So after wasting a large part of my life working in couple different industries iv decided that IT is the correct route for me.
It seems getting a comptia a+ cert is a good start for someone green wanting an entry level or at least start going the right direction. (please let me know if im way off)
Anyone can point me to some study/practice/learning/helpful material? And if im incorrect about CompTIA A+ cert being a good starting point for an entry level let me know thanks.
I sent you a DM.
Check out Professor Messer on YouTube. Super professional and comprehensive exam prep videos are available on his channel for free. I relied on his videos, a flash card app, and Mike Myers CompTIA A+ study guide when I was broke and trying to get A+ certified and into the IT field. It worked out for me. I owe Professor Messer a debt of gratitude.
thanks thats super helpful. i think i saved his video to come back to check on it and see if its actually viable or not. but honestly i would never have known so ty
I second the recommendation for Professor Messer. I went through his videos when I was prepping for the A+ exam last year. An amazing resource all for free. If you’re moving forward to get Network+ and Security+ too, Messer has a whole series of videos for those as well.
huge. ty.
YouTube series by BurningIceTech, and either spin up VMs yourself to familiarize with group policy, management console, services, event viewer, and basic CLI in Linux, or buy the labs from comptia. 1101 and 1102 are heavily focused on ports and protocol overviews, raid, windows settings, and basic troubleshooting. Take good notes since you’ll build on the A+ stuff in Net+ and Sec+ if you take those too.
noted. im going to start going start noting your recommendations
To expand on that you are likely on Windows if the percentages means anything, Windows 10 Pro is required to run VMs on your local machine.
I’d recommend grabbing a second machine to be your homelab, even if it’s not great, just so you don’t mess anything up locally.
If you go with a second machine you can put win10pro on it and not activate it and then host VMs. Or there are other ways to get keys for pro. Completely legally of course.
Windows server (load a VM and load STANDARD not Dataserver) 2019 and 2022 both have evaluation versions. You can load these up, install any features you want to try, test any labs in any modules of any courses you’re taking, then nuke and reload if necessary.
If you’re not familiar with Linux try Ubuntu, Manjaro, and Fedora. Learn to install a few things from the GUI stores and the CLI repositories. Learn how to add repositories. Learn how to copy, move, make, delete, rename files/directories.
Then start a project. Something silly or stupid like a media server, backup server or download station. Build that out with your new knowledge, push your boundaries.
It might seem like a bit much but there are practical questions on the exam where you have to work through things in a VM and it isn’t just a multiple choice question. You’ll feel a lot better being comfortable in an environment.
On top of that that practical experience will come in handy in interviews.
you know this is the first time iv ever felt excited to “study” like when i think of work i think being on a construction sites in that texas heat sweating pissing in a port a poty. this here is fun for me.
(i say this now but…)
If your local library has online resources, then you might have access to LinkedIn Learning. There are a ton of resources there.
so look up a library in my area and see if they have a site. and if so look for linkedin learning? kk got it ty
Many libraries have a host of free online services. PressReader can be used to read magazines or newspapers, Libbey can be used to download/read books including textbooks and sometimes Comptia study books.
They aren’t just places you go to revel in the deaths of millions of trees anymore. But it really depends on where you live, so ymmv.
I am literally in this same boat now. My state is sponsoring memberships to Coursera and I’m wrapping up the Google IT Support Specialist Certificate course, there’s also an IBM course of the same premise. It has gone over the most basic information, most of which I was already familiar with. But it has touched on material I was not knowledgeable at all in. I also got the humble bundle mentioned above and will move onto that after for more in depth learning.
nice man. seems like you know your path. am i correct in assuming that or are you kind of taking as much info/cert/material as you can and go from there?
I’m going to start looking after I finish my CompTIA A+ and then continue to add certs. Most jobs I see in my area really want A+.
