Busted into this thread to recommend Let’s Encrypt, certbot, and my favorite ways to authenticate domain ownership in containerized environments. Not those certs.

Only get the certification(s) you need to get the job you want. As someone who sometimes has to run the technical interview – I will ask you if you have the cert we require for the position. Regardless of your answer, I’ll then see if you can do the job (or can learn to do the job quickly based on similar experience).

If you have the cert but can’t do the job, you’re fucked.

If you can do the job, but don’t have the cert, I’ll tell you to get the cert ASAP.

As a network engineer, don’t bother with the network+. Go straight to the CCNA, because if you decide to do other network cert the other vendor will likely have a fast track exam to their CCNA equivalent.

I’m a recent graduate with an MS IT of Purdue Global, and the classes in AWS were pretty unhelpful. However I wanted to get actually certified in AWS.

I mostly did this by taking practice tests, and putting the topics onto flash cards, and drilled the flash cards into my brain. That’s just how I learn though. Drill the definitions into your head until they are down cold.

I passed the certificate in May. I currently have a job, but I have my eye open for a new one that matches my new skills.

Definitely take everything I write with a grain of salt, as it might have no relevance to your job market.

If you’re just tired of living paycheck to paycheck, I don’t think those certs will solve anything. Afaik they can only get you a tech support, or maybe some entry level network engineering job. Over here you’ll make more money doing construction, and the only upside of a tech support job is that you’ll be sitting in a chair instead of breaking your back.

A few years down the line, you might be able to transition into better paid roles, but those fields are already quite saturated, and I’ve been seeing more and more companies requiring technical degrees even for junior roles. I know a few people who’ve been doing tech/customer support, and the closest someone came to moving up was getting stuck with managerial duties without any pay increase.

On the other hand, in the EU at least, while the whole IT market is quickly getting oversaturated, skilled blue collar work is only getting more expensive due to a lack of workers. For example my cousin has a CS PhD, he founded and built up a dev outsourcing company, and he makes less per hour than the tiler he hired to redo his bathroom.

And I don’t see that trend changing any time soon. Competent workers are getting close to retirement, and the new generations aren’t interested in replacing them.

For free certificates try letsencrypt.org

With a+ cert and net+ cert, I have taken 10 years and continuously studied related fields to get to a reasonable pay. I should have done CCNA a long time ago, but never could motivate myself.

Certs don’t mean much, if they help open the door that’s fine. The goal is to get a job.

Get one job fixing computers, and you’re a computer repair technician. Get one job designing networks, and you’re a network engineer

No one will be impressed by a long list of certs. Focus on the ones you want for your first job, and once you get it the certs will stop mattering

As a hiring manager, a candidate’s list of certificates has made very little impact in the process compared to experience. If there’s no experience, like for a junior role, then the certs will help against others with no experience. But so will a portfolio.