CompTIA A+ Certification study guide
I found a great book a few months back . Been reading it to make sure it was worth posting about . Ive read a few others like itself but i like this one most of all .
Its put out by McGraw Hill , its called CompTIA A+ Certification Study Guide
If you care to do the digging for a possible free version (ebook) thats fine.
But heres the link from the source :
http://www.mhprofessional.com/product.php?cat=112&isbn=0071487646
Neqtan out
Ive done nothing but try to post meaningfull information.
This is a security focused site is it not Moshbat ? If im not mistaken the A+ certification is a requirement in the security field if requirement isn't fully true i see it is a bit of an industry standard / staple among security proffesionals. That is atleast most of them have it.
Im nothing like yourself and you know it. You call me yourself in so many words and hear you here you are writing a useless comment to someone elses post that is completely off topic. Seems your more of a yourself candidate in this situation than me mate.
Neqtan
Neqtan wrote: If im not mistaken the A+ certification is a requirement in the security field if requirement isn't fully true i see it is a bit of an industry standard / staple among security proffesionals. That is atleast most of them have it.
Umm… no. Horribly wrong. The only jobs that require A+ certs are Help Desk positions. It is possible (and likely, concerning the majority) that security-oriented certifications will be obtained without/before something as useless as an A+.
root_op wrote: Sure A+ isn't security related but it's darn handy to have when looking for jobs^^ hacker2k wrote: Yeah, especially if you don't have a degree in computer science or any other certifications that are much better… Umm… no, it's not. As implied by my previous post, A+ certifications get little to no respect. It's one of the few certs where you're actually better off with 3+ months of work experience. The only jobs / plusses you'll find with an A+ is a Help Desk position, a roaming Field Tech position, or a relatively unnoticeable raise in wages. If those benefits are what you're looking for or you have free time to kill, sure, go take one. Otherwise, spend your time studying up for a cert that's actually worth the time or a degree that you'll need later, anyways.
Zephyr_Pure wrote: [quote]root_op wrote: Sure A+ isn't security related but it's darn handy to have when looking for jobs^^ hacker2k wrote: Yeah, especially if you don't have a degree in computer science or any other certifications that are much better… Umm… no, it's not. As implied by my previous post, A+ certifications get little to no respect. It's one of the few certs where you're actually better off with 3+ months of work experience. The only jobs / plusses you'll find with an A+ is a Help Desk position, a roaming Field Tech position, or a relatively unnoticeable raise in wages. If those benefits are what you're looking for or you have free time to kill, sure, go take one. Otherwise, spend your time studying up for a cert that's actually worth the time or a degree that you'll need later, anyways.[/quote]
I believe that's what I implied too…that it was worthless unless you aren't looking to go far…
Well i appologize then. I was under the impression that it was according to a few articles i had read on the topic. You seem to know a bit on the topic and i dont have the time let alone money to waste. So please Zephyr would you care to elaborate on what certs are worth taking? I was mislead sorry.
Neqtan
Neqtan wrote: Well i appologize then. I was under the impression that it was according to a few articles i had read on the topic. You seem to know a bit on the topic and i dont have the time let alone money to waste. So please Zephyr would you care to elaborate on what certs are worth taking? I was mislead sorry.
Don't apologize… each cert has its place. A+ has a very limited and not very rewarding place, though; only people that are truly passionate about hardware above all else should bother. That being said, there aren't any "magic" certs that automatically fit for everyone, but there are a few that get their fair share of buzz:
- CCNA / CCNP / CCIE
- CISSP / ISC2 certs
- OS mastery certs: MCSE, RHCE, LPI, etc.
It all depends on what path you want to take as to what cert you choose. The A+ really doesn't lend itself to the pursuit of any specialty, though… hardware and basic software knowledge should be a prerequisite for any serious professional and, more than the cert, you should read the study guide to just acquire the knowledge.
I agree with reading the guide just for knowledge. Ive been doing that for five years now. Anything i can get my hands on i read.
I appreciate the insight. I definately want my CISSP. Its gonna take time on that one. I bought the study guide for it years ago and read up on the prerequisites to get it even if you pass the test, that was discouraging. But im gonna put my time in and get it.
Im still not exactly sure where i stand in the industry. I know i like the security field the most in the computer industry. But im not sure if its a network admin id like to be. Maby work for a pen test contracting firm. Yeah im not fully settled. But just to be sure ill end up getting as many certs as a can find the time to study for em.
Thanks for the feedback. Youve been alot of help.
