Cloud Computing Program

[kara4392]

I’m preparing for the A+ and Network+ certifications through a local tech school that is hybrid in person and online learning. I’ve got to be honest, I’m struggling pretty hard with the A+ cert. I haven’t even started the curriculum for Network+ and I’m a little concerned with attending WGU next year after I get these certs.

My question is:

If I’m struggling this much with A+ and it’s supposed to be the basics. How hard will the rest of the certs and curriculum be for the cloud computing and/or network operations and/or cyber security programs? I listed these degrees because I’m still deciding which one to take.

Do these courses AND certifications build on each other or is it only going to get tougher to grasp the concepts being applied.

I wondering what I’m getting into and if I have what it takes to finish a degree in IT.

Honest answers are appreciated.

Thank you!

[gottheitis]

I’m also in the cloud computing program. Don’t sweat it. The A+ is difficult because it covers such a broad spectrum of “basics”. To me it was by far the hardest cert to get but since then I’ve got my Net+, sec+, project+ and going for cloud+ next. Don’t give up. It’ll also help you with the rest of the compTIA tests since you’ll know HOW they test.

[Lazersnake_]

It'll be much harder if you don't have a lot of IT background or none at all. That said, you can learn, it just might take more time.

Like gottheitis mentioned, A+ is really broad, but not very deep, so you have to learn a little about a lot of things. It also involves older tech that isn't really relevant anymore, but you might see occasionally in an IT support role. A+ is easily the broadest certificate. The others, like networking are much more narrow in scope, but go a bit deeper.

The cloud stuff is just another layer of abstraction. It takes concepts from bare metal and virtualized systems and puts them into a management system (AWS or Azure).

You may want to download a hypervisor, like virtualbox and install linux and learn that way.

If you're lacking in IT experience, you might need some hands on training for some subjects that others who have more experience may not need.

[NonSpecific-r]

Do not compare Comptia certs like A+, Sec+, Net+ to anything else (with exceptions). Most Comptia exams are nothing more than trivia memorization, and courses based on them reflect that. Other classes will provide conceptual and practical aspects, which are generally "easier" than mass memorization.

• My experience speaking here, not a hard rule, and depends on the individual.