CompTIA or Cisco? - Should I get the CompTIA A+/Network+ OR the Cisco CCNA/CCENT - Microsoft MCSA?

About this video

NetworkChuck answers whether to pursue CompTIA certifications (A+, Network+, Security+, Server+) or vendor-specific ones like Cisco CCNA/CCENT or Microsoft MCSA, drawing on his own career. He started studying for A+ in 2011 with zero IT experience because forums said to start there, but got his first IT job (as a Staples Easy Tech) and his second job (junior helpdesk) without the A+. While studying for A+ before his helpdesk shifts — a habit he recommends because managers and senior staff notice the hustle and companies prefer to promote from within — a network engineer asked why he was studying for a cert designed to get a job he already had, and advised skipping A+ for Cisco. Chuck admits he did not listen, earned the A+, and nothing changed in his career because he was already on the helpdesk. His core rule is to ask two questions: where are you now, and where do you want to be? If you are already in helpdesk, repair or user support, skip A+ and go vendor-specific. If you have zero experience, A+ may be justified only to land that first IT job, since progression to network or systems admin/engineer normally comes from a helpdesk role, and A+ is the keyword those job postings search for. If you are already confident in desktop support, skip CompTIA even for a first job — a CCNA or MCSA puts you above A+-only candidates because employers assume you know the rest. For anyone wanting to move beyond helpdesk, he says skip Network+ and Server+ too: Cisco and Microsoft entry certs teach the same networking and server foundations plus hands-on vendor skills for the industry leaders, have no prerequisites, and are more valuable on a resume. He notes he holds Security+ himself and values CompTIA, and if you are three-quarters through A+ study you should finish it, but for maximum career advancement per study hour, choose the vendor cert that benefits your current position most.

Key takeaways

• Chuck got his first two IT jobs without A+, and earning A+ while already on helpdesk changed nothing
• If you already work in IT support, skip A+ and go straight to a vendor-specific cert like CCNA/CCENT or MCSA
• With zero experience, A+ is justified only as a way to land the first helpdesk job
• Cisco/Microsoft entry certs cover the same foundations as Network+/Server+ plus vendor hands-on skills
• Studying visibly at work signals hustle; pick the cert that benefits the role you are in now

Episode details: published August 30, 2017 · 17:10 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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