Do I need the CompTIA A+ to work in IT or Cyber Security? 

Honestly at the most entry level of skill and knowledge, something is better than nothing. With that being said, what if another certification accomplished the same thing but also set you up for higher level roles? It's not that the A+ knowledge isn't of value but more so a tradeoff of how effectively and efficiently you're using time and resources.

Hey bro i have a questions please reply??

No need to ask permission to ask a question...feel free to ask away.

same

@@JonGoodCyber i want to learn something can make me find my first job in cyber security or IT or data science

Starting out at a very basic level is never a bad thing, however both the Network+ and Security+ are not dependent on somebody having the A+ in order to pass the exams. All three certifications are meant for people with little to no prior experience, although the only one I don't recommend starting with is the Security+ because you won't have sufficient networking knowledge just by passing the exam.

I was making 15 an hour and got my certs with comptia and now I'm making 30 an hour starting out with almost no experience working for a top 10 company on forbes top 500. Don't listen to this guy lmfao.

@@austinbigelowdid you get the A+? I’m just starting out and Cyber Security has been a goal of mine for so long. Just want to know the best way of going about it

@@austinbigelow Damn bro we make the same and i work as a helpdesk lvl 2 for a small company

@@IsThisMeta did you hear the no experience starting out literally just graduated part. Also my job is cake I don't do anything and don't have to talk to people.

Good one? I'm not even sure how that's an insult...it's like saying "you call the fire department when there's a fire."

When it comes to computers and working with them you’ll almost always have those that spend more time on actual software work, networking, etc. rather than hardware. Then you’ll have those that love working with hardware, love tinkering about and don’t care much for learning about networking, server management, etc. there’s always two sides to a coin, in this case there are multiple small subcategory jobs for those that work in one thing and don’t want to deal with another. Why do you think bosses hire employees?

@@cringesh1t427 well stated

@@JonGoodCyber I was thinking the same. What you said in this short is the hard truth. Skip the A+!

I've worked in It for nearly 8 years and I put in tickets to our desktop team all the time lol

It's VERY RARE to see a job posting that specifically lists the A+ and nothing else. In general, I don't think I would recommend anybody applying to a job that lists the A+ and nothing else unless all other options have been exhausted as that's going to be a job very low on the corporate ladder and especially my students/mentees can absolutely do better than that.

​@@JonGoodCyber "Do I need the CompTIA A+ to work in IT or Cyber Security?"

@@DJ4Dummies the point applies to BOTH information technology and cyber security roles. I help people land jobs all the time in both IT and Cyber Security so I let the results do the talking. Is the pronunciation funny or was it a test to see if people were listening?

@@JonGoodCyber ​​⁠ i am currently a customer success manager at a legal tech company, i am looking into either ISC^2 or CompTIA A+ in order to add value and essentially get a customer success manager role in a cybersecurity industry. Thoughts?

@@davidjustima2782 my first question is what does the customer success manager do? Titles don't necessarily indicate what the job responsibilities are. The second thing is that the A+ basically is going to have no value in a cybersecurity role. Last, to actually "add value" in a meaningful way via cybersecurity, you're going to need some actual experience in the career field otherwise it's going to be difficult to be seen as credible.

My advice is for those who don't want to aim for the minimum requirements or the most entry level role in technology. The jobs that ask "Are you A plus certified" aren't the jobs that I think people should shoot for unless it's a last resort.

My son is A+ certified but any prospective employer (he’s about to graduate with a bachelor’s in Cyber Security) that asks about it or mentions it is automatically getting crossed off the list. He didn’t spend thousand of hours learning penetration and defense and getting a Top Secret security clearance just to upgrade someone’s software or something equally mundane.

One challenge that newer professionals face is that a lot of things appear to have more value than they likely do, but you won't learn the lesson until several years down the road. The other conclusion that you seem to be jumping to is that I'm saying knowledge of networks is useless, which was never said nor would I say that. The truth is that much of the useful knowledge in the A+, such as anything about networks, will just be reintroduced again in other certifications. I always remind people that I value the time required, and one of my specialties is helping people fast track their careers with what they need and ignoring the noise.

Unfortunately it's very clear that you missed a ton of the value packed into this video in what was actually said. A major misconception is that the "foundation" must start with being hammered by hardware knowledge that you won't likely ever need. Another misconception that needs to be refuted in your comment is that everybody needs to or must start at the help desk. My focus is to give the path where people use their time and resources most effectively and efficiently. People can take the "traditional" path if they choose but I'm going to push my audience to aim higher and not settle when they don't need to. I have over a significant amount of experience in the industry and mentor new people into jobs every week so this isn't just an opinion.

