jumping back in the game of certs

A little background of me.  It's been a while since I've done any certs.  Between 1998 and 2002 I had passed A+, Network+, CNE for Novell.   I got those because the company I worked for at the time paid for them.  I even took a couple tests for the MCSE (NT4) but stopped due to getting laid off and couldn't afford the study materials or tests at the time

I've always done support for very specific (mostly proprietary) software and hardware products, tier 1, tier 2, install, integrations, QC, break/fix, etc.  I've always enjoyed this work.  But now that the pandemic has allotted me some newly found free time, I think I'd like to get a couple modern certs.  I'd like to start with the MD-100 and MD-101 tests for Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate.  

I don't have a lot of money to fork out for books and online training right now, but I want to learn the material for the test.  I don't want to just memorize a test.  Just not sure where to look for training.  Can anyone point me in the right direction of an inexpensive self-paced training with lectures, virtual labs and practice exams?    There are so many out there, I don't know which ones are junk or which ones will help me be successful. 

to Bleeping Computer!

Bleeping Computer has >> some course, probably not what you looking for?

Edited by ET_Explorer, 13 August 2020 - 02:00 PM.

Once you start talking about labs, it gets more expensive, but I have always been pleased with Udemy (they used to have more free courses):

https://www.udemy.com/courses/search/?q=md-100

Some money-saving tricks that I have tried over the years:

Start with Youtube - something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2fYCeDDpXrQVjSPdJY4lyA

Get a local library card. It is going to vary by area, but in my county, a public library card gains you access to LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda).

Be on the lookout for related titles that are 1 edition out-of-date to get a bargain. The MD-100 is the newer version of the 70-698. you can get a used copy of the 70-698 study guide for less than $4:

https://www.amazon.com/Exam-70-698-Installing-Configuring-Windows/dp/1509302956/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=70-698&qid=1597380495&s=books&sr=1-7

I have used older study guides, and then did internet searches on the newer exam's objectives to find the up-to-date material.

I was doing things like this when I considered my $6.99 per month Office subscription to be too expensive, if you know what I mean. I took a lot of public bus rides to the help desk(s) over the years.

I can don't mind spending some money, just don't want to pay for something that is worthless.

Where I am at,  the libraries have been closed since the end of March just like everything else.  

I found ITPRO.TV    $49 per month isn't too bad.   They have the video lectures, virtual labs and practice tests.   I just don't know if ITPRO.TV is a good training source.

 My goal is to take the MD-100 before the end of this year.  

Once you start talking about labs, it gets more expensive, but I have always been pleased with Udemy (they used to have more free courses):

https://www.udemy.com/courses/search/?q=md-100

 

Some money-saving tricks that I have tried over the years:

Start with Youtube - something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2fYCeDDpXrQVjSPdJY4lyA

 

Get a local library card. It is going to vary by area, but in my county, a public library card gains you access to LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda).

 

Be on the lookout for related titles that are 1 edition out-of-date to get a bargain. The MD-100 is the newer version of the 70-698. you can get a used copy of the 70-698 study guide for less than $4:

https://www.amazon.com/Exam-70-698-Installing-Configuring-Windows/dp/1509302956/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=70-698&qid=1597380495&s=books&sr=1-7

 

I have used older study guides, and then did internet searches on the newer exam's objectives to find the up-to-date material.

 

I was doing things like this when I considered my $6.99 per month Office subscription to be too expensive, if you know what I mean. I took a lot of public bus rides to the help desk(s) over the years.

Almost all of my supplemental online courses were purchased on Udemy - however, I always picked them up when they went on-sale. I think I have 6 or 7 courses spanning from Ethical Hacking, SQL, and Microsoft Server. I payed $2-$3 CDN for each of them, one of them may have been $7. For my CompTIA courses, I used Professer Messer - he's an easy listening, knowledgeable IT Pro who has loads of free courses on YouTube that cover all aspects on a handful of CompTIA exams, as well as online study groups and info sessions - he makes his bread by selling his course notes (worth it IMHO), and PDF/Offline versions of the courses.

