Complete Guide to the CompTIA Security+ Certification

In today's world of integrated technology, cyber threats are getting more serious and complicated.

In fact, we see these headlines on an almost regular basis right now:

• “Major retailer breached: Millions of customer records exposed”
• “Government agency hit by a sophisticated ransomware attack”
• “Financial institutions on high alert”

To protect companies from these dangers, cybersecurity experts are vital, and that’s the keyword here, ‘experts’.

Companies are moving away from just having their usual IT guy handling their security, to using trained professionals.

But what if you’re that current IT guy and you want to skill up and keep your job, get paid more, or simply just want to get started in cybersecurity?

Well, a fantastic place to begin is by getting the CompTIA Security+ certification, as it’s a great way to both demonstrate your skills in this field and boost your career.

What is the CompTIA Security+ certification?

The Security+ certification is a vendor-neutral certification offered by CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association).

It’s designed to validate the knowledge and skills of cybersecurity professionals in areas such as network security, compliance, threat management, cryptography, and identity management.

If you’ve been around development for a little while, you might be thinking:

“Hey wait a minute - isn’t the tech industry one of the few places where you don’t always need a degree or certificate to get a job?”

And sure, that is technically true, but not for all roles or every company. In fact, if you want to even get through the door as a cybersecurity professional at some places, then you'll need this certificate.

The good news is, it’s fairly easy to get, and there are a bunch of other benefits of having it, so let me break them down.

Top 5 reasons why you should get your Security+ certification

Reason #1: Industry recognition

The Security+ certification is widely recognized as the standard for entry-level cybersecurity professionals.

Why?

Because the Security+ certification validates your knowledge of cybersecurity fundamentals & concepts that cover baseline skills necessary for you to perform core security functions within your position.

As CompTIA eloquently explains it:

Simply put: If you have this, then clearly you know what you need to know, up to a certain level of cybersecurity.

It’s not just an indicator of knowledge though. As we said before, often this certificate is the gatekeeper for getting a job, with this certification being a requirement for many cybersecurity positions in both government agencies and private organizations.

No certificate = no job.

And sure, not all companies are asking for this but the ones that are, are incredibly lucrative.

Not bad right?

Speaking of jobs…

Reason #2: Job opportunities are plentiful (and it'll keep growing)

Not only will having the Security+ certificate get you through the door at some places, but it can also increase your chances of getting hired and advancing in your career (more on this in a second).

Add in the fact that the companies that are looking for professionals with these certifications are hiring like crazy right now, and it’s never been a better time to start in the industry.

A quick search on ZipRecruiter shows there are over 30,000 Cybersecurity jobs available in the US alone.

And that’s just one hiring platform in one country!

Reason #3: No prior experience required

Are you just getting started in cybersecurity? No problem! The Security+ exam is open to anyone, and you don’t need years of experience to prepare and take it.

In fact, studies have shown that around 36% of students going for the Security+ certificate manage to prepare for it and pass, in less than 6 weeks of studying for it - especially if they follow a set plan to ace the certification.

It doesn’t matter if you’re the current IT guy or never worked with computers before - anyone can get started and learn this as a total beginner.

Reason #4: Learn a broad range of security topics

Speaking of just starting out. The Security+ certification covers a wide range of security topics including:

• Network security
• Cryptography
• Identity & access management
• And risk management

This breadth of topics makes it a great way to gain a foundational understanding of cybersecurity and is ideal for individuals who are just starting their careers in the growing field of cybersecurity, or even those who want to supplement their current training.

Reason #5: Stay on top of your game!

Remember how we said that this certification can help you advance your career?

Well, here’s how.

Because the Security+ certification is regularly updated to reflect the latest trends and developments in the field of cybersecurity, the certificate has to be renewed every three years.

Sure that means you need to retake it, but here’s the thing. You really can’t work in cybersecurity without staying up to date on the latest information, so this is the perfect way to do that!

How does this relate to career progression?

Well, most people don’t stay ahead of the curve. Or if they do, there’s no real way to show that they are. But by simply having this certification, you’re demonstrating that you are committed to keeping up-to-date with the latest industry standards and best practices.