@@JonGoodCyber In my experience, at the beginning of my IT career, I out did someone else who didn’t get the A+ and didn’t get into a help desk position (or perhaps another entry position) which led to me getting picked over him. It’s the “work” experience. As someone who mentors people, I would like to think you can tell them that on a resume, work experience is a big deal to some employers if not all and having more of it usually leads to greater odds you have to get hired. Hardware knowledge is quite useful to me and I’m glad I had the class because now I can also tell when something is just hardware or just software related/ just the network as a whole. I do agree with you that there are in fact other routes and yes, for people who don’t have experience, it’s possible to get to the position you want simply by having the skills needed for that position. I hope my original comment made it apparent that your odds are greater by getting into the industry sooner which usually means help desk which them you look at chances of getting hired for help desk individuals who have and don’t have the A+. My employer doesn’t have an interest in people for that position unless they have a pre-requisite such as A+ in this instance. Or even prior years of knowledge. Thank you for your time, and I hope no ill-feelings have brewed. That isn’t my intention

@@centurion6789 no worries and no bad feelings. It isn't that the knowledge in the A+ is bad, it's just that there is a more effective and efficient path that accomplishes the same objectives plus more. This is all detailed in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ). This video covers a specific topic on certifications, as titled, in a very short time and isn't meant to cover everything to be a complete candidate as I could talk about that for hours.

You're missing the point which is all about efficiently and effectively spending both your time and resources (i.e., money). The jobs that care about the A+ is very limited and they certainly aren't going to hold it against you if you go for a higher level certification instead. The point about quantity of certifications goes directly against the main point of the video...work smarter, not harder.

As I said in my previous comment, it's about working smarter not harder. You can find my recommendations in my eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) of what employers want to see in the most effective and efficient career path.

I think attaining multiple certs would not only help solidify a good look on the aspiring person, but also adds to their knowle​dge bank, and allows them to pick a specialty while displaying some type of competency. Maybe the idea of saving money by not paying for knowledge works for some and not for others @JonGoodCyber

Hey it's your career so ultimately you have to judge your own decisions and determine if they were good choices, bad choices and if you should have done something different. Certainly there's plenty of proof that the A+ is unnecessary but I'm not going to knock you for making a choice. My focus has been and always will be helping people fast track their journey with an effective and efficient path, which means doing high-impact things to get the most value.

I am giving people the most effective and efficient path for a beginner or entry-level professional. I never said anything was "easy," however, I help people get into the career field all the time with little to no background in bypassing both the A+ and the even less industry-valued Google certificates. With so many people following my advice and succeeding, it's going to be quite difficult for you to successfully argue with the results.

I am struggling. There are so many things to remember

Which ones harder I’m taking the Google it cert now…

Unfortunately, you've missed all the value packed into this video. It's your choice if you want to take a slower, less efficient, and effective path with your time/resources. The reality is that the information you need for nearly all the jobs in tech, especially outside of support or help desk (neither are mandatory), is covered again in more detail in other certifications. Additionally, there is no "Level 2" designation with certifications, and ALL COMPTIA CERTIFICATIONS can be passed with no prior experience and starting from zero. Don't fall victim to the spread of propaganda.

@@JonGoodCyberwhat path do you suggest one take?

@@iameternalsunshine All of my recommendations are provided in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

🤣🤣🤣😊

One thing that you have to be cautious of is associating knowledge gain with an investment into certifications. Does understanding that BitLocker requires a TPM justify pursuing an entire certification? Absolutely not! Keep in mind that I will always strive to provide the most effective and efficient path when it comes to how you use your time and resources. It's also important to understand that looking ahead can be a lot more difficult to determine the best path because of variables that are unknown to you without the matching experience...but reflecting on many years of experience gives a lot more insight beyond just the "surface level" of what you see, which is why having an experienced coach or mentor is one of the best things that you can do in your career.

I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

I was like What? he had me laughing too

Yea when he said that I was like nah bro

Thank you for sharing!

Always love seeing another owl. 10/10 degree program.

@@alexbelluryhow would the program be for someone with no professional IT experience? I’ve built PCs before and constantly troubleshoot computer issues at work for a large company (I’m HR, not IT lol), but outside of that I have 0 experience

There are lots of ways to learn the fundamentals but ultimately, everybody has to make their own decision and live with the consequences...good or bad.

