Advice Cert Direction

Greetings all,

I am currently getting my Comptia Certifications: Comptia Security+, Network+, and A+. These should be acquired by the end of January. I am then planning on getting my MSCA and MSCE(Sever & Cloud) after. Once those are acquired I will be going for my CCNA R&S and Security. As of now I want to focus on Networking and Security (Offensive and Defensive). The next few months I will have lots of time to dedicate to studying, so getting these certs will not be a problem. I have little to actual working experience and am willing to start at entry even with holding a higher certification. Is there anything I should look into or rethink on this course.

Thank you for your advice in advance.

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Comments

N2IT

Wow that's a lot of certification without having any or much experience and in a relatively short period of time.

You say you want to focus on the MCSE server and cloud then rolling into the CCNA security but want to focus on networking and security (offensive and defensive). I'm not sure I follow you.

My suggestion/recommendation would be to reach out to some security professionals on this message board or in some other community and run your strategy by them.

What about getting a junior level position in lieu of all of those certifications? Actually doing the work will ramp you up much faster than passing exams.

docrice

Your ambition is admirable, but rushing to achieve the certifications may not be practical as you will more than likely end up lacking strong foundations which is normally solidified through work experience over the course of years. Lab experience is generally insufficient to mirror real-world characteristics, especially since technical insight crosses threads with business realities in production environments and your ability to add value to an organization comes from maturity in being able to balance the technical nature of the work as well as understanding business requirements and expectations.

Gaining too many certifications up-front may not accomplish as much you think as there will be an apparent mismatch between what your work experience reflects on your resume compared to what many hiring managers will expect at your level. Don't rush it - certifications aren't always valued everywhere.

But that's not to say to keep learning as much as you can and picking up as many details as your brain will allow. And in the infosec space, many of us don't cherish security certifications all that much, myself included.

Venom35

Thanks for the advice, the main reason I going after so many certification is just for the knowledge. Hopefully I will be able to land a help desk position in the near future. What would you recommend? I will have the next six month off and I want build a solid knowledge base.

Thanks again.

N2IT

Security + is a nice certification. Try listing it on your resume and applying for junior security position maybe access control or account creation. Just a idea.....

docrice

Venom35 wrote: »

...the main reason I going after so many certification is just for the knowledge.

I would suggest ensuring your Network+ and A+ skills are real, real sharp. Basic CCNA-knowledge (perhaps just CCENT given the time constraint) would also greatly help for someone who is doing support work. One thing that I find very lacking in level 1 support is networking foundations, which is understandable. But if you have the basics of networking down (knowing how basic switching routing works, ARP, ports, protocols), you will be much more valuable than your average helpdesk jockey and overall more effective. The faster you can close issues with permanent results, the faster your potential move up the ladder.

That said, you should also invest in learning about all the basic elements of operating systems. More than likely this will end up being Windows XP and 7. It's good to know some of the basics of server technologies, but attaining MCSA/MCSE is probably not realistic and may divert your focus away from what you may practically encounter at the beginning of your career.