Which CompTIA certs are worth getting?

Hello everyone!

I am about to get my Associate's degree in Network Technology and Information Systems Security, and I kind of feel like now is a great time to look into getting certified. I feel like my knowledge is a bit lacking for the degrees I'll be getting. We spent a lot of time getting hands-on experience with virtually no lecture/conceptual study. I mainly coasted through my classes since I was able to catch on to the concepts quickly.

CompTIA seems like a good way to expand my basic knowledge while also adding to my resume. I'm just not sure which ones to get. The "triad" (A+, Network+, and Security+) are definitely on my list, but what else should I get? I currently have a list of 14 certs I'd like to get from CompTIA. Can you guys tell me which are actually worth it?

CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP)
CompTIA A+
CompTIA Cloud+
CompTIA Linux+
CompTIA Mobile App Security+
CompTIA Mobility+
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA Project+
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA Server+
CompTIA Storage+
CompTIA Cloud Essentials
CompTIA Green IT
CompTIA Social Media Security Fundamentals
Strata IT Fundamentals

Thanks for any help!

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Comments

fuz1on

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

It's definitely worth it for that price! CCSK is pretty expensive too! I lucked out being in the last RackSpace CloudU class so I have that cert too.

BTW, I just took Mobility+ for $135 - sometimes you can find great deals to increase your ROI on CompTIA certs.

4 CompTIA certifications >> $530

discount81

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

If you don't mind me asking, how did you do Mobility+ for that? on their website it is $269

fuz1on

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

]

I look out for specials on itexamvouchers.com - Mobility+ was 50% off.

H3||scr3am

C.Fountain wrote:

Hello everyone!

My take on your list:
CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) - Good final cert to take 3 Years after your Sec+ to renew all your CEs (A+, Net+, Sec+, Cloud+)
CompTIA A+ - Great starting point
CompTIA Cloud+ - on for $99 on procturU currently, if you go this method, skip the cloud essentials
CompTIA Linux+ - good intro to linux, also 3 certs in 1 with the LPIC-1 and others[/FONT]]CompTIA Mobile App Security+
CompTIA Mobility+
CompTIA Network+ - part of the trinity well recognized, take this one second
CompTIA Project+ - on for $99 on proctorU found it fairly simple and straight forward, eventhough it's not in my common body of knowledge
CompTIA Security+ - great cert, especially if you plan to do any government work, well recognized by the DoD (3rd)
CompTIA Server+ - $99 on proctorU, took this with a weekend of study after doing my A+, Net+, and Sec+ did fine, lifetime cert for $99
CompTIA Storage+
CompTIA Cloud Essentials - skip this if you take advantage of the $99 cloud+ cert
]CompTIA Green IT
CompTIA Social Media Security Fundamentals
Strata IT Fundamentals - Skip this entirely, you're in school for IT, and this is far below you, it's also not very recognized, and won't benefit you.

PsychoData91

Adding my take on your list like H3 | scr3am:

CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) - Okay. If you need a higher level security cert (or just one to renew your lower triad) go with CISSP instead
CompTIA A+ - Great foundation. Well recognized. Hard to go wrong with a classic. Take this 1st
CompTIA Cloud+ - on for $99 on ProctorU currently. If you are looking for any aspect of your job to be "Cloud" related, toss this in there.
CompTIA Linux+ - good intro to Linux, also 3 certs in 1 with the LPIC-1. Harder than most people think up front. Worth it if this is the area you want to go (especially with the 3-in-1 deal!)
CompTIA Mobile App Security+ - Worth it, if you develop mobile apps, maybe if you were involved with a development company. For general IT security? Nah.
CompTIA Mobility+ - This is largely a WiFi cert. Not terribly well recognized. Why not go with something a bit more recognized like CWNA if you want a wireless cert. or CCNA Wireless is you do the Cisco track.
CompTIA Network+ - Part of the "triad". Also very well recognized. This would be the 2nd exam I recommend to take. This is generally where people say they had the most stuff to learn. A+ to Net+ is a big jump in understanding. You may also consider a more recognized, vendor specific, deeper cert like CCNA. Most places realize that a cert like Net+ is well and truly covered by a CCNA it will give you some more cred in a Cisco shop .
CompTIA Project+ - on for $99 on ProctorU. Not too hard (Lots of terms and procedures type stuff). VERY valuable if you plan to move on up to higher management one day.
CompTIA Security+ - final part of the "triad", valuable in Gov't, well recognized by the DoD (3rd), A lot of times you could go a bit more and get a higher recognized cert (I'm thinking SSCP or maybe CISSP if you have the experience) Security+ vs SSCP
CompTIA Server+ - $99 on ProctorU , Lifetime cert. not terribly far above A+ understanding wise, can make you stand out above just A+ people, recognized by some warranty providers in lieu of Vendor specific training. Not AS worth it at the $277 price-tag, but at $99...grab it.
CompTIA Storage+ - If you are going to be getting into storage or virtualization this is a reasonable foundation. I'd say this is above "entry level", myself. Storage is a pretty big cliff to climb, but it can have some pretty good job opportunities at the top of the cliff too.
CompTIA Cloud Essentials - Eh. It's okay. Just go for the Cloud+ instead.
CompTIA Green IT - Retired now. Unless that company had a special need to be green, this was usually just filler anyway.
CompTIA Social Media Security Fundamentals - If you have mostly ANY other security cert, skip the fundamentals. If you are something off the wall here (like maybe a Social Media marketing person or a security person AT a social networking site) this could still have value. general IT Security? nope.
Strata IT Fundamentals - Skip this entirely, if you have much experience in IT this is above what you already know. skip it.