The majority of jobs today in technology-related career fields don't deal with hardware at a technician level. It generally doesn't make sense for companies to staff their own repair crew when they can get vendor or third-party support to handle in-depth hardware issues. If somebody is struggling to land a help desk or IT support role without any certifications then the A+ could potentially help and the knowledge certainly won't ever hurt...but if we're talking about the most effective and efficient use of time and resources, then the A+ can be skipped...especially if you are targeting Cyber Security jobs. I did not however mention anything about skipping the Network+ as that is an entirely different discussion.

To be extremely clear, I never said that much of the information in the A+ is a "bad thing" as you put it. My mission is to get people into Cyber Security (or IT) jobs with the QUICKEST and most EFFICIENT path possible. You certainly can choose whichever certification or training that you want but if you're going after things that employers either don't ask for or rarely ask for, then you're going to be taking a slower path than is necessary. I have plenty of videos on the channel covering which certifications matter so I highly recommend checking them out. Last, even when I started in the career field (over 10 years ago), the only people still gripping tightly to the A+ had been in the industry for quite some time and got it when it actually made you standout.

@@JonGoodCyber I don't live in a city, many IT jobs start around the Helpdesk when you have no experience. It's about understanding how computers work from the ground up. I'm not just taking practice tests, I'm reading "Comptia A+ Eleventh Edition", -by Mike Meyers. I'm on page 769 currently. Doing all of the 240 labs that teach actual skills on totalsem, I will test what I read on the computer during my reading. I had a helpdesk job, but was fired out of nowhere last week after discussing my college schedule the day before with everything seeming normal. I believe knowing the fundamentals will put me in a better place and advance my skills. Wanting to walk into the next job knowing what I am doing.

My advice is not based solely on my experience. I've coached/mentored a significant amount of people over the years and the reality is that my advice/recommendations are battle tested and continue to work every day. That isn't to say that things like the A+ are going to prevent you from getting into the career field, but you're path will be slower and less efficient.

Thanks for sharing! I'm not going to say anything bad about somebody for making a choice about a specific path because it's ultimately their choice. With that being said, many times and especially with the topic of this video, there are more efficient and effective paths that you can take.

Do you make a homelab when studying CompTIA A+? Is reading books and watching someone's full course in youtube enough to learn and pass the certification? I am interested also in getting CompTIA A+ but I don't know how to start?

@@sarahjessicatamon7083 my advice is just start. Labs are super helpful but I would say not super necessary for A+. Watch Professor Messer and take notes!

It's unnecessary as the majority of jobs in IT and Cybersecurity deal entirely in the virtual world. Is it going to hurt you? Of course it won't "hurt" you...but I regularly help my students accelerate their journey with critical advice like this and you aren't going to be on an accelerated path if you go after things that ultimately won't matter.

The only time the knowledge may come into play is on the help desk or IT Support. Most repairs that company staff do is very basic because companies rely heavily on vendor support, or they hire contractors to do repair for them. It's very uncommon for companies to essentially have a Geek Squad type team on staff.

I'm glad that you found the content helpful! If you've spent a bunch of time preparing for a certification, it's generally not wise to ditch it...especially if you're close to finishing or with exam scores. The last thing that you want to do is build a habit of nearing completion and then jumping ship.

The A+ will help you with network + and sec+

My recommendations always consider the most effective and efficient path. Sure you could slowly build your knowledge with the A+ first, but especially at the entry level, most certifications and training don't rely on others to be able to pass.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of bad information out there, especially on how to be successful. In many cases it's coming from people who haven't seen a lot of career success and/or have very limited experience (i.e., less than a year or two). Ultimately, it's up to you to do your research on any resource you use because there's no way to stop that content.

@@JonGoodCyber I'm new to this channel and just don't know where to start to get involved in cyber security. Do you have a video on what to do starting at ground zero?

@@chrisclayton584 I have plenty of videos on starting out and a roadmap. I recommend visiting my Getting Started page ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ), where I've laid out resources to help you begin your journey.

What does that mean?

Lolol all caps?

Lmao. Dying. You right tho. Cap AF.

@@JonGoodCyber🧢 it means you are lying

I help people all the time with no experience or formal education, go from zero to Cyber Pro and completely bypass the A+...so it absolutely can be done.

