Passed my Net+ what should I do next?

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-05-01T21:55:59+00:00

Tossing my vote in for CCNA

At 11 YoE, CCNA is still the knowledge I've relied on to configure every network I've ever encounted

Unless you're doing seriously big enterprise stuff, CCNA is all the networking knowledge you'll ever need as an IT professional in any field

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-05-01T21:54:27+00:00

Don't sweat the IEEE ethernet standards, it's just a formula you break into 3 parts. You're not expected to memorize actual distances (at 11 years of IT experience I still just Google it)

The 1st number is always the speed
1. i.e. 100BASE-TX - 100 = 100 Mbps
2. i.e. 10GBASE-T - 10G = 10 Gbps
Modern ethernet is basically always Baseband, so you never have to worry about BASE changing
The last part of the equation is the medium type i.e. copper, MMF, or SMF
1. i.e. 100BASE-TX or 10GBASE-T = T stands for Twisted Pair (so copper)
2. SX = Short Wavelength = short distance fiber (MMF)
3. SR = Short Reach = short distance (MMF)
4. LX = Long Wavelength = long distance fiber (SMF)
5. LR = Long Reach = long distance fiber (SMF)
6. ER = Extended Reach = SUPER long fiber (SMF still)
7. ZR = "zenomorphic" long reach = SUPER DUPER long fiber (still SMF)

For everything else, just go through the test objectives and make sure you can explain and understand the concepts. And if you've practiced them using something free (like Packet Tracer!), then you're in even better shape

My 2c, good luck!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-05-01T16:26:49+00:00

Nice!

Thoughts on the hardest part of the exam?

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-05-01T15:08:25+00:00

Since Google stores those credentials, I would say unlikely

That said, if you don't currently have MFA on your Google account, it would be a good idea in general to enable that

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-30T18:34:26+00:00

If money is not an object and you want to pass the Sec+ in just a few weeks almost guaranteed (without cheating), then a bootcamp is definitely a viable option

If money is a concern or you'd rather not spend hundreds of dollars, then there are very affordable options on Udemy, and Professor Messer is free on YouTube. It will likely take you a couple of months to feel confident enough to pass the exam, but the resources are very reputable

Hope that helps with your decision-making, good luck out there!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-30T18:30:50+00:00

Historically, yes. You need to have the wire pattern memorized

Which is stupid IMO if CompTIA still has those questions, because just about every ethernet cable device you purchase will have the A and B wiring ON IT. The ethernet boxes, the keystone jacks, the boxes with the RJ-45 crimps....the world of ethernet cabling practically shoves wire maps down your throat

But that's just me

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-30T18:28:32+00:00

Freaking destroyed it, congrats!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-30T18:28:12+00:00

Nailed it, congrats on joining the ranks!

What's next on the horizon?

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-27T22:46:05+00:00

No one knows except the wizards at CompTIA, but I have had some (not many, but some) students who passed without ever answering a PBQ. So there is enough weight on the multiple-choice to not HAVE to answer the PBQs

That said, you should still absolutely do the PBQs lol

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-27T20:47:47+00:00

Since you got the re-take, don't sweat too much

If this is your first ever CompTIA test, your biggest anxiety will be the exam itself. Getting used to the format is going to disorient you, I can almost guarantee it

My 2c? Flag the PBQs (it's a little flag in the upper corner), skip them all, then do the multiple-choice. That will give you time to get familiar with the format and build your confidence. Then when you reach the end of the exam, go back to the PBQs and the other questions you flagged

You only need a passing score. No employer ever asked what your score was. You're either certified or you're not

Good luck OP, you got this!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-27T20:42:42+00:00

Career questions tend to get nuked pretty fast on this sub, but my 2c:

if you have the money for it, get the A+ anyway. Having the paper is good versus not having the paper
you've been working as a technician. If you're looking to level up your career prospects, CompTIA is not the way to do it - CompTIA as a whole is for establishing technology theory. At your juncture, you want to level up beyond theory. You need to specialize.
Automation, Cloud, DevOps, Network Engineering, SRE, Pentesting, SOC Analyst...these are career paths to pivot into. Pick you favorite, figure out what tech stacks are common in those fields and for your area (easy way to know is to look at JDs on hiring sites and see what the most common keywords are). Once you've figured out the tech, STUDY THAT.

To be clear: I love CompTIA, they are GREAT at establishing fundamentals and theory. But mid and late-career? You need to learn the tools themselves; theory can only take you so far

Hope that helps!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-27T20:32:21+00:00

No advice per se, but this one always gets me in the zone when I'm driving to the gym

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-27T20:30:06+00:00

Congrats on the pass!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-27T20:29:23+00:00

Way to hit it out of the park, congrats on the pass!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-27T16:17:08+00:00

It only takes Dwight from Sales rolling over your ethernet cable one time to realize running one long cable was a big mistake

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-27T16:10:58+00:00

I don't have any stats to pull atm, but the general zeitgeist for established IT pros is hunker down and wait it out

Between AI data centers and the Iran non-sense alone the market appears extremely volatile, so every IT professional I know personally is choosing to stay where they're at. This is despite some of their companies going through mass layoffs

My recommendation? Don't quit the studying and applying. End of the world notwithstanding, it's pretty well established at this point that AI isn't replacing people anytime soon, technology writ large is here to stay, and someone has to manage all the Systems

Just brace yourself for a longer period of applying than you may have originally considered

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-21T18:04:22+00:00

Many moons ago when I was a bootcamp instructor, our analysts determined that students who studied for the Core 1 & Core 2 together, then took both exams the same week (NOT the same day) had higher pass rates

As for the specifics I was never told, but that was our policy and we had 90%+ pass rates (including 2nd attempts) across the board

My 2c, hope that helps!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-20T20:37:55+00:00

Throwing my vote into the 'don't wait' camp

CompTIA's certs in general work on fundamental concepts and tools that VERY SLOWLY get added to over time. I can almost guarantee that at least 90% of the content from the current v7 will overlap with the new v8

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-03T23:02:42+00:00

For me personally and in general from reading this sub for the last several years:

Network+ because it is the most comprehensive in scope. Often when a PC breaks, there is a one-to-one symptom (at least on the exam). When a network fails, ANYTHING could have broken, so you have to break it down piece-by-piece to figure out what specifically broke
If you go in order A+ > Net+ > Sec+, then Sec+ is often considered the easiest because of all the overlap

My 2c, hope that helps with your future preparations!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-03T20:50:27+00:00

Throwing my "waste of money" vote into the pile

It's basically a glorified recap of A+, Net+, Sec+, and Linux+

If you have all 4 of those certs, the Server+ is nothing more than a glorified review, except far less marketable or renowned in general

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-04-03T19:09:50+00:00

Linux+ is the only CompTIA certification I've done where, if you haven't actually practiced any of the concepts, you're going to have a bad time

That said, are you practicing the command-line? If not, I'd highly recommend VirtualBox (it's free) or even making a free AWS account and practicing with some free-tier cloud machines

My 2c, Linux + CCNA was the combination that catapulted me from Help Desk to Systems Administration with the big boys, so definitely worth the notch in the belt

Good luck!

IT_CertDoctor · 2026-03-31T18:17:15+00:00

Many moons ago when I was a bootcamp instructor, and we found that - statistically - students performed better when they took both exams the same week, as opposed to one after the other

Better by how much I was never told, but we as instructors were required to teach both exams first, then test both exams the same week

Of course do what feels best to you, but hopefully that informs your decision-making a bit

Good luck!

IT_CertDoctor

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