You update every 3 years, and you show you’re ahead of the curve.

Common questions I get about the CompTIA Security+ certification

We covered a lot of these above in the benefits, but here's the rapid-fire, tl;dr version.

Is the CompTIA Security+ certification worth it?

Totally!

When you pass the Security+ certification:

• You can earn more than you would normally in the industry
• You can get jobs easier
• You can get jobs other people can’t
• You can get access to some very cool industries
• You can learn this as a beginner
• You can also supplement your skills
• And you’ll always stay up to date in the industry

As long as you’re planning for a career in cybersecurity, then it's worth getting. Heck, the training itself is helpful even if you just want to run more secure practices at home or around the office.

Also, this certification is the standard entry requirement for government and high-end cyber security jobs, so you need it to get them.

Even if you don’t want to work with the government, this certificate can open more doors, help you get a higher salary, and keep you educated on the latest trends and issues in the industry.

Who is the CompTIA Security+ certification for?

• Anybody who wants to learn cybersecurity from scratch
• Anybody who wants to add globally-recognized, vendor-neutral, leading cybersecurity certification to their qualifications
• Those that want to springboard into intermediate-level cybersecurity jobs
• Anybody that wants to work in the rapidly growing field of IT security
• Developers that want to advance their careers by adding cybersecurity expertise to their skillset

What jobs can I get with a CompTIA Security+ certification?

There are a wide variety of cybersecurity roles that the Security+ certification can help you get.

The most common ones are:

• Cybersecurity Engineer
• Systems Administrator
• Network Administrator
• Security Administrator
• Security Engineer
• Security Consultant
• Security Specialist
• IT Auditor

How much does the CompTIA Security+ certification cost?

CompTIA offers various price points depending on if you want to also include revision materials etc, but the current price for the exam is $392. (With a payment option for $36 per month).

How do you get the CompTIA Security+ certification (and is it hard to pass)?

To obtain the Security+ certification, you need to pass a single exam (SY0-601) that covers the following topics.

What is on the CompTIA Security+ exam?

The exam is broken down into 5 core topics.

Note: The percentage in brackets is the occurrence of questions from each topic on the exam.

• Threats, Attacks, and Vulnerabilities (24%)
• Architecture and Design (21%)
• Implementation (25%)
• Operations and Incident Response (16%)
• Governance, Risk, and Compliance (14%)

How many questions are there in the CompTIA Security+ certification exam?

The exam consists of a combination of multiple-choice and performance-based questions and requires a passing score of 750 on a scale of 100-900.

Although there are multiple topics and questions on each, the exam itself is a maximum of 90 questions total.

(It may seem scary now, but there are a few ways to make sure you’re in that 36% who pass, which we’ll cover in a second).

Are there any prerequisites for taking the CompTIA Security+ exam?

The exam is open to anyone, but we strongly recommend that you revise and take practice test questions.

How long is the Security+ certification good for?

3 years. After that, you need to resit the latest version of the exam.

How to pass the CompTIA Security+ exam

You can prepare for the exam by taking dedicated Security+ focused course such as my own CompTIA Security+ Certification Bootcamp.

Or, by buying and reviewing the official CompTIA Security+ study guide, and practicing with some sample questions.

Obviously, I’m slightly biased with my course.

Not only is it a lower cost but you'll also get access to our private Discord where you can questions and fellow students and myself can help you out.

The best part? You can start taking my CompTIA Security+ certification exam prep course for free here.

But check them both out and make the decision that's best for you.

So what’s next?

Hopefully, you now see the value in taking and passing the Security+ certification. Not only will it help you get through the door, stay up to date, and improve your chances at that $100k salary job, but it’s also an excellent place to start out in the world of cybersecurity.

Then, if you want to take this even further, be sure to check out my other courses, and skill up even more.

You can dive into my complete cybersecurity bootcamp, learn ethical hacking, or become a bug bounty or penetration tester.

Joining Zero To Mastery will get you access to all of my courses, our private Discord community, and more (including our Cybersecurity + Ethical Hacking Career Path).

There are so many interesting roles inside of cybersecurity - it really is a fantastic career. You just have to get started, so go get that certification ASAP!