Thank you so much for doing this!

Gregory Childers said:

And then they wonder why they can't get hired with a stack of certs they crammed for.

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I think we can all tell stories of the paper-certs that we've encountered in the field. It's frustrating because I know the sweat equity that I put into attaining and keeping my certs - in fact, I go through the material every time I renew, just so I can make sure I remember the things I may not be sharp with.

It's a mindset. But again, it comes down to that sense of entitlement.

I remember a local area college here (some time ago) in Colorado Springs that would advertise, "Get your MCSE and make $65,000 per year!" as a line to drive enrollments. A lot of students went there and didn't walk away with their MCSE. They sued the school for false advertising, as if paying their tuition automatically granted them a cert and a salary. So the schools were to blame because they wanted enrollments.

The students were also to blame for mismanaged expectations. I had one student in my program threaten to sue because they weren't prepared to take the Network+ after the six week course. He cited the instructor and the curriculum. But he didn't realize that I was wise to the fact to the fact that he wasn't even engaged in the course. Turns out, he spent most every day on Facebook or other social media, getting a little too friendly with the lady-folk and not paying attention to the intricacies of the OSI model. But somehow it was OUR fault. Well, the threats didn't go anywhere, particularly when I crafted a catch up plan for him. He didn't want to do the work, but he did want the cert and thought by parking his stupid rump in a chair in a Net+ classroom, he'd get the information by osmosis or something.

It's a story, both common and annoying, of which we all can speak to.

/r

Gregory Childers said:

I just want to go back to downloadable instructor PDFs and slide decks. Online only access to the training materials is a pain.

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I don't think we'll see that from CompTIA, given their current trajectory with CertMaster products. And that's okay to me, because it gives the other publishers and authors a great opportunity to put their materials in the hands of learners and instructors. I can think of two, here on CIN, even, that would find an opportunity there.

Rick Butler said:

I can tell you that in my 35 years, I still don't make $200k, and certainly not in 90 days. Probably couldn't do that without doing something very illegal.

But to get back to the OP's question, the one thing I put into every lecture is "heart". If students don't have the heart to train, stay hungry, and keep punching the bag to get those certs, they don't belong in the field. When I say this, I look for the "head nodders" and the "eye-rollers". That tells me all I need to know about how receptive they are.

/r

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Certifications were originally intended to validate a candidate's experience and knowledge. They weren't intended to be checklist items for newbies trying to impress recruiters. Over time, all of the certifications have been devalued. I see people pass the CISSP with less than the mandatory five years of experience. It used to be the gold standard, but how can it still be when newbies are passing the exam.

And then they wonder why they can't get hired with a stack of certs they crammed for.

I just want to go back to downloadable instructor PDFs and slide decks. Online only access to the training materials is a pain.

Shea Bennett said:

that's the exact same problem I have seen! Everybody wants to finish quick and make $200,000 in 90 days.

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I can tell you that in my 35 years, I still don't make $200k, and certainly not in 90 days. Probably couldn't do that without doing something very illegal.

But to get back to the OP's question, the one thing I put into every lecture is "heart". If students don't have the heart to train, stay hungry, and keep punching the bag to get those certs, they don't belong in the field. When I say this, I look for the "head nodders" and the "eye-rollers". That tells me all I need to know about how receptive they are.

/r

Locked and loaded. /r

Welcome to the community, Danny! Glad to have you on.

As I just said to Andrew, explore the community, jump into some conversations, reply, post, you know the drill.

I had thought about exploring the law enforcement side of Cyber - got a couple books on my shelf about criminality, to help understand what drives the bad guys from a psych perspective. It might be good to hear some of that out here.

Anyway, welcome aboard! See you in the threads.

/r

The instructor access keys are good for about three months after activating. My code for SecurityX dropped out this past week, so I'm trying a couple other things.

My only gripe about CertMaster is that I'm an audiophile - I learn by hearing and I like to listen to text on mobile, while driving around. Interestingly, I did CASP and Cloud, primarily by audio - had to have a PDF reader for those. For CM, it's much more difficult for audio. Not impossible, but a pain.

/r

What @Stephen Schneiter said... lol

GingerHacker said:

Hello everyone! My name is Andrew Crotty, and I’m excited to join the CompTIA Instructor Network. I’m a cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience across military, government, and private-sector environments currently serving as a Cyber Network Defense Analyst and the Founder of The Ginger Hacker Initiative, a nonprofit focused on helping individuals break into cybersecurity through mentorship and certification support. I’m passionate about teaching, community building, and empowering the next generation of cyber professionals, and I look forward to learning, sharing, and collaborating with you all.

Discord: https://discord.gg/gh6KFVYG

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-crotty-377b3466/

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Welcome to the party, Andrew! Glad to have you and looking forward to hearing more about what you have happening, out here on the boards.

In the meantime, take a couple minutes, jump into a few conversations and let's get to know you better!

Good to meet you!

/r

MOHAMMAD SALAH said:

Any Updates ?!!!

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Unfortunately nothing yet

GingerHacker said:

Hello everyone! My name is Andrew Crotty, and I’m excited to join the CompTIA Instructor Network. I’m a cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience across military, government, and private-sector environments currently serving as a Cyber Network Defense Analyst and the Founder of The Ginger Hacker Initiative, a nonprofit focused on helping individuals break into cybersecurity through mentorship and certification support. I’m passionate about teaching, community building, and empowering the next generation of cyber professionals, and I look forward to learning, sharing, and collaborating with you all.

Discord: https://discord.gg/gh6KFVYG

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-crotty-377b3466/

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Welcome!
Great background.

Jon W​

Happy birthday

Jeremy Black​

Please

Wish him happy birthday

issan​

Happy birthday

Tanja Jacobsen said:

Yay registered!

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I have registered
Looking forward to it

Congratulations! &;-D

GingerHacker said:

Hello everyone! My name is Andrew Crotty, and I’m excited to join the CompTIA Instructor Network. I’m a cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience across military, government, and private-sector environments currently serving as a Cyber Network Defense Analyst and the Founder of The Ginger Hacker Initiative, a nonprofit focused on helping individuals break into cybersecurity through mentorship and certification support. I’m passionate about teaching, community building, and empowering the next generation of cyber professionals, and I look forward to learning, sharing, and collaborating with you all.

Discord: https://discord.gg/gh6KFVYG

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-crotty-377b3466/

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Welcome, feel and share what you have with us joyfully!

Any Updates ?!!!

Mine also doesnt have this, So im guessing its a different code for the instructor access

Sukanya said:

Welcome, Andrew! Your background and The Ginger Hacker Initiative sound inspiring. It’s great to have you here!

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Thank you so much ! This year and the next are my giving back to the community year !

Excellent training! I love how Jason loves Linux! It makes me love it, too!