Vendor Issued Certifications are Critical in IT!
Vendor Issued Certifications are Critical in IT!
None of my articles are written with AI. I feel like I need to mention that since now-a-days people are AI happy. People are going AI crazy…
None of my articles are written with AI. I feel like I need to mention that since now-a-days people are AI happy. People are going AI crazy like they have forgotten how to read, do research, write and just put their own thoughts down on paper! So yes…this is Shea, not some bot!
Anywho…
You Have Seen The Ads…
Become a DevOps Engineer in 90 Days!
You can become a Cloud Engineer and make $100,000. Sign up today!
Want a High Paying Career? Go into Cybersecurity! I made $200,000 last year!! Join today!!
I mean…these ads are all over LinkedIn. Google Ads, they pop up on your TV, YouTube, Social Media. It’s everywhere! There is always some sucker out there who thinks they can get rich for little effort and they just pay some money.
This is just NOT reality in a career that involves Information Technology. You have to put in real work to make it. I started off my work life doing construction work as a teenager and young adult. I loved cooking in restaurants but knew at the time, becoming a Chef would have kept me in the poor house. I grew up in parts of lower class areas of Philadelphia and some lower class cities in New Jersey that scare the average person. Lower class is such a nice way to say “poor” huh? *Laughter — this was my reality. Entering the US military changed my own life in so many ways, but yes, it is not for everyone. I get that. That’s not the point. What I am saying is that in order to get something others don’t have you have to be willing to do things others won’t do.
I drive around places in central Maryland and look at these million dollar homes and wonder how the hell do these people buy these houses?! Why are so many people in places like Baltimore in such filthy crime ridden neighborhoods while these people just 40 minutes away live in the lap of luxury? Why?? The lightbulb went off. These folks are doing something and earning in a way that I am not doing. So I buckled down hard and started hustling, sacrificing and building! Now, I own multiple homes and I’m just getting started, but it would never have happened without an IT job…EVER.
You will never become rich from earning a paycheck. Period.
Real Estate, business, entreprenuership, running your own business or consulting company is the only way to enhance your salary or pay from a paycheck to achieve these crazy goals. Then again, their only crazy until you actually achieve whatever it is you thought was so crazy and unreachable when you change how you think.
Becoming IT Certified with High Demand Certs is not Hard.
What Do You Mean Getting IT Certified Is Not Hard?
Well…it’s not. What is hard is the time, dedication, elimination of distractions outside and internal (mental) that we are faced with 24 hours per day. I have learned also that setting dates are critical to milestones for your success. When you have an IT Certification exam that is $200, $300, $400 or more US Dollars. You will not be so willing to just blow the exam off. When you put dates on something, you also get presssured to perform and achieve your results. Goals are also critical to update on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. You have to visualize in your mind what you want to achieve, physically write it down and then track it like a stalker!
Here is a visual example of just some of my own goals and how I track them and from where:
Daily Goal Mapping — Visualize Your Change
If you can’t see it, no one else can either! They are YOUR goals! Work it!
Your goals have to be realistic and grounded in reality with a pathway to make them real. You don’t put down, “I want a $1,500,000 dollar house!” and you have no path to get to what you want? Everything in life is a process and takes work. Your goals are as minimalistic or detailed as you can manage and want to track. You just have to put something!
Get Rid of Social Media And Focus on You!
You have to be your own cheerleaders. Inform friends and family. Children can also be a great motivation. It is nothing like telling people you are going for your exam, you pass and then show people your score report and you have passed and their all like, “CONGRATULATIONS”! It can be very motivating!! It is also the case that if you do fail, you say, “I failed today…I will try harder”. That helps when they say, “keep going” also. You just cannot give up.
You cannot study properly and achieve any goal if you are not focused and every second you are picking up your phone to look at the latest update on Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Dating Apps or whatever app you are on every minute or the day. If you can sit there gaming or watching Netflix, Hulu or Prime for hours. You can sit your happy self down and study for hours. FOCUS HUMAN!!!
Delete the Apps from the Phone! You Will Not Die!! It will be there later…People are so addicted to these cellphones like their laced with crack or heroin! You will not die and whoever is calling won’t if you turn the thing off for a few hours and study so you can focus!
It takes weeks and sometimes for some IT certifications, it can take months to learn and take an exam. It is an investment in your future, but one that is way cheaper than paying for a College Degree and has just as much if not more impact than paying for thousands of dollars for a college education. I mean, think about it. You’re average Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited University or College is from $15,000-$40,000 for regular non-elite pompous schools with maybe some grants, tuition or books assistance. Master’s Degree’s can run from $20,000-$60,000 and Doctorate Degree’s from $25,000 to $80,000 USD. They also take from 2–6 years on average depending on the degree per degree.
National University: Ph.D. in Cybersecurity
$50,000-60,000 - 3 to 5 YearsNational University: Master's in Cybersecurity
$30,000-$40,000 - 1 to 2 YearsNational University: Bachelors in Cybersecurity
$25,000-$30,000 2-4 YearsIt can be even higher for fancy smancy schools (e.g. Harvard, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, etc)You can save a bucket of money and use accelerated and low cost Universities like WGU and American College of Education. What people don't understand is that as long as the college is reputable and regionally accredited. Who cares!!!Think about the cost of your your average IT Certification?