You're welcome and I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

Where did you start for cyber security and congratulations!!

I always recommend people visiting my Getting Started page ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) and grabbing my free eBook, which includes a roadmap to follow. Certainly if you choose to do something like the A+ prior to that you can, but as far as knowing the physical location of where RAM sits on a computer, it's unnecessary for 99.99% of the jobs out there.

You're welcome and glad that I could help!

Are you thinking about going into security with no experience in the IT field? Ill throw you a scenario. You are just starting out and are on incident response. A zero pops up that has to do with a common exploit affecting autoplay. By default you org has autoplay enabled on all machines. You have been tasked with pushing out gpo to disable autoplay on all machines inside of the “Users” OU. Without A+ how to you even know where to begin? Do you expect you org to train you from the very ground floor up? Or lets say you suspect a rogue acess point is somewhere on premise and have suspicions a windows machine is connected to it. What command do you run to see all of the active connections on that machine? If only you had taken A+.

At no point did I say to skip building a foundation or learning foundational knowledge, however you definitely do not need the A+ to accomplish that. There are more effective and efficient paths than sticking to the slower "traditional" path and way of thinking. Your comparison about math isn't really applicable because at no time did I say skip straight to an advanced level training or certification. The reality is that even if you stick with CompTIA early on, most of their certifications, especially the trio (A+, Network+, and Security+), are all passable without any prior knowledge or experience and people do it every day.

Doing labs without having a solid foundation of knowledge is pretty difficult since you won't even know what's possible. That is why you take trainings, pursue certifications, and other things to increase your knowledge and grow your skills.

Getting the certification in many cases is more difficult and overkill for what most people need.

I would say that's the only reason when it possibly might make sense, although I help people bypass the A+ into higher level positions all the time without any prior experience. In general and especially at the lower level positions, if a certification isn't helping you get a job, then it's not worth it. Shiny new options like the CC and the Google Cybersecurity Certificate are overhyped with marketing to get people interested but they aren't actually putting people into jobs because they aren't thorough enough and only serve as a brief introduction to material that is just reintroduced again in other options.

That's great if you feel like you received value from the information! I can't really make videos about specific situations because there are occasionally variables where I might provide different advice that makes sense. With that being said, my perspectives and advice are based on substantial experience in the industry of my own, and the experiences of the large pool of students that I coach/mentor. As long as your informed, you ultimately have to make the decision on what to do.

Careful to not confuse bypassing the A+ as not learning the fundamentals as the former is not a requirement for the latter. You'll notice that not once did I say you can ignore the fundamentals. Although the A+ does give you some important information, it also gives you a lot of information you don't need, AND it actually doesn't give you all the information that you need. Simply because something is a possible path that may have worked out, doesn't necessarily mean that's the correct or best path to pursue.

Glad it was helpful!

If you just want to work break-fix issues all day long, more power to you! The issue has nothing to do with the pay. Obviously the higher jobs that you go, the more pay that you get...but really it's about aiming higher than the most entry level position that exists. The people that really succeed in both IT and Cyber Security are the ones who aren't willing to accept the traditional mindset or the bottom level jobs just because somebody says to do it that way. My advice might not always be "easy," but that's also why my students shoot to the top of the pile and corporate hierarchy quickly!

I give people the most effective and efficient path possible so they don't waste time on things that they don't need. The situation that you're talking about is fairly rare today as most people in the job market or entering the job market, are fairly comfortable with operating computers, especially when trying to enter the tech workforce. That said, there are always exceptions to the rule, but again, that doesn't apply to the majority of people.

My advice is for those who want to pursue the most effective and efficient path possible. The reality is that not all of the information in the A+ will be useful outside of a very specific job (i.e., help desk, customer support, etc.), and the critical information is just reintroduced in certifications like the Network+, so why would you spend double the time to learn that information? You are confusing learning the foundational information and skipping it altogether, which is not what I said, nor would I ever say that. Also, the fact that you actually believe that I unintentionally pronounced CompTIA incorrectly is comical.

I don't typically recommend the A+ except if you are trying to land a job in helpdesk or IT Support. You can find my recommended path in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

@@JonGoodCyber the download link isn't working for it

@@dabiggestbirdthe3rd the link is not a direct download link. You must follow the instructions provided to get your free copy. Also, I just tried it and works as intended.

I'm going to make it trendy to say it that way...just you wait!