Neqtan
Neqtan wrote: I appreciate the insight. I definately want my CISSP. Its gonna take time on that one. I bought the study guide for it years ago and read up on the prerequisites to get it even if you pass the test, that was discouraging. But im gonna put my time in and get it.
You can take the CISSP exams prior to actually meeting the prerequisites… you'd just have to wait until you meet them in order to get your cert. Why even bother, then? It looks good on your resume. It could also help to motivate you to get the experience that you'd need to receive the certification.
Im still not exactly sure where i stand in the industry. I know i like the security field the most in the computer industry. But im not sure if its a network admin id like to be. Maby work for a pen test contracting firm. Yeah im not fully settled. But just to be sure ill end up getting as many certs as a can find the time to study for em.
Fulfilling the position of a network admin quickly (1-2 years) turns into an exercise in regurgitated monotony. In the beginning, you'll find that you still have a bit to learn about the OS's in your infrastructure and on proper maintenance habits. After that, there's really nothing more to do, except keeping up with small changes and checking your logs. That appeals to some, though.
Until you settle on something that you'd consider fun, just read up on the different positions you see in job ads… most times, these job titles will be easily found (along with a description) through everyone's favorite search engine. It takes a lot of time to familiarize yourself with the knowledge for a cert, so narrow it down to make it possible for you to achieve the ones that will help you most in your career in the least amount of time.
Don't feel bad if you bounce around between jobs starting out, though… I started as a PC repair tech, then moved on to a network admin, and now I'm a PHP programmer. It's not that I don't know what I want to be; I'm just experiencing everything I want to have an advanced-level grasp of before I make my move into the security industry. Nothing wrong with experimentation, but keep a singular focus in mind… not that your plans may not change later.
Thanks for the feedback. Youve been alot of help.
Welcome. IT is not an easy field to break into but, if you attack it sensibly and determinedly, it'll happen.
It's hard to call yourself a "security professional" with no work experience if you cannot prove you have a basic understanding of hardware.
Everyone knows you need to understand how things work, break, can be broken, in order to be able to fix, maintain, and secure them.
If your looking for a high end security job, and you have the security certifications, they may trust that as proof you know your security. But that leaves them thinking: "What happens if this guys ram module comes loose and he doesn't know how to fix it, god forbid something needs to be replaced".
In all reality it comes down to proof. Proof is demonstration of knowledge and history. A+ cert serves as proof that you can pass the test and support hardware in theory. Job experience serves as a better medium for proof than a cert alone, but finding a hardware support job without an a+ cert is hard in more developed places.
Demonstration of knowledge in hardware is usually pretty good provided your not spitting bs. Demonstration of willingness to solve a problem should one occur and you don't know the fix is 10x more important.
In all cases, at the very least study everything for the A+, you are guaranteed to learn at least one useful thing that will be important at least once in any IT job throughout your life.
I haven't learned a whole lot of "useful" information from studying A+ materials, but if the problem or decision every rises I am better suited to solving it than I was before. Random differences in sczi (sp?) cables and crap like that are not daily applicable, but the question could come up, and it always feels good to have the answer.
An A+ cert alone is trash. Your going to be qualified to work at best buy's retard squad making less than $10 an hour, and thats it. It's like being a certified car mechanic. Your certified, but you payed a large portion of one weeks salery for something you could have done fore free via an apprentiship. Nobody respects someone who can swap ram sticks, just like nobody respects someone who can do an oil change. It's dirty work, easy work though a pain in the ass, and thus, it pays little. Especially since with your wage in that crappy job the company could have outsourced 20 people in india and spent less. Most problems can be solved remotly anyways…
p99 wrote: It's hard to call yourself a "security professional" with no work experience if you cannot prove you have a basic understanding of hardware.
You will never get turned down in an security-related job interview for not having an A+. PERIOD. If it's some HR goofball, they might ask about it, but if you're interviewing with IT people or execs, they won't care. It won't even be on the job description.
p99 wrote: If your looking for a high end security job, and you have the security certifications, they may trust that as proof you know your security. But that leaves them thinking: "What happens if this guys ram module comes loose and he doesn't know how to fix it, god forbid something needs to be replaced".
… You're joking, right? You actually seriously believe that?
p99 wrote: finding a hardware support job without an a+ cert is hard
There you go. That's it, in a nutshell. Unfortunately, it didn't support your original point at all and, since this bit is right, that must make the original point wrong.
p99 wrote: In all cases, at the very least study everything for the A+, you are guaranteed to learn at least one useful thing that will be important at least once in any IT job throughout your life.
Agreed. The material covered on the A+ is good to know. Not necessary to get the actual cert, though; not even worth it unless you're a repair tech or field tech.
whitecell wrote: Zephyr what do you think about certified ethical hacker certification? kind of a joke or a good cert?
