Is the Comptia A+ still worth it?

[@caleboni.certified]

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[@JohnWick-df7wc]

Andrew Ramdayal who has the highest rating in Udemy says in his Cybersecurity program that a lot of people don't know what the hell they are protecting because they don't have the A+ fundamentals and don't even know the basics of how a switch or router work. How can you protect what you don't know? He said start from the bottom up so you can get the education then do Network+ then Security+ then choose to specialize. It's designed like that for a reason.

[@Xarishher]

@JohnWick-df7wc while I think this is the traditional and right approach, the more flexibile way is to learn content on A+ but not do the A+ cert. Solidifying that A+ knowledge early on, without taking the cert saves time and money

[@JohnWick-df7wc]

@@Xarishher it does but at the same time if you've already taken all that time learning the material doesn't it make sense to just test for it to have an extra cert to put on your resume?

[@milktothefifthpower]

@@JohnWick-df7wcwell kinda, but it’s pretty expensive still. For the basic a+ you have to take the part one and part two separately to get the certification, which you have to pay twice. For me this is a whole paycheck just for that. If that’s the case, it makes more sense for me to learn everything in a+ but only test in network and security

[@JohnWick-df7wc]

@@milktothefifthpower yeah but if you take the a+ pass then network + and pass then security + and pass all you have to do is just keep renewing security + every 3 years and all the rest auto renew, so long term I think it's best

[@AfricanOdysseus]

I think the Cisco csst networking and it support certifications are better alternatives for the A+ then the google IT support cert

[@caleboni.certified]

@@AfricanOdysseus a good suggestion only thing I’d say is Cisco is vendor specific and Comptia mentions and covers tech without bias!

[@saidneyy9742]

i thought that too until i couldn't get a job with the ccst networking been applying for months now

[@m.b.557]

Comptia exams are cool to study for, but are grossly overpriced with a lot of the material being old and outdated. I would just study the material, skip the exam, and move on to an actual vendor cert which actually holds more value.

[@doobyscroobimcgescroozi6083]

like which one?

[@m.b.557]

@doobyscroobimcgescroozi6083 Well, if you are interested in the cloud, I would definitely get an aws, azure, or gcp cert over the cloud+. If you are considering a networking career, I would choose the ccna over the network+. The sec+ and cysa+ are ok only if you supplement with some hands-on training like hackthebox or tryhackme, but eventually you would want to tackle a cert like the blue team level 1. The only other cert I would even consider from comptia is the a+ if you don't mind starting as a pc technician or working help desk.

[@DataLuke]

Hey Caleb, had you heard of CompTIA before getting into industry? I hadn't heard of it until like 1 year ago... 😆

[@caleboni.certified]

Ohhh really, yeah Comptia A+ was the first certification I ever came across, long before I entered the tech space the course I took for it was really good 💯 but I didn’t do both the exams I just did one of them then moved onto other things!

[@WesleyFranks]

it's currently around $253 as of December 24th 2024.

[@rw2783]

I have gone through the course for the A but have been told don’t do the exam and take network plus after doing that course.

[@caleboni.certified]

I think that’s a good idea tbh! How did you find the courses? As long as you got a lot out of the courses that’s probably more than enough to then move onto other certs!

[@rw2783]

@ I found the course online and brought it but I didn’t realise there were resources like professor messer so I kind of learnt my lesson. I was considering a change in career and I was starting from zero so the A plus has really helped me find out about different parts of the IT world and start building the basics up.

[@caleboni.certified]

@@rw2783 good point professor Messer has pretty much everything you need on Comptia A+ right here on KZbin! When I was doing the core 1 I used the Udemy course by Mike it was quite cheap had a 50% discount and had so many great reviews! I learnt a lot really set me up for my career!!

[@Xarishher]

I skipped A+ and am doing Network+, ita more specialized and has emphasis on Cloud Computing.

[@caleboni.certified]

Sounds great bro 😎🔥how is Net+ cert prep going?

[@Xarishher]

@caleboni.certified so far it's going great, bro - the Net+ cert is introducing me to more knowledge in IT, and it's really interesting.

[@metalmayhem007]

Hey Caleb. I'm from the Uk and work in helpdesk 2 years. I've got the Az-900, Sc900 and MS900 in the last few months. I've been studying the Network+ but don't see much value of this cert here in UK when i look for jobs. It's also very expensive and no discount from employer, whereas i can get 50% off Ms certs from employer. Was thinking of going to security plus ( just to get one) instead or carry on with MS or Azure certs. Thanks I really enjoy the content btw

[@caleboni.certified]

Amazing, what is your goal in terms of role, are you aiming to getting into cloud? Thanks so much I’m so glad you enjoy the content 😁🤩

[@metalmayhem007]

@@caleboni.certified hey yes the goal is to be a cloud administrator. But i understand i probably need some middle level experience for a couple of years

[@caleboni.certified]

@@metalmayhem007 sounds like you’re in a good place, with some years help desk experience. Once you get AZ104 you should be applying 💯💯

[@metalmayhem007]

@@caleboni.certified thanks for the response! Will make that my goal for 2025

[@mustaphamohamoud205]

for a young person like me im 18 i wanna do the comptia exam, I have a decent amount of knowledge on IT but i am still a beginner should i still do the exam?

[@rizin7446]

for me i am just to get something on my resume as a start

[@shira2151]

Let me answer as someone with 11 years of experience. No! I had it at my entry level and even then it did nothing for me

[@lemarz8006]

I think things have changed after 11 years

[@ThEaRRoW23]

IDK How someone from UK can’t afford these 2 exams, no offence I’m just curious. I will be taking tests with current 600€ nett salary in Eastern Europe. And one exam here is 253 USD