Originally written in July 2015

   It’s been 4 years since I received my first IT Certification, and I will never forget how nervous I was prior to taking the fearsome Strata IT Fundamentals. I can’t remember what was more nerve-racking: the questions concerning the capacity of a DVD, or being asked to identify a USB port? In hindsight though, I think it was the testing experience itself. What can I say? Eight cameras on the wall and signing my soul away in the form of an NDA disclosure isn’t exactly a formula for a Zen experience. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. Rather, I want to rewind before I even booked the exam itself and give you a few considerations I wish that I had thought of before sitting the Strata exam itself.

1. Popularity Contest – Stick with established, reputable exams. If you haven’t noticed, anyone and everyone is offering to certify you—for a price. Hell, even the training providers (TestOut) are offering to certify you, before you even get certified in what they’re training you to take! So take it from me: Stick with the popular ones. This also applied to the big-wigs like Microsoft and CompTIA as well.This year, my Microsoft MTA exam, Strata IT Fundamentals exam, and MCITP will all be retired. Why? They haven’t stood the test of time. Take it from me–Stick with the A+ and CCNA because they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

2. Never, Ever Purchase a Practice Exam – Riddle me this, Batman: The CompTIA A+ costs $175 to take whereas the practice exam costs $99 to take in preparation. Why not just take the exam again if you fail? At least this way you know exactly what is on the exam. Not only this, but you get to retake darned thing over and over again if you fail. [Edit: I cannot find these practice exams today, but I assure you that they exist(ed) when I took mine!

3. Always Check For a Discount –Did you know that CompTIA Exams starting with JK0 are discounted for Students? And Microsoft Exams with a 72 prefix are as well? Neither did I when I took them. What’s more, you can even find a discount code with a quick search in Google. In fact, I received 10% off my Linux+ voucher by doing a quick search last week!

4. Go On A Date, It’s Worth The Vue – And stick with it! I will never forget the passage from one of those Mike Meyers books which struck me like a ton of bricks:

“The first step you should take is to schedule the exam. Ever heard the old adage that heat and pressure make diamonds? Well, if you don’t give yourself a little “heat,” you might procrastinate and unnecessarily delay taking the exam. Even worse, you may end up not taking the exam at all. Do yourself a favor. Determine how much time you need to study (see the next section), and then call Prometric or Pearson VUE and schedule the exam, giving yourself the time you need to study—and adding a few extra days for safety. Afterward, sit back and let your anxieties wash over you. Suddenly, turning off the television and cracking open the book will become a lot easier!” – Meyers, Mike. Managing and Troubleshooting Networks. 3rd ed. : Mcgraw Hill, 2012. Print.

1. Quality Over Quantity – I have about ten certifications and my old Boss has one. About seven of mine are practically useless (or being retired) whereas his RHCSA is worth a great deal due to that fact that it is a hands-on exam. So pick wisely and learn from my shortcomings, especially if you’re footing the bill. What’s that you’re whispering? My company reimburses me? Well, do yourself (as well as their finance department) a favor: put your efforts to better use and aim a bit higher. Not only will you feel better about that CCNA on your wall, but you’ll see it appear there a lot sooner than if you’re spinning your wheels on the Network+, MTA Networking, CCENT…you get the idea.

2. Fail A Few! – I’m nuts, right? This actually goes back to my theory on point #2. The more familiar that you are with the exam, the more likely that you will pass it the second time around. There’s a reason why Microsoft offers their Second-Shot promotion, and it’s not because everyone is a test taking all-star. In fact, I did this recently with the CCNA: Security test. I purposely took it at Cisco Live 2015 knowing that I was woefully underprepared. Why did I do this? Other than the steep 50% discount, I knew what to look for and what to ignore in my studies.

3. If You’re Going To Buy A Book—Read it! – How many times have you been in someone’s office (mine included) and seen a freshly printed Certification book which looks as though it came off of the press yesterday. Come on, we’ve all done it: purchased a book in the heat of excitement, taken it home and promptly placed it on the shelf…where it sits for the next 3 years. Stop it! Stop it now!

4. Check The Company Reimbursement Policy Before Sitting An Exam – What a bummer it would be to study for an exam for 3 months only to find out that you’re footing the bill for $300. “What, you mean I can’t become a Microsoft Office Specialist when my job title is Sr. Helpdesk Administrator?” Aside from this there is a positive reason to check on this: Asking your manager about the reimbursement policy and give them the heads up that you are out to better yourself professionally, and this can be just about as good as passing the exam itself. If your boss knows that you’re out there working towards you’re A+ while Joe Schmoe hasn’t done much of anything in the last 2 years at ACME, he might just keep that in mind when reviews roll around.

Conclusion – So there you have it: It’s not a comprehensive list, nor is it the best out there. But these are definitely 8 things I wish that I had known back in 2011 while I was still turning a wrench and running cables at my first IT job.