29/124 CU's
So, I guess I have been falling behind with my blog posts. Instead of making a separate post for all 4 classes, I am going to roll them all into this one.
Since the A+ certification can be split into 2 tests, the classes are split into 2 different classes, IT Foundations and IT Applications. When you pass the first part of the A+ you submit your scores to WGU and then you start working on the second part. The coursework at WGU for the A+ was fine, however I found that watching and understanding the Professor Messer A+ series of videos was more than sufficient for passing the A+ exam. I was planning on using both the WGU material and the Professor Messer videos, but I ended up just using the videos at ProfessorMesser.com. I took the first part of the A+ test and passed with a pretty decent score.
Then it was time to move on to IT Applications, I stuck with the videos as my primary study method, however WGU has practice simulations that proved to be very helpful with the exam. I took the final part of the A+ test after about three weeks of study and again, passed without issue.
The Network+ certification is the goal of the Networks class. Professor Messer again proved to be an invaluable resource for the material, I also used Google to learn all the definitions that I was supposed to know for the test. The Network+ test only uses acronyms, so learning what they all mean is very important in understanding what they are asking you. I studied for three to four weeks and went and took the Network+ exam, and passed, though my scores were not as high as I would have liked them to be. But hey, a pass is a pass right?
Network and Security Applications was my next class up. The Security+ certification is the goal for this class. Since I am a Security Engineer for my day job, I didn't really feel the need to study for this one and the test proved to be a breeze. If you are not already doing security for a job, I would recommend Professor Messer again as a great source of information for this test. I was only a few questions away from getting a perfect score for the Security+ exam.
I think I am going to knock out a few non certification classes before going for more certs. Part of the reason for this is that I am starting a new job and I want to settle into that to regiment before worrying about more certification tests. Another part of the reason is because there seem to be quite a few classes that I should be able to knock out without much issue. The Python and the Java classes shouldn't take too long to take care of, as well as some "gimme" classes, such as the Intro to Management class. To be honest, most of the classes, including the ones that come with certs seem like they will be fairly easy for me due to the experience that I already have with the topics. The only ones that I am anticipating to be tough is the CCNA classes and the CCNA Security class. Hopefully I remember to update the blog posts more frequently in the future.
