor certs requires you already know the basics gained from studying for the A+ N+ S+. Again that's foresight bias, you can't walk before you crawl.

IMO COMPTIA certs are great but too damn expensive for what you get.

That's exactly where I'm coming from. I want to believe that people's real gripe with the CompTIAs are in fact the price. In truth, my past employer paid for A+ and Net+ and the last two CompTIAs I took were covered by WGU tuition. I can see price being a real issue, but seriously, what kind of cert that is free or less than three digits would be something that's respected?!

As long as there's people who believe that getting a vendor cert (with no experience at that) will equal a guarantee of a job, there will be people like me that will tell them otherwise. People really need to focus on the fundamentals first.