Level 1 Completed : CompTIA A+

First Milestone And Goal Reached

On January 17th, 2025, I feel like I entered this journey properly when I took and passed the CompTIA A+ Core 2 Exam. Since I had previously passed the Core 1 test, this marked my first milestone in successfully receiving the CompTIA A+ certification.

While studying the material for the tests, I started to build and configure my Home Lab as well as create projects to develop new skills and practice the concepts for my upcoming tests. However, finally taking the tests and achieving the certification is the first milestone. I know that having certifications will not land me an entry-level job, but I hope that it will help me open up some doors and get me interviews where I can truly express my passion and knowledge for this field.

My Experience Studying And Taking The Exams

Since the CompTIA A+ cert is such a large overview of a lot of concepts, it was great to get a small sampling of different things. A lot of the material I was already familiar with, for example I have built multiple workstations and have replaced hardware. A lot of the material was also new and forced me to sit down and really study the material, learning port numbers and their uses, and learning more about Wireless standards and their speeds.

I researched recommended study materials, and used a combination of them. Like a lot of people, Professor Messer was a great tool that I used for Core 1 specially, along with Jasion Dion’s udemy course. For the Core 2 material, I gravitated and used mainly Andrew Ramdayal’s course on udemy, and supplemented with additional research or the specific videos from Professor Messer.

I felt confident in my knowledge and ability going into the tests, but I was still a bit nervous. In the end, I passed both exams with a comfortable margin and really gave me a refreshed drive to continue working to get into the IT field.

Advice and Recommendations

I already mentioned what resources I used, Professor Messer, Jason Dion, and Andrew Ramdayal. The first one is free on youtube, while the latter two have courses on udemy. Practice tests can also be found on udemy as well as on Professor Messer’s site. For tests I used the udemy ones by Jason Dion and Andrew Ramdayal.

Everyone learns differently, and what worked for me may not work for anyone else, so I will refrain from adding specific studying tips. However, for those who want to use the udemy resources, I do have a piece of advice on how to access them. Check your local library! Many libraries have access on their websites to udemy and will grant you free access to it from home as long as you have a library card. My local library did not have a link on their site, but I found this amazing site Gale, through there I was able to search for my local institution and using my library card information access all of the udemy platform free of charge.

Next Steps

So now that I achieved this first milestone, what is next?

Having passed this first certification really invigorated me to continue on this journey. I am continuing to apply to entry-level roles and hope to make progress there soon. I’ve also continued to work on projects and home lab set up to solidify my knowledge. As for certifications, I think I will pursue my CompTIA Network+ next, to get a solid grasp on networking technologies, and then continue to the CompTIA Security+ certification.