Where to start?

Support to Security | 002

I recently quit my part-time job as a Project Manager for a web development company to free up time to study for certifications. My goal is to use certifications as a “college course” to learn what I need to get a job in IT. I don't have the option to attend a university at this stage of my life so this will have to do.

I am lucky enough to have found a mentor that is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional and a Senior Security Architect at a financial firm. He has shared several resources on where to begin that I will share with you here.

The First Cert
There are two great introductions to the industry to start depending on your existing knowledge. The CompTIA A+ (Computing Technology Industry Association) certification or the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate). The CompTIA A+ is great if you are starting out with no computer knowledge. CCNA is the way to start if you want to go straight into networking.

I have decided to start with the CompTIA A+ certification just to get my feet wet. The number one recommended resource for starting out is Professor Messer.

He has created a full video course that goes through every item that is covered on the certification test for FREE.
https://www.professormesser.com/free-a-plus-training/a-plus-videos/220-1001-training-course/

I plan to spend a good amount of time deep-diving into the topics as I learn about them from Professor Messer. I will update you with more articles as I come across helpful information.

gandalf out