your first Hacking certification (PenTest+)

About this video

In a video sponsored by CompTIA, NetworkChuck pitches CompTIA PenTest+ as a first hacking certification. He argues IT certifications are the best starting point for aspiring hackers for two reasons: they give a focused study path through a huge field, and they help you get a first job. He gives two headline reasons for PenTest+ specifically: price — he says the exam voucher is $359 compared with over $1,000 for the competing CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) — and that it is DoD 8570 approved, which he says makes holders compliant for US government roles that require it. He is explicit that it is not for beginners with no IT experience: CompTIA recommends three to four years of experience, he says, and taking it after A+, Network+ and/or Security+. He defines the role as penetration testing — ethical hacking where a company hires you to find and report the weaknesses and holes its own security staff missed, thinking like an attacker for good — and lists associated job titles including penetration tester, vulnerability tester, security analyst and vulnerability assessment analyst. On content, he contrasts PenTest+ with Security+: instead of only learning what attacks are, it covers performing them across the hacker methodology, the tools used, and — which he singles out as a differentiator — managing and dealing with vulnerabilities, not just finding them, which can lead toward vulnerability-assessment work. He also stresses the exam itself is more hands-on, with performance-based questions and simulations rather than only multiple choice. The video is structured around a CompTIA giveaway of a voucher plus CertMaster Learn, plus a separate flash giveaway of a Wireshark course, which he calls essential knowledge for pen testers.

Key takeaways

• He recommends PenTest+ as a first hacking cert because, in his figures, it costs $359 versus over $1,000 for CEH, and it is DoD 8570 approved for US government compliance
• It is an advanced, not entry-level, exam: he cites CompTIA’s recommendation of 3–4 years’ experience and prior A+, Network+ and/or Security+
• A penetration tester is an ethical hacker hired to find the security holes a company’s own staff missed and report them, working across several related job titles
• Unlike Security+, PenTest+ is hands-on — performance-based exam simulations, actually performing attacks and using hacking tools, not just theory
• Its emphasis on managing vulnerabilities, not only discovering them, is presented as opening vulnerability-assessment and strategy roles beyond traditional pen testing

Episode details: published December 19, 2020 · 6:36 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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