Career advice

[TrashboatCPT]

Good day all
I would like to ask for a bit of advice on what route I should take to secure my future and which Certs will make a larger difference (salary wise )
I would like to know if going for my CompTia Security+ and Cysa+ would be worth it or to go for CCNA

Initially I wanted to go the Cybersecurity route , but I’m starting to enjoy networking as well.
I plan on doing both in the future but at the moment I just want to know which one will be more pivotal in getting a higher paying salary

I currently have my A+ and my N+ but I’m not sure what cert to go for next

Any advice would be much appreciated

 

[Billionairebum]

If you looking at going the security route, look at working towards CISSP. If you looking at Networking then CCNA and LONG TERM CCIE.

 

[TrashboatCPT]

Thanks alot
Much appreciated man

 

[souljazk]

Look at supply / demand for networking vs cyber sec. Cyber sec is def FAR more in demand, hence higher salaries and more oppertunities, but it might be harder to get into a Jnr position vs networking.

Keep in mind that cybersec builds onto your network knowledge and add's DevOPS to the mix.

With most if not all I.T fields, you will never stop learning / there will always be new things to explore. Setup a Proxmox server using an old laptop or pc and start playing with VLAN's, bridges, Containers etc etc. Use ChatGPU to write and verify scripts, this will save you SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much time... I'd setup docker with Portainer+Snyk (security check on your docker setup) and Kali so you can start learning it's tools, specifcially n-map to get you started. Windows has Zenmap, if you want to get to use that tool a bit quicker.

Companies like to see that outside of 9-5 you have a deeper interest in IT. Being able to tell them about your homelab setup can help. The knowledge you'll gain from it is invaluable.

Cisco have some free basic and intermediate certs on skillsforall.com. I advice to dive right into the exam, this will give you a base to work from and see where you need to improve your knowledge, to pass the exams and get the certification.

good luck!

 

[Billionairebum]

Fully agree with @souljazk . In SA basic networking is FAR easier to get into where as security is on another tier and you will need to come from a networking background. Security is also a massive field from perimeter to pen to devsecops etc etc. It's the better field to get into as it's growing fast and demand is high. Networking is shrinking a bit due to automation (ansible) and companies pushing "zero touch" configuration. CISSP is still a fantastic cert to get for Security but definitely hit the networking books hard, CCNA,CCNP.