My Cybersecurity Journey

After completing the Google Cybersecurity Certificate program, the next step on my to-do list was to pass the CompTIA Security+ Exam. Exam Prep Time How long does it take to study and prep for the exam? It depends on your knowledge, experience, and background. It also depends on how quickly you can study and learn. I have seen Reddit comments that give the range from 1-2 weeks to several months.  ​ My Background I am going to be upfront and say that the Google cybersecurity program was NOT enough to pass the Security+ exam. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very informative course with lots of practical knowledge. However, the CompTIA Security+ exam covers A LOT! Also, I did not do the Network+ certification nor did I have two years of network admin experience. My background in software development and IT has mainly been in technical writing, manual QA testing, and doing computer troubleshooting and fixing for myself and friends and family. I decided to set two goals:    ...

Discount Vouchers There’s no two ways about it, the exam is expensive. Here are vouchers that can help, from student vouchers, freely offered discount codes, and discount codes offered through courses and study guides. Students can get discount vouchers at the  CompTIA Academic store. For everyone else, here are a couple of freely offered discount codes : Professor Messer 10% discount. Pearson 10% discount using the code  PEARSON10   at the  CompTIA store.  (Valid through December 31, 2024 )​ Discount Codes are also offered through courses and study guides such as: Jason Dion’s CompTIA Security+ Bootcamp  Darril Gibson’s CompTIA Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead book  Google Cybersecurity Certification Program  (offers a 30% discount code upon completion) 

The  CompTIA Security+ Certification exam is the most popular entry-level cybersecurity credential. ​Below is some quick, overall info on the test, the cost, the topics covered, and the main differences between the 601 version (retired on July 31, 2024) and the newest version 701 that launched  November 7, 2023.  Exam breakdown: Cost:  $404 (as of July 2024) Passing score:  750/900 Time limit:  90 minutes No. of questions:  70 – 90 ( Including 4-6 Performance based questions (PBQs)) Topics covered:  5 major domains with 35 objectives (for 601, but 28 objectives for 701) Differences Between 601 vs 701 Versions of the Exam For  changes in SY0-701 vs SY0-601 c heckout this video  here . Or this article on the  Comprehensive Guide to Security+ Domains (2024) here. ​ Additional Info on the CompTIA Security+ Exam CompTIA states that there are NO formal perquisites. However, they recommend: 2 years of IT admin experience with a security fo...