If it's kind of a joke what do you need to be an employable hacker?
eggh I keep editing this post, but also do you know how hard it is to break into that part of IT (ethical hacker)? Security+ = security knowledge CEH = security tool knowledge
It's pretty hard. Start with a networking position and try to do some security there, then toss that on your resume and tout it as a network/security position. That'll help. Go for the CISSP, too… even if you don't have the required experience to actually get the cert, saying that you passed it and are waiting to get the experience looks good.
:whoa:
Well you know what they say. Assuming makes and ass of you and me. I've just been told by teachers through HS and college that without that finding a security job would be hard, and even talked with the head of the IT department of a hospital. All of them said they would take a security certified person with basic hardware certs over someone with only security certs. Unless of course the guy with only security certs displayed an obvious amount of greater willingness to learn, and more knowledge required for the job.
With the exception of someone with 20 billiion certifications, they usually think those people are going to be arrogant.
But I guess it all depends on the business size your applying to. A small business with less than 100 employees is going to more likely want 1 security guy that is well rounded than to higher 1 for each specific task because its cheaper.
But like a big corporation where the IT actually has a department of more than like 5 people, they probably want people that show specific direction in knowledge and higher more people to get each job done well.
Again I'm assuming, so feel free to rip my innards. I still say anyone interested in computers should learn more than what is just found from basic google searches. Maybe not practical in real world business for your career, but very helpful to self computer "enlightenment". I dont know about you guys, but I have always found interest in all areas of computers, and have read a lot about them. I want to know everything, and because that is impossible, there will always be excitement to computers for me.
Zephyr_Pure wrote:
Security+ = security knowledge CEH = security tool knowledge
It's pretty hard. Start with a networking position and try to do some security there, then toss that on your resume and tout it as a network/security position. That'll help. Go for the CISSP, too… even if you don't have the required experience to actually get the cert, saying that you passed it and are waiting to get the experience looks good.
Is an ethical hacker and pen tester the same job?
And I know most classifieds will post job requirements, but what are some general requirements to work in IT? Is certs really enough to break into some valuable experience, or do you really need to have a BS?
p99 wrote: I've just been told by teachers through HS and college that without that finding a security job would be hard, and even talked with the head of the IT department of a hospital. All of them said they would take a security certified person with basic hardware certs over someone with only security certs.
Then, keep believing everything you're told.
p99 wrote: With the exception of someone with 20 billiion certifications, they usually think those people are going to be arrogant.
Nothing like an unjustified generalization to round out a non-credible statement.
p99 wrote: But I guess it all depends on the business size your applying to. A small business with less than 100 employees is going to more likely want 1 security guy that is well rounded than to higher 1 for each specific task because its cheaper.
Think about that for a minute, and apply that to your first paragraph.
p99 wrote: Again I'm assuming, so feel free to rip my innards.
No need. You refuted your own argument during the course of your post.
p99 wrote: I still say anyone interested in computers should learn more than what is just found from basic google searches. Maybe not practical in real world business for your career, but very helpful to self computer "enlightenment". I dont know about you guys, but I have always found interest in all areas of computers, and have read a lot about them. I want to know everything, and because that is impossible, there will always be excitement to computers for me. No one was disputing that… the point being disputed was the value of hardware certs in the field. It still remains as it was in my argument.
whitecell wrote: Is an ethical hacker and pen tester the same job?
Ethical hacker is a broader classification, while pen testers are more focused in what they do. Often, these are considered synonymous, though, because ethical hackers are not as often researchers as they are auditors / pen testers.
whitecell wrote: And I know most classifieds will post job requirements, but what are some general requirements to work in IT? Is certs really enough to break into some valuable experience, or do you really need to have a BS? The order of importance goes like this:
- Degree
- Experience
- Certs
Only reason that degree is at the top is because it is going to be your first step in getting an interview. An exceptional amount of experience will make a degree negligible, but it's hard to get a lot of experience if you can't get a job in the first place. Certs can get you in on the ground level but, really, you need to have a degree of some sort to be taken seriously… even with certs. AS + certs is roughly equal to a BS. An MS will probably win over a BS + certs. Go for the degree, and get the certs along the way.
AS = Associate of Science Degree, just like a BS = Bachelor of Science Degree. "AS + certs" was just shorthand for an AS and a few certifications.
So say the BS is not an option the AS + certs will potentially put me on the BS level with some good experience?
Correct. IMO, every "hacker" looking to pursue an AS or their first degree should pursue a networking degree. Nothing is as vital and as valuable as a good understanding of networking.