@@JonGoodCyber I will put foot to mouth if/when it happens...now how do you pronounce cool whip? 🤔

“Kahmp Taia” 😂

I always recommend looking at my free eBook's roadmap ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ), which provides a ton of information to help you be successful. In most cases, if you aren't getting calls for interviews, it's because you don't have the required skills/knowledge, you aren't the most qualified candidate meaning you need more skills/knowledge to stand out, or your resume needs work.

The main point is to follow the most effective and efficient path with the most impact on your career. It's not that the information is bad but it's not generally required despite what some people claim. Also, the crucial information that you need just gets repeated in the Network+ and Security+ so that alone makes it unnecessary.

The things that should drive your choices in order are: current job, desired job, and area of interest. If you always evaluate things in that way then you'll be in a good spot.

@JonGoodCyber thank you for the tip Sir. It's seems there's more to this IT subject than meets the eye - more like uncharted territories with countless options and less time.

I recommend grabbing my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) and checking out the roadmap.

Thank you for watching!

I appreciate your comment! First, all of my recommendations and what's actually expected by employers can be found in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ). Next, let's discuss each point that you just made: 1. The "trifecta" was a marketing attempt by CompTIA to brand more certifications so that it seemed like a requirement. When it originally was named, it made sense for reasons I'm not going to go into in a comment. That's great that your dad had success, but that also doesn't mean that was the best path. Somehow people make the assumption that the A+ will completely halt your career...not true...but there are fast and efficient paths, and then there's slow drawn out paths that include the A+. With a reasonable amount of cybersecurity experience, $200k is great, but it's not some unattainable figure. 2. That means absolutely nothing and WGU is known to pad their programs to make them look more comprehensive, especially when compared to a traditional degree program. The NSA CAE curriculum (i.e., knowledge points) are available online ( public.cyber.mil/ncae-c/documents-library/ ) and if you look at them, you will see that the coverage of hardware and my stance are aligned...but not aligned with the assumption of depth that you are making. A common mistake that new people make is assuming that just because there seems to be a level of hierarchy with CompTIA certifications, that doesn't mean that the A+ is considered the required basics. The content that you actually need from the A+ is covered completely again, but deeper, in the other certifications so why learn it twice? If you're in a program like WGU, there's probably no way around it so just do it....but I'll repeat it again...there's fast and efficient paths...and then there's slow paths with the A+.

Tech repair is a niche area within the tech field that has a specific set of skills but it's not really relevant to most people within the enterprise world.

Thanks for the comment! One important thing to remember is that just because something in the tech field is essential, such as hardware repair, it doesn't make it mandatory for every professional in the career field. Hardware knowledge is certainly more related to IT than it is to cybersecurity, but like a lot of things, it's situationally dependent. The more and more we continue to transition to the virtual world with technologies like the cloud, the fewer people we need to focus on hardware, but also, once you get past the help desk, hardware is seldom a focus because you'll have service contracts and other staff members who are responsible for the hardware making it essentially obsolete for your job.

Ouch...shots fired! I'm glad that you found my content because it's a great time to get into cyber security!

and didnt you think about making net+ or sec+ or even these new google certs, or microsoft foundations? dont get me wrong, but giving up after one cert sounds like meh... i think you should have been pushing your chances and keep trying, maybe getting new certs and so on...

I recommend checking out my Getting Started page and grabbing my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ), which includes a roadmap of skills and certifications to pursue.

@@JonGoodCyber that doesn't help me at all.

It's totally acceptable to learn information and skills because they interest you. With that being said, don't completely disregard what employers want because at the end of the day, simply being educated and unemployed is a bad situation.

I'm glad that you enjoyed the video!

I recommend grabbing my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) where I provide a roadmap of skills and certifications to pursue. Unfortunately, there's a lot of bad advice out there that's only leading to confusion and slower career progression.

I never said it ONLY focused on hardware as it's easy to look at the exam objectives and see that's not the case. The fact is though, that hardware is a major part of the certification and the jobs that it's really targeting. Just because we can learn something, doesn't mean it brings enough value, if any, for it to actually make sense to learn.

In today's world, hardware knowledge really isn't considered fundamental knowledge as in you absolutely need it like for example networking knowledge. Why is that?...well it's because the majority of jobs no longer require strong physical knowledge at least to the extent that the A+ requires. Additionally, it's really more of a question of time and resources...why waste time where you don't need to and why waste money/resources where you don't need to. I will always give the most efficient and effective path/advice and I can tell you right now that I help people every day, week, month, and year to land jobs without pursuing the A+...and they are almost always better jobs than if they spent time on the A+. You are welcome to disagree with me but there's no arguing with consistent results.