Edited by C0bra, 21 August 2020 - 07:27 AM.

I know ITPRO.tv used to advertise on the Security NOW! podcast, one of the Tech TV podcasts.  If they are still around five years later, probably the last time I listened, they should be decent.  I remember you could watch their live shows for free.  That would at least give you a feel for their product.

It really depends on how you learn.  My method was to get an Exam Cram or Exam Prep book and then take the Transcender (now Cybervisa) practice exams until I was getting 90% consistently.  The thing I liked about the Transcender exams was that I learned why specific answers were right or wrong, so it is more than just studying for the exam.  I found their Microsoft practice tests were almost identical to the actual Microsoft exams, not so much with CompTIA exams.

It really depends on how you learn best on if videos are good for you or if books are better.  On the plus side your A+ and Network+ are still good.

Remember: hands-on is king. The certs are excellent to get you in the door but you'll need to prove you can do what's asked.

Re: cert learning portals:

• ITPro is very handy, excellent content; the talking/script drives me nuts sometimes though. Depending on your plan you can download the material. I snag the videos then rip the audio, two birds since each download (whether audio or video) counts towards your 30 day limit.
• TestOut's setup is a bit more enjoyable for me than ITPro depending on the cert you're going for. Their labs are unique within the range you'll find online.
• Sybex books come with hundreds of online questions. You can tweak your practice tests/quizzes from study to test mode, any number of questions, timed or not, this area or that area, etc.
• Cybrary has a LOT of free material, not all of it, but quite a bit. The library card tip is excellent for LinkedIn learning as that material is also excellent.
• I use TestOut, LinuxAcademy, and the Jason Dion material off of udemy pretty regularly. GetCertifiedGetAhead has excellent Net+, Sec+, and Linux+ material.
• I also noticed that practice-labs.com hosts the labs that a dozen or so of the big names w/ labs use, and you can get it cheaper from the source. Verify which labs you'll be buying access to before you buy access to the same labs multiple times.
• When going through udemy be sure to jump in on one of their sale days, of which there are many. Do NOT buy ANYTHING from udemy at full price. Tomorrow you'll be kicking yourself. Quite a few of the udemy instructors are on Twitter, follow them and they post promo codes.
• TryHackMe has a LOT of free material, get in on that. HackTheBox has a LOT of free learning material if you can get through the front door, get in on that.
• There are MANY conferences online this year, take advantage of that. Many of them host capture the flag events or open up web application penetration ranges. Definitely get in there.
• PortSwigger has a killer web app penetration testing setup that's 100% free.
• I also highly recommend the PocketPrep apps, they seem to combine questions from sources like Sybex and Darrill Gibson (GetCertifiedGetAhead).
• Based on the handful of CompTIA certs I went after Sybex is wildly technical, O'reily is overly easy. Jason Dion and Boson are an excellent blent of difficulty. Not a fan of the CertBlaster material though, I know it comes from CompTIA but it didnt feel like the test felt.

Lots of materials out there. If you're big into listening to audio while on the go then hit up youtube, find the playlists (Professor Messer has excellent material), and figure out a way to pull the audio from the video. I let the video stream while at work and hit the audio while driving to/from work or walking pup.

Definitely take advantage of the 7-day trial sites about a week before your test. Just remember to cancel the trial (or protip: use privacy.com to setup a virtual credit card w/ a specific limit that way when the limit is gone they can't charge you anymore). 

Good luck!

Edited by grumby, 29 September 2020 - 08:37 PM.

Have you try these courses before? Are they any good? Cause I saw bleeping computer has some certification bundles deals but I don't if they are decent.

to Bleeping Computer!

 

Bleeping Computer has >> some course, probably not what you looking for?

Try BleepingComputer's course they're a great start