You know zeph, when I talk I touch back on everything and reflect different angles on the topic.
Me stating what has been taught to me is NOT me stating my opinion. I never said that I agreed with my influences.
Try taking peoples posts as a whole instead of picking them apart sentence by sentence.
If I wanted everything out of context I would have replied with varying angles in more than one reply just so you could quote every other sentence I type.
Because I state other views, it does not make them my views. When you take a small chunk and quote it, it takes it and makes it look like something else than I was really saying.
Too me it looks liek your just trolling the forums to make people think your smart. And while you did make a lot of thing I took and thought about, you also gave a few low blows to make me feel bad about myself.
If that kind of thing is condoned here, then fuck it, I can find plenty of smart people to talk to who arent going to always try to be stepping on the people that know less.
p99 wrote: Again I'm assuming, so feel free to rip my innards.
If you don't mean it, don't say it.
p99 wrote: You know zeph, when I talk I touch back on everything and reflect different angles on the topic.
Me stating what has been taught to me is NOT me stating my opinion. I never said that I agreed with my influences.
Try taking peoples posts as a whole instead of picking them apart sentence by sentence.
I take them apart by ideas, not by sentences. By expressing the opinions of those that teach you, you're endorsing them as an idea that you feel has relevance. I addressed it as such.
p99 wrote: If I wanted everything out of context I would have replied with varying angles in more than one reply just so you could quote every other sentence I type.
Because I state other views, it does not make them my views. When you take a small chunk and quote it, it takes it and makes it look like something else than I was really saying.
If you were saying something else, you would've… said something else. I responded to what you wrote; looks like what you were saying to me.
p99 wrote: Too me it looks liek your just trolling the forums to make people think your smart. And while you did make a lot of thing I took and thought about, you also gave a few low blows to make me feel bad about myself.
If that kind of thing is condoned here, then fuck it, I can find plenty of smart people to talk to who arent going to always try to be stepping on the people that know less. If I hurt your feelings, can't really say I give a shit. When I respond, I do it honestly and as precisely as I can. If you don't like it, then go to the Disney forums where you can talk about happy little bunnies and bullshit.
Now that that's out of the way… I did not make you feel bad about what you posted. You did. Why did you? Because someone actually took the time to point out where you DID NOT take the time when you initially posted. Your ideas and arguments were conflicting and, had you taken a bit more time before posting, you would've realized this. Anyone can write a forum response; it takes a bit more effort to write a good one.
So, go ahead and cry that I am an asshole or hurt your feelings or trolled or whatever… It wouldn't be the first time and it won't be the last. At the end of the day, the people that get responses like this either understand why I replied that way and stay to grow with the community, or leave because their fragile egos are too delicate to take criticism. That choice is yours.
You know, I probably didn't take the time I should have on my posts. I spend anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour on the posts I make, and I try to look at things from different perspectives all at once.
I think the underlying thing I was doing was trying to defend something I shouldn't have. I always end up in a quarrel with someone when I try to come into a new community.
Though I've watched these forums on and off for a few years, maybe i'll be a better contributer if I take part only in things that dont require posting. I thought everyone liked teh fuzzy bunnies? lol ;)
I dont have much experience out there in the real world, I can only express what has been told to me, and the varying different ones at that. I'll try to stick to reading these posts /truncate
p99 wrote: I think the underlying thing I was doing was trying to defend something I shouldn't have. I dont have much experience out there in the real world, I can only express what has been told to me, and the varying different ones at that. I always end up in a quarrel with someone when I try to come into a new community.
Honesty is admirable. Just don't take it personal every time someone disagrees with your statements.
p99 wrote: Though I've watched these forums on and off for a few years, maybe i'll be a better contributer if I take part only in things that dont require posting.
Until you're ready for criticism, yeah, you probably should do that. Welcome to HBH.
p99 wrote: Too me it looks liek your just trolling the forums to make people think your smart. And while you did make a lot of thing I took and thought about, you also gave a few low blows to make me feel bad about myself.
If that kind of thing is condoned here, then fuck it, I can find plenty of smart people to talk to who arent going to always try to be stepping on the people that know less. … I dont have much experience out there in the real world, I can only express what has been told to me, and the varying different ones at that. I'll try to stick to reading these posts /truncate
Dude I wanted to reply sooner but I was drunk last night. Anyways, Zeph has a crap load of experience, and I think that it should go for all in here; that criticism is great. I take what I learn here and try to apply it to my job, my bread winner. I need my job and I would much rather have Zeph criticize a thought than a future boss. shiiii man be more respectful and grateful.