Certifications

Hey All,

This has been a nice little escape from work and everything going on in the world today. I wanted to just post about certifications in the IT world and my experiences with earning them. My last post talks a little about my work experience and I when I was with my first employer, I found myself getting a little complacent so I decided to start looking into certifications. I already had a broad scope of knowledge in Windows Server, ESXi, Cisco Networking, and some others. I wasn't entirely sure where I wanted to start. I knew enough about networking, but figured I should get a little better at it.

I started my certification path with the CCNA. This one was a tough one. I really liked Cisco and the command line complexity you can add to pin down security and advanced features of routers and switches. My only regret was not doing this one sooner. I took the certification test in two parts.

1. Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician
• This part wasn't too bad, just a lot of subnetting. This exam was a lot of what I was doing with my every day job and I was able to get through this one fairly easy. I got my information right from the Cisco text. I also used Packet Tracer and my home lab to work through a lot of labs and exam topics. Once I thought I was decently prepared, I did purchase the practice exam, 
2. Cisco Certified Network Associate (Route and Switch)
• This part was more difficult. It involved a lot of advanced features and configurations. It took me two times to get this one and a lot of studying. I actually took two courses to help me with this part. I used Packet Tracer and my home lab again. I also leaned on a professor that I met while taking a class at my college. He was very helpful in giving me some pointers and giving me some general direction for my study. I used two different practice tests - Pearson Vue and Boson.

Since then, I have taken and passed a few Microsoft Cloud certifications as well. These also took some time, but have been very rewarding. I use knowledge from these exams everyday and am hoping to gain some more credibility by passing two more later this year. I currently hold the two Microsoft Certifications below:

1. Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate
• This one was a bit different for me. I had very little experience with Azure. I used a lot of online courses through Microsoft's Cloud Society. This is an awesome, free self-study. I paired this with Microsoft's Hands-on Labs. These labs are created in Azure and are only available for 24-48 hours. The documentation there is great. I also bought a lab book (There are several out there). The one I used walked me through creating a free Azure Subscription with all the hands on labs I needed to understand all the concepts for the test. After studying, I used Mind Hub and purchased the Practice Exam and Exam Voucher. I highly recommend the practice exams. Mind Hub gives you a great exam-like experience and very similar exam questions to help prepare. I passed on the first try.
2. Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate
• I knew this one wouldn't be that easy. Microsoft is changing their Office 365 UI all the time. Again I used Cloud Society. As mentioned before, this is a great, free tool to kick start your study. I didn't do as much lab work with this one as I am in Office 365 on a daily basis and I somewhat knew where most features were located.

Certifications have been something I've started getting into a bit more lately. I think they help give you a boost in your workplace and can help you stick out when you are considering a possible job change. They can also give you a little negotiating power with your current employer when your review comes around. I am working towards another Office 365 Cert now. MS-100: Microsoft 365 Identity and Services. This is part 1 of 2. I plan to take MS-101 after that. I think certifications can help drive you and give you some purpose with your career goals. If you have an interest in a specific area and are willing to put some time and effort into learning and diving a bit deeper, certifications can be a great tool for anyone in the IT world. 

I am hoping to possibly get into some actual project stuff soon with some topics that I have worked on recently. More to come soon if anyone starts to read these! :)