As the temperatures drop and the sun sets earlier, summer is ending and fall begins! So much has happened since my last update in July, but I have really buckled up and studied hard these past months. 

I’m so proud to have passed my CompTIA Security+ exam in September.. And rewarded myself with a three week trip to Japan immediately after passing! 

September was eat, sleep, breathe Security+ and this is the road map for what I did for the two weeks prior to my exam. I re-did all of the CompTIA Certmaster modules and for any of the questions that I missed, I went back to Professor Messer’s videos and re-watched the specific videos a couple of times to ensure that I really understood the concept and when to apply it in specific scenarios and circumstances. I would do the CompTIA practice test too to see what concepts I was weak at. I struggled the most with Performance-Based Questions (“PBQs”) and so I watched Cyberkraft’s youtube videos for a walkthrough on answering PBQs. Cyberkraft does a wonderful job thinking out loud and this is crucial in understanding how to approach the exams and answer in a way that the exam wants you to. I would also do Jason Dion’s practice exams on Udemy and I was scoring in the 80-90% range for me to be confident in taking the exam. 

My strategy was to do a variety of practice tests from different sources to test if you actually understand the concepts and the material, rather than memorizing certain answers and how the questions are phrased. I kept in mind that I won’t be able to memorize 100% of the material, I just need to understand most of it to pass and to recognize the terminology and understand the concept. I reassured myself that I would never feel 100% ready, and my best bet is to just take the exam and see what happens. I would figure it out from there. The worst case scenario is that I just pay for the exam again – that was reassuring enough! 

Best case scenario – I passed the exam! All of my hard work paid off!!!

I took October off and went to Japan for three weeks. It was such a refreshing trip that made me appreciate what I have and the world around me. It was a great reminder to also take breaks, take trips, and enjoy what I have and what’s around me. The world is beautiful, and there is also way more than just cybersecurity. Take a breath, relax, stay driven and motivated, and work hard to achieve your goals and live your dream! If I can pass the Security+, you can too. I believe in you, and I believe in us!