What cert should I start with?
Posted by SpiritualClub895@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 5 comments
Hey everyone,
I’m a 4th year computer science student with 1 semester left. Currently interning as a cybersecurity governance and policy analyst and cybersecurity has caught my attention now. I find it to be interesting and something I think I’d be good at. I was looking at certifications and I came across A+, Net+, and Sec+. Which of these should I get first? Which is the better one to secure entry level roles? And lastly, how is the cybersecurity new grad market as compared to software development and related cs fields?
Trust_8067@reddit
Literally everyone is interested in cybersecurity, it's also a 20+ year career path, not a day 1, for all but a handful of exceptions. If you have "an in" from intergerning, and can leap there, great, otherwise focus on something that will move your career and get you paid, like learning Linux, VMWare/Hypervisors, networking, or AWS/Azure administration.
I ~~think~~ know CompTIA is a scam, but in your situation sec+, and don't worry about the rest of that garbage. Get a RedHat cert, a CCNA, an AWS, or an Azure cert, depending which direction you want to go in. Even if you don't get a CCNA, you should study for it, enough to know the basics of how networking works, you don't need to know enough to pass for other positions.
DanielWW2@reddit
Well, software development seems to be turning into AI powered vibe coding.
That probably hits the junior positions the most. But because people can't learn on the job, its eventually going to cause major issues down the line.
Security is quite booming. But finding somebody who knows there stuff, seems to be more difficult. But often security can be disliked because they tend to have the ear of management and can circumvent procedures if they are allowed to. If you have a really bad case, security can break production and others have to fix it then.
To prevent that and to also be able to do your job better and have opportunities to advancement, you need to learn the surroundings. Not in every detail, but globally. Also in cases of emergency, having a grasp of how things interplay with each other, helps a lot. It also allows you to speak on more even terms with non security colleagues. This whole IT business in the end, for a large part is also about people skills. Not necessarily being a very charismatic extrovert, but being able to communicate clearly. Having some idea what others are working with, makes that a lot easier.
It also depends on what kind of security you are thinking about. For example if you think you end up with Azure, I can also recommend AZ-900. Most Microsoft certifications aren't exactly great. But I found AZ-900 to actually be useful and well put together. Afterwards you can then look at SC-900. I would have also suggested MS-900, but I now see that Microsoft killed that one off, in favour of AI, AI and more AI with AB-900...
DiscoSimulacrum@reddit
sec+
brazzala@reddit
AZ-900
Winter_Engineer2163@reddit
If you’re aiming for entry-level, start with Sec+, not A+ or Net+.
A+ is very basic, more like helpdesk level. Net+ is useful, but usually optional if you already have a CS background. Sec+ is the one most employers actually recognize for junior security roles.
Since you’re already doing a cybersecurity-related internship, Sec+ will line up well with that and looks good on a resume.
That said, certs alone won’t get you a job. What matters more is:
some hands-on stuff (labs, TryHackMe, Hack The Box, home lab, etc.)
basic understanding of networking and how systems actually work
being able to explain what you did, not just list certs
About the market:
entry-level cybersecurity is pretty crowded right now. A lot of people try to jump straight into it, but most roles still expect some IT or sysadmin background.
Compared to software dev:
dev has more junior openings but also more competition
cybersecurity has fewer true entry-level roles, but once you’re in, it’s solid
If I were in your position:
go for Sec+
keep building hands-on skills
don’t ignore general IT fundamentals
That combo gives you a much better shot than stacking beginner certs.