I Took the CompTIA Security +

... And I passed with a score of 797! To be honest I was a little concerned about this exam. I wasn't as consistent with my studying as I was for the A+, which I took a year ago. However, I wasn't working in IT when I was studying for the A+ so I needed more consistent studying. Not only that but I've spent a fair amount of time on HackTheBox and TryHackMe historically and picked up a fair amount of knowledge there as well.

In terms of studying, I used Professor Messer's free YouTube course, Darril Gibson's Sec + Book, and finally Jason Dion's Udemy Practice Tests. I didn't use the videos as much as I did for the A+ but they were good. I used them for review after reading the book. I think the book was probably the most helpful resource for this exam. The exams were also good, but I think actually harder than the exam ended up being. I'd rather have it that way than have them be an easier version and get a nasty surprise on exam day.

What Now?

I have two paths that I'd like to explore moving forward. The first and most likely is that I'll start studying for the Linux +. I know that it's not considered a really good cert in the overall Linux world, but I think it'll be a good way for me to connect all the random linux knowledge that I have floating around in my head.

The other option is to go for the last of what most consider to be the basic CompTIA exams, the Network +. The reason I don't want to go for my Network + before my Linux + is because I like Linux more than Networking, plain and simple. Depending on my motivation, I may try for both before the end of the year. The real hangup on making a decision is that the new version of the Linux +, the XK0-005, doesn't come out until July (to my understanding), and I'd rather take it than the older one.

I'll probably just start gathering some resources for the two, and do some light studying for Linux which I use literally everyday anyway.