The CompTIA Trifecta

     Recently I obtained what's called the CompTIA Trifecta. CompTIA is an IT association that issues vender neutral IT certifications. The three most commonly known certifications are the A+, Network+, and Security+. Obtaining all three certifications is called the CompTIA Trifecta. Usually, when taking these exams, it makes the most sense to start with A+, then Network+, and finally Security+. Network+ assumes you know everything on A+, and Security+ assumes you know everything about A+ and Network+, but they can be taken in any order. 

    When first learning about IT, someone suggested that I start with the A+ certification. I found a two week class offered on the military base where I served while I was still in the Marines. I took the class a few months before I left the Marines. The class was professional and very educational. I went from not knowing much about computers to pretty confident. At the end of the class I did not feel completely ready to take the exams (A+ has two exams whereas Network+ and Security+ only have one). I decided I needed to study more and got the A+ all-in-one study guide from Mike Meyers. This book (and the books for the next two exams) are great because they come with practice quizzes at the end of each chapter and practice exams online. I made studying the book my full time job until I got out of the Marines. 

    I put A+ on hold because I did not feel ready to take both tests and had to start school while I wanted to start training in the National Guard. During the semester I focused on my school work which didn't leave much time for A+. I did start listening to Professor Messer videos on YouTube. 

    Once the National Guard was able to tell me when I would start training, I focused heavily on studying A+. My main source of study material at this time was the Professor Messer videos. His videos helped a lot, and he goes through the exam objectives one by one so the whole exam is covered. Another great thing about the videos is you can watch them at 1.5 or 2.0 speed. The best part is they're free to watch. I watched the videos every day and did my best to memorize the material. I also only studied for the first exam until I was ready to take it, and passed on my first attempt. Once the first exam was done, I focused on the second. It took me about a month to feel ready, but I passed the second exam. In July 2022, I was A+ qualified. 

    Looking back on A+ I wish I had split my studying for the two exams sooner. It took me almost a year to get the certification, but I could have done it sooner. I think I could have taken the first exam shortly after my class in the Marines, and then taken the second a few months later. At the time I thought that it would be best to take both together. This is not true, and my advice to anyone who asks me is to take the exams one at a time. It makes studying much more manageable. A second reason why I delayed was I was worried the exam would expire. Every three or four years, CompTIA comes out with a new version of their tests. Due to COVID-19, CompTIA didn't have an expiration date for the A+ exam. Therefore, if I took the first test, and then CompTIA came out with a new version before I could take the second, I would be out $250. That was another reason I wanted to take the two tests together. If you want to take the A+ exam, pay attention to expiration dates. They're easy to look up on the CompTIA website. 

    Shortly after taking A+, I went off to training for the National Guard. I decided that I would skip Network+ for now and start studying for Security+ because in my eyes, it seemed like a more valuable certification. I purchased the all-in-one study guide for Security+ (same company as the A+ study guide), but didn't get far in the book. I initially thought that I could study while in training for the National Guard, but quickly found the training was a little too intense to study for a CompTIA exam. I focused on training for the next few months, but I worked with computers a lot, so having the on hands training helped a lot. 

    After six months, training became a lot more relaxed. I was on a steady schedule and was home every night. I started reading my study guide during lunch each day and sometimes at night. Once I finished the book I started watching Professor Messer's videos for Security+. Around this time we had our second child and I was able to take ninety days of baby leave. During that time I was in charge of taking care of our first child. I would wake up, get our first child out of bed and watch them until their nap. Once they were down for their nap I would study until they woke up. When our toddler woke up, I was back to watching them until they went to bed. Once our toddler went to bed, it was back to studying. Rinse and repeat each day except Sundays, which I took off from studying. I still mostly used Professor Messer videos, but also found a lot of practice questions on YouTube. I also purchased the Security+ practice questions on Udemy. Although not all practice questions are great that you find online, they do help you identify gaps. The trick is you have to review the tests and then research the questions you get wrong. Sometimes, the practice questions are not from the exam objectives. So once you identify those you could probably not worry about them, but usually it's at least good information to know. If I could go back, I would get the practice tests from Professor Messer's website instead of Udemy. Not that Udemy is bad, but I think Professor Messer gives you more bang for your buck. 

    After about a month of studying I took the Security+ exam. I needed a score of 750 and achieved a score of 780. I was super relieved and took about two weeks to relax and enjoy my family, although I did order the Network+ all-in-one study guide. 

    After two weeks and relaxing, my wife told me she could watch our kids on her own and we decided I would go to the library each day to study for Network+. I read the book cover to cover, taking the practice quizzes on the way. Once I finished the book, I went through the Professor Messer videos. Once I felt I just about had the material in the videos memorized, I did all I could to find free practice questions online (if it ain't broke, don't fix it). After about a month of studying, right as my paternity leave was ending, I took the Network+ exam. I needed a score of 720 and passed with a 760.

    I was super excited to obtain all three certifications. It was something I had been looking forward to for over a year and something I knew would help me get a job when I finished training with the National Guard. It felt like a huge accomplishment to me, especially because I didn't have much IT experience when I started. On top of all that, I was happy to take a little break from studying for test. I'm still learning about computers, but I don't always have to do that through CompTIA exams. 

    CompTIA came up with something called "Stackable Certifications" which basically means if you get a combination of certificates, they give you another certificate automatically. For example, I have the CompTIA IT Operations Specialist (A+ and Network+ combination) and the Secure Infrastructure Specialist (A+, Network+ and Security+ combination). I'm not exactly sure how useful stackable certificates are. From what I've seen most people don't pay attention to them and it's better to just write out that you have each certification on your resume or LinkedIn profile.