I don't trust anybody who can't take a joke, so I guess here we are.

@@JonGoodCyber ah yes look for the "it's just a joke bro" lmao

It's just another example of a bootcamp that's not actually provided by the university and instead a third-party is providing the program. These type of programs are generally overpriced for what you get and don't carry the perceived weight like a degree would from the university. I'm not saying to get a degree from UT Austin, but people frequently have the misconception that these third-party bootcamps offered on a universities website will carry a ton of weight...they won't. If you use the resources that I provide including the roadmap in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ), you'll be in an excellent position with nowhere near the same level of financial investment.

If you're already invested too far into it, just cross the finish line and keep moving.

To clarify, I am in no way saying the knowledge itself will somehow harm you or your career. Would I justify the A+ to "learn Linux?" Absolutely not, because although many certifications have value topics that are covered, the reality is that you don't typically need ALL the knowledge and can use the extra time better with what actually matters. Even for Linux, I have ~1-hour long video on RU-vid that covers the fundamentals of using Linux...1 hour versus 1-3 months of studying for the A+...the math isn't even close.

Losing a job is certainly an unfortunate situation to be in, but that's also why you should always try to become the most competitive candidate you possibly can be. Any technology career field area requires continued skill/knowledge development to create both job stability and improve your career possibilities. It's never too late to try the career field again if you're willing to put in the required work.

I've already given a lot of insight on the A+ in this video but no, it will not hurt you in any way. I recommend grabbing my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) and checking out the included roadmap.

You can find my recommendations in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ). That topic in particular has a lot to it that I won't cover in a comment, but the CCNA has value on the IT side, however it doesn't hold the same prestige on the cyber side. I have other videos and shorts on my channel discussing the topic too.

Although degrees can serve similar purposes as certifications, they certainly don't replace them. I recommend following the roadmap in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ), as that's what employers will want to see.

I recommend following the roadmap included in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

First of all, congrats on your job! It is completely your option to disagree, but remember that you are speaking based on your single experience, which rarely tells the story for the entire career field...and I am speaking regarding well over a decade of personal experience in the career field, years of work experience outside of the career field, and having helped countless professionals break into the industry. Additionally, my advice is geared at getting people into higher level positions than what the A+ will allow, which is generally more lucrative but comes with a different mindset and professional requirements.

LOL! Someday people will realize that the A+ doesn't accomplish what they think it does, but until then, I guess my students will have a ton of opportunities to easily bypass people. CompTIA has done a fantastic job of brainwashing people to believe that the A+ is the best way to go, that all the information covered is necessary, and that it covers everything that you need to get started.

Those are certainly popular certifications with employers. I recommend grabbing my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) where I've included a roadmap of skills and certifications to pursue.

I'm glad that you enjoyed the video!

The A+ was never a requirement for the Security+, however the Security+ shouldn't be your first certification. You can find my recommendations in my free eBook's roadmap ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

Also, I do have the A+ For dummies. I'll read it over and over along with whatever else. We are here to help each other right. .. At some point I will have to choose hey is this all that important to read again? I should focus on the newer stuff I need to brush up on... What I'm saying is down the road I'll just cement it into my brain that is how valuable I believe these to be as a start. P.S. The A+ For Dummies (9 books in one) goes through strategies and .. I see your point, Mr.Goods, I just stumbled upon this uh maybe. Well, what do you suggest? I will still be taking it. I see this still; still, I want and am Willing to take it. Constructive criticism on just stuff. Hi Humans.

The challenge for a lot of new professionals is that they are easily persuaded to do certain things that take years for them to realize the flaws in those decisions because they don't have enough context yet. Some people choose to not listen and will find out the hard way just as many of us more seasoned professionals have done, but hopefully I'm able to save some people that understand the value of mentorship. As far as my recommendations, they can all be found in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

I’m not sure what you basing that claim on because I’ve never denied or downplayed the fact that starting in IT is very common…not because it’s “required” but because the bar is higher to start directly in cybersecurity and you have to find the right situation. That said, I help people land entry level cybersecurity jobs all the time with little to know certifications or experience so my methods and advice are proven time and time again. You certainly aren’t the only one out there having struggles but I have a ton of content proven to make a difference if you are willing to put in the time and work through it. Additionally, I highly recommend Career Coaching on Cyber Training Pro if you want to accelerate your journey.