My feelings on a good plan of action for you? The "Triad" (A+, Net+, Sec+), Server+, Probably Cloud+. If you wanted to sub in deeper certs (SSCP for Sec+, CCNA for Net+ for example) that's CERTAINLY not going to hurt anything.

NOW at this point you will have a pretty good base of everything. See what you Feel like you are into! Maybe you really like the Linux classes? Go do the Linux+! If you really liked the Security stuff, go and study for a deeper Sec cert (Studying/taking CISSP won't get you the cert without the experience, but you DO have the knowledge! and it would be perfectly fair to claim on a resume "Passed CISSP exam" while not saying you ARE a CISSP) If you really liked the networking, go get deeper into it! Maybe Grab a CCNA, or a specialization (CCNA Wireless, Voice, Security...) or a Mobility+ or CWNA. Find the part you like and get deeper in it; you have a base of everything and you can show that, pick something you want to be your specialty!

ThePawofRizzo

How did any of you prep for Storage+ I'm using one of books from the CompTIA store and this Data Storage book:

http://www.amazon.com/Data-Storage-Networking-CompTIA-Certification/dp/1118679210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424740421&sr=8-1&keywords=storage%2B

The problem I'm having is not a lot of practice exams to get some idea of whether I'm prepared. So, it's difficult to gauge.

Jwvantas

Seems that I lucked out. My school gives us 5 vouchers and 1 retake voucher. I got my A+ for $40 $20 per test. I took the academic exams the jk0s. I have enough to get my net+, security+ , and 1 more exam. I am going to get those and see which ares interest me then get certs in that area. I am thinking of sys admin windows and/or linux, office 365 sounds interesting, data recovery or forensics.

DoubleNNs

If you're thinking about windows/linux admin, maybe skip the Net+ and go A+, Sec+, Linux+; that's 5 exams total (Linux+ is 2 exams, but gives you 3 certs total when you pass it).
You could always read up on networking material and skip the cert. Then if deeper networking skills are needed in the future, you could go the CCNA route.

OctalDump

How did any of you prep for Storage+ I'm using one of books from the CompTIA store and this Data Storage book:

http://www.amazon.com/Data-Storage-N...rds=storage%2B

The problem I'm having is not a lot of practice exams to get some idea of whether I'm prepared. So, it's difficult to gauge.

I used that exact book and passed ok. I did the Storage+ to bolster my storage/data networking knowledge for virtualisation - VMware and Hyper-V

OctalDump

I'm partial to CompTIA. They are relatively cheap to get, both for study costs and the exams (comparing with MS and Cisco). Also, the vendor neutral part is nice. Some of the MS/Cisco/VMware etc stuff does feel a bit like they are selling you a product, and don't explore much of the world outside themselves.

I have done Network+, Security+, Linux+, Storage+.

Network+ gives a good, solid foundation for networking. A solid foundation here serves you well in whatever you do. Once you can apply OSI model, it helps with a heap of stuff.

Security+ is from my point of view the bare minimum security knowledge needed. Security is so important, and most organisations are waking up to this. It is also a good foundation for whatever you do down the track eg CEH, CCNA Sec, MCSA etc

Linux+ is fairly generic, and maybe suffers a bit because of its generic nature. Linux is pretty broad, and some aspects vary too much from distro to distro. One area for me to work on was package management. I've some experience with Debian/Ubuntu so was well familiar with apt-get, but yum was less familiar. But it is again a good starting point. If you get a decent book and work through it you will have a nice foundation skill in Linux, which is a good jumping off point for RHCSA

Storage+ was a great little cert for me. I did it almost at the same time as doing Vmware VCP-DCV, and there is some overlap. Fibre Channel, iSCSI and NFS. Most virtualisation is using a SAN backend, so getting to grips with storage is great.

I've not seen CompTIA certs listed often on job listings. I think, though, that if you get to interview you can sell them, especially the Security+. Depending on who you interview with, selling the whole certification as assurance thing does work. Most organisations are risk adverse, so if you put up your certifications as a way of reducing that risk, it can work.

From my experience so far, I think the best thing about CompTIA certs is that if you do the work, you get a good foundation level that you can build on later. If you are lucky enough to be hired by someone who is willing to develop their staff, they will probably appreciate this.

OctalDump

ThePawofRizzo wrote: »

How did any of you prep for Storage+ I'm using one of books from the CompTIA store and this Data Storage book:

http://www.amazon.com/Data-Storage-Networking-CompTIA-Certification/dp/1118679210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424740421&sr=8-1&keywords=storage%2B

The problem I'm having is not a lot of practice exams to get some idea of whether I'm prepared. So, it's difficult to gauge.

I used that same book and passed no problems. Read cover to cover, re-read the end of chapter summaries and Q+A. If you are pretty solid there, the exam should not be too challenging.

Cost wise, I compare against how much training classes would cost, and then don't feel too bad if I have to re-sit exam (although didn't need to for Comptia).