IT Certifications Audio Episodes

Send us Fan Mail Here are the 5 certifications and skills I’d focus on in 2026 if you’re getting into IT, plus what’s changing with each one. In this episode: CCNA: v2.0 goes live February 3, 2027, and it’s built around troubleshooting. Should you take the current version or wait? Firewall / Network Security: Palo Alto, Fortinet, and Cisco, and which one to pick Linux: RHCSA vs. CompTIA Linux+, and why it should have been on my original list Automation & Infrastructure as Code: Terra...

Send us Fan Mail Is the A+ still worth it? Should you go into biomed or IT? In this episode, I answer a listener question from someone with an AWS cert, working on the Google IT Support cert, and feeling lost on what to do next. I break it down into two parts: ✅ What certification to go for next (biomed path vs. IT path) ✅ The study tools I actually use and recommend Whether you're a career changer or just getting started, this one's for you. Some links below are affiliate links. If you bu...

Send us Fan Mail I've failed more IT certifications than I've passed, including the CCNA on my first try, the CCNP, and DevNet. And I'm still in this industry, teaching the CCNA today. If you've been studying for a certification but keep putting off scheduling the exam because you're scared you'll fail, this episode is for you. Failing isn't the end of your IT journey. It's part of the process. In this episode: ✅ Why so many people are scared to take their certification exam ✅ What taking t...

Send us Fan Mail You passed the certification. So why isn't anybody calling you back? If you've got the cert, updated the resume, and you've been applying for weeks with nothing but silence — you're not doing anything wrong as a person. But something in your process is probably broken. A certification was never a guarantee. But it should be getting you interviews. In this episode I break down 4 reasons people pass their cert and still can't get hired in IT — and what to change about each on...

Send us Fan Mail The CompTIA A+ has been the default first certification in IT for decades. But in 2026 it'll run you over $600 to get certified and I've got some thoughts on whether that still makes sense. In this episode I break down what the A+ actually is, who it's built for, what the exams really cost, and what else that same money could buy you. Then I give you my honest recommendation. ✅ What the A+ is and the jobs it can get you ✅ Who this certification is really built for ✅ The tru...

Send us Fan Mail You said you'd start applying once you finished the class. Then it was the cert. Then the second cert. That list never gets shorter and somebody with less on paper than you is getting hired right now. I got my first IT job by applying to anything with the word "computer" in the title. I didn't know what a computer operations role even was. That job started my whole career. In this one: Why waiting for everything to line up means you never start How to read a job des...