Are you sure?

@@JonGoodCyber that’s how they pronounce it on their website if you’ve seen some of the videos in it

@@rafaelantonio7128 I'm happy you paid attention to the content, but it was definitely an intentional joke.

It's all documented in my free eBook: jongood.com/getstarted/

Sure...it's all documented in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) where there's a roadmap included along with lots of other valuable information.

It all depends on the situation and your ultimate objectives. Most certifications on the market can help you gain relevant knowledge but there can absolutely be factors that make one certification a better choice than others.

Just because they teach different things, which is not entirely accurate as there's overlap, does not mean that you actually need the information often, if at all. The idea that people need all three certifications is dated and not reflective of the today's job market. It's not that the information will somehow hurt you by having it, however I will always give the most effective and efficient path possible because people don't want to waste precious time on things that don't matter.

CompTIA has done a tremendous job in marketing to create this misconception that the A+ is where fundamentals start, but it's not mandatory. The A+ has always been, and still is, primarily focused on hardware with as you put a "slow introduction" to other areas. The other areas that are introduced, are literally reintroduced in other certifications where they show up such as the Network+ and Security+, which are definitely not specialization certifications. A large majority of the jobs that exist in both IT and Cybersecurity have nothing to do with the actual physical hardware because they are either focused on virtualized aspects (i.e., the cloud, virtual environments, etc.) or because companies contract the support to vendors and technician contractors. The ultimate point is that you're unlikely to miss any knowledge that you can't gain if you absolutely need to by skipping the A+, but you're going to take a "slower" path than is necessary if you do go for the A+.

@@JonGoodCyber I have recently been recommended to start with compTIA as an intro to IT cause I have zero to little knowledge on the matter and I am trying to find a carreer in IT would you please recommend a better option for an absolute beginner then thanks a lot

@@stonekas1475 all of my recommendations can be found in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

@@JonGoodCyber thanks a lot

I recommend grabbing my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) where I provide a roadmap of what is expected by employers. You should be most concerned with acquiring the skills/knowledge/certifications provided in the roadmap when selecting a training provider.

I regularly help people disprove that myth/assumption because it's just not true if you do the things that actually matter. Too often people fall in the trap of setting their sights too low because people tell them that and they accept it as fact.

Certifications are only one factor that can help you build a competitive job candidate profile but no certification will guarantee a job by simply passing the exam. I recommend grabbing my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) and looking at the included roadmap of skills and certifications. Additionally, you can have all the skills and certifications in the world but without a solidly built resume, you aren't likely to get interviews. Fortunately, I have a video on this channel all about building a high-performing resume AND I recommend the career services on Cyber Training Pro ( www.cybertrainingpro.com/ ) to help with that.

Networks are not the only thing that you need to learn but they are certainly important to understand so that you can protect them. The roadmap that I recommend is all documented in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

Ok, thanks. I guess what im trying to say is will someone that is very technologically inclined and able to learn very fast pick up cybersecurity decently? 😀

@@corpuzone Everybody's journey will vary based on several factors, but certainly, it doesn't hurt to have a background in technology.

@@JonGoodCyber great 👍 and keep going with your content it’s very informative

Like I tell everybody, there are fast and efficient paths...and then there are slow "traditional" paths that include things like the A+. It's not that the A+ will somehow destroy your career in the long term, but it's absolutely not how you should start if you want to go fast... honestly, I've never had somebody approach me for mentorship or training who wants to go slow. This is an example of something you learn after many years of experience in the career field because there are things that matter and things that don't when it comes to success.

@@JonGoodCyber and there are beginner friendly paths my bro it took me 2 months to get all I don’t know what slow students you mentoring point is you aren’t learning how to build a pc from s+ tell me starting from the ITF I’d agree but point stands to someone who’s never been interested in pcs going for an S+ vs going the route CompTIA intended you must be slow yourself if it’s taking you long to get this 3/4 certificates and in the working world your opinion isn’t getting me more money my certificates proving to clients and my boss is literally why I’m paid well and with one of them I wouldn’t be getting the pay I do let alone having the important role I do an S+ guy is stuck there but me with 3 certs I’m managing all the departments as a junior so please bro let the money begin added after I got my certs talk not your opinion about your slow students 😎🙏🏼

All my recommendations are documented in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

I'm glad you enjoyed the content!