LFCS - Linux Foundation Certified Systems Administrator: $395
ISC2 CC - $0.00
ISC2 CISSP - $749
Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer: $125
AWS Solutions Achitect Associate: $150
CCNA: $300
Red Hat Certirfied Systems Administrator (RHCSA): $500
Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP): $1649
CompTIA Security+: $404When you strictly do the numbers besides the time it takes to study and learn and buy a laptop. You will not spend more than $500 for a couple cloud certification exams and less than $3000 for a couple Cybersecurity certifications.
It makes financial and career sense to get certified first and then if you want a college degree. Get your employer to pay for it since they want you to have the credentials!!!
So for less than $3000 (depending on how many IT certifications you pursue). You can learn everything you need to know to get into Cybersecurity, DevOps or Networking. What you can’t account for is time. If your Mr. or Mrs. Social Media. Extend whatever you plan by 1–3 years. If you can buckle down and focus. You can align your career and achieve your goals within 6–8 months (average and realistic) to 1–2 years. Once the jobs and money start rolling in, you can grow and go from there.
Do Not Take Online Exams If You Can Avoid It!
Exams online are really a damn nuisance. They have so many rules. Don’t cover your mouth. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. It’s a pain in the neck! They make the stress levels worse! If you have an in-person exam center near you. Trust me…after taking multiple exams in person and online. Take the in-person exams instead! Put on those sneakers, sandals or crocs and head to the exam center (preferably, a local college or community college since they will always have high integrity generally).
Tips for Exam Day:
Get Enough Rest. That last 30 minutes of studying is not going to change anything. Go to sleep.
Wear loose fitting and comfortable clothing and footwear.
Eat a light meal and don’t over drink fluids. You don’t want to have to run to the bathroom during your exam.
Use the restroom BEFORE walking into the exam room.
Do not pick an exam day you are working. Make sure you have the day off.
Give yourself plenty of time to arrive on time to take your photo and sign your paperwork at least 15–30 minutes prior to the exam start time. Sometimes the proctors are running back and forth setting people up. Keep it low stress and low pressure.
Pass and go celebrate! Eat your favorite food or do whatever you love to do to celebrate. Go to a movie, visit family or friends. Whatever makes you happy.
If you have no choice and have to take an online proctored exam (e.g. Linux Foundation LFCS). Do not take it at home. Go to a local library and reserve a room, lock the door and get out of the house. Bring your charger and come at least 1 hour early to make sure you can get a room. Go the day before or call ahead of time. Don’t wait until the last minute. Cafe’s and public spaces are not allowed. (HINT: Most public libraries are free to use their rooms.)
Go home and update your goals and dates and start the next one.
In Summary…
Decide what YOU want to do with your life. What objective do you want to achieve and what reality do you want to live in. Look at job descriptions and make a conscious decision.
“Do I want to be an employee, consultant or an employer?”
“What skills, education or certifications do I need to make my dreams come true?”
“How long do I want to realistically take to do this thing?”
“What sacrificies do I need to make? Where should I hustle?”
Listen, no one said it was going to be easy to achieve a high salary or high paid business. It will take work and sacrifice. Period. I have heard from some inside and outside of the US.
“Baltimore is too hood and no jobs, I don’t have the bread brah…”
“NYC is too expensive…I don’t have no extra money for no certs…”
“The Naira is terrible ooo, I can’t afford those certification prices oga!”
“Shuriyako…Kenyan shillings are horrible now against the dollar!”
“Subhannallah, Saudi Riyals are too low against the dollar” or
“You know Ethiopian Birr is too low against the dollar…I can’t do it…”
Then these same people turn around and join a video call with a damn iPhone 14 or 15 Pro Max!!! They may even have on some high priced name brand shirt I don’t even have! WTH? Come on now…Point blank.
People pay, work hard, and hustle hard for what is important to them!
If an IT Certification is important to you and your future and your career or business aspirations. Make it happen captain!
Keep Your Integrity! Do Not Cheat Exams!
Whatever path you choose, keep your dignity and have integrity. There are so many places from various countries and in the US that cheat certification exams. Do NOT do it. When these certification vendors (e.g. Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Cisco, etc…) find out that a test center has something funky going on and then invalidate all of the certifications from that location after their investigation. You will loose everything. Your employer can also be notified and this won’t go down well for you. Especially, if you are in a position of trust. Just sit your happy self down and go through the process it takes to study and learn.
You may have encountered an unscrupulous test center person who tells you they can help you get certified and it will just cost you a fee. Somebody from country X contacts you on LinkedIn and tells you how they can 100% guarantee you will pass an exam. Do NOT do it.
#1: It’s cheaper to be honest and just take the exam yourself.
#2: You send your money to a thief, do you think that they will not steal from you brainiact! Have common sense!
Don’t use braindumps and all of this other mess that is out there in the world. Legitimate exam simulators are all over and they require studying, but it is worth it.
IT Certification Holders without the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the validating exam is absolutely worthless.
You will get exposed in a shop of IT people that you were a cheater and know nothing. It will get exposed very quickly on your first project so just don’t do it. It’s not worth the embarrassment and termination of your job. Just achieve your own accomplishments honestly.
Peace Be Unto You!
-Shea