I'm just curious but why do you feel like you NEED the A+?

@@JonGoodCyber I cannot get a job as a web administrator or wordpress administrator like your videos going through and learning windows server

@@JonGoodCyber i want to get into security and privacy of mobile devices and internet of things A+ jobs don't pay very well

@@carolynlambert8797 There are always specific situations where I may give different advice, but that's because you have a specific target that calls for something different. That said, in most situations, my general advice is what makes the most sense.

@@JonGoodCyber going through your videos I need the skills i will check out your website too!!

I rarely recommend the A+ and when I do, it's considered optional in most cases. You can find all my certification and skill recommendations in my free eBook's roadmap ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ).

Honestly, the Google certificates don't come close to sufficiently preparing you to actually work in the career field. I recommend following the roadmap in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) to fully prepare yourself!

I always recommend that people start with the NSA Centers of Academic Excellence (which they are) when it comes to Cybersecurity degrees so that they get a solid curriculum rather than what some random professor wants to teach. As long as you stick to the list, you'll be fine, but then, of course, you need to evaluate the cost and other factors that go into deciding if a degree program is right for you.

You can find the roadmap that I recommend in my free eBook ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ). Passing the Security+ alone will not give you enough knowledge to be proficient in this career field...boot camp or not boot camp.

What exactly do you mean by the fact that you're a SOC Analyst working towards cybersecurity? Maybe I'm missing something from your explanation, but a SOC Analyst is a part of Cybersecurity. Either way, it all starts with my free eBook's roadmap ( jongood.com/getstarted/ ) because those are the skills/knowledge that employers expect.

@@JonGoodCyber really? So a security operations center analyst is a part of cybersecurity? I was told by my manager we don’t do cybersecurity but this was a good first step toward a cybersecurity career.

@@JonGoodCyber I just realized a technical difference that I should mention. I am a Global Security Operations Center Analyst (GSOC). I don’t actually partake in cybersecurity. I monitor security and reduce threats for a client's offices and employees around the world. We perform tactical threat intelligence tasks, such as collecting intelligence information and tracking physical threat activities that affect employees, facilities, and interests globally for our client.

@@RpgRambo I understand now...a SOC for physical security. These two uses of the term SOC can certainly cause confusion. Either way, there will be some transferrable types of skills that you are building, but definitely follow my eBook's roadmap.

I teach people to not settle for the most entry level job and what they can do to prepare so that they can come into an organization at a higher level. The reality is that my methods and advice are proven to work and are backed by significant amounts of data showing success across tons of organizations and industries. The "traditional" mindset is what will result in a traditional path that's slow and tedious...or you can take the fast track and skip unnecessary things...the choice is yours.

I find it weird that CompTIA has stuck to their guns on having the A+ split across two exams, yet no other certification they offer does that.

There are slow paths and fast paths...and the A+ isn't on the fast path. Efficiency and effectiveness are the name of the game when selecting the most optimal path.

@@JonGoodCyber still, A+ is the best to get started if you don't even know which path to take.

What do you mean?

I help people all the time that start from zero and begin very successful careers without ever having spent a single second on the A+. There's always situations that are the exception that I cannot specifically cover in a video for the masses and that require coaching sessions, but people generally want the most effective and efficient path from me so that's what they get.

You shouldn’t be so serious all the time and learn to recognize a joke when you hear one!

@@JonGoodCyber exactly. Take your own advice lol

The tasks you've mentioned certainly don't require the A+ to accomplish or to research how to do. You may have laughed at them but there's probably something they could do that you had or have no idea how to do...does that mean they should laugh at you? Jobs have different skill/knowledge requirements for a reason and based on what's needed to perform that job. You even said certifications become irrelevant at some point because your job changes right? I frequently have people come to me that want to fast track their careers, so we focus on the things that are required to do that, which means cutting out things that aren't necessary to make that happen. The trend in general for tech workers isn't to work in the government because the pay and benefits are substantially different outside of it, so that shouldn't really be of concern for most people.

Degree coursework is typically well behind what's actually happening in most industries and computer science is no exception. Additionally, if A+ was truly the milestone to land a job, you wouldn't see people passing the exam and still struggling to find employment. Keep in mind, I never have said the information itself is bad or will hurt you from too much knowledge, but the reality is that I help people bypass the A+ and land significantly higher jobs all the time because it's not necessary. You can believe it or not but those are the facts.

Good luck!