A+ or Network+ first? Confused about the CompTIA certification order
I've been going back and forth on this for weeks and everyone online says something different. My goal is eventually Security+ and maybe CySA+ down the line, but I'm starting from basically zero IT background. I work in retail management right now and I'm trying to pivot into a help desk or junior sysadmin role within the next 8 months.
From what I've read, A+ is more hardware and OS-focused while Network+ covers the infrastructure side. Some people say skip A+ entirely if you're not going into desktop support, but the help desk jobs I'm targeting all list A+ as preferred. I've been working through an a+ comptia practice test to get a feel for the material and honestly the questions aren't as intimidating as I expected.
I've got about 2 hours a day I can realistically commit to studying. A+ is two exams (Core 1 and Core 2), which feels like a lot, but I've seen people knock each one out in 6–8 weeks with consistent daily study. Network+ is one exam but the material runs deeper on the conceptual side.
If anyone's gone through this recently, especially without a formal IT background, I'd love to hear how you sequenced things and what actually landed you that first job.
The people saying skip A+ are usually already in IT. For a career changer targeting help desk it's still the clearest signal to employers that you have baseline troubleshooting skills. Just get it done.
2 hours a day is enough if you're consistent. I passed Core 1 in 7 weeks and Core 2 in 6 weeks. Use video courses for concepts and practice exams to drill. That ratio worked well for me.
Do A+ first if help desk is your target. Hiring managers for tier 1 support roles know the cert well and it signals you can troubleshoot hardware and OS issues, which is 80% of the job. Network+ can wait until you're already in a role.
I went A+ then Network+ then Security+ over about 18 months while working full-time. Each one built on the last and I'm glad I didn't skip steps — the conceptual foundation matters more than people admit when you're new to IT.
Honestly I almost bailed on this whole thing around week three of studying for Network+. It felt like I was memorizing random acronyms that didn't connect to anything real and I kept thinking I should've just started with A+. But I'm glad I didn't switch because once it clicked it really clicked. If your goal is Security+, Network+ gives you way more foundational overlap and a lot of the comptia network security fundamentals stuff you need for Sec+ will already feel familiar instead of brand new.
That said, if you've never touched IT at all, A+ first isn't wrong either. It depends on how comfortable you are troubleshooting basic hardware and OS stuff. I came in with zero background like you and Network+ was hard but doable in about three months of serious studying. Just don't do what I did and spend two weeks second-guessing yourself on order instead of just picking one and going.
Honestly, I was in almost the exact same spot as you. No IT background, just convinced myself I could figure it out. I started with Network+ because someone on Reddit said it was "more foundational" and I absolutely bombed the first practice test. Like, spectacularly. I almost just quit and figured IT wasn't for me.
But here's what I wish someone had told me: A+ first, full stop, especially coming from outside IT. It teaches you the physical stuff, the troubleshooting logic, the vocabulary that everything else builds on. Network+ made way more sense when I came back to it after A+, and Security+ after that felt almost natural. It's not the fastest path but it's actually the path that works. Stick with it, you'll get there.
I was in almost the exact same spot about eight months ago — retail management, zero IT background, just trying to figure out where to start. Honestly, I'd say A+ first, no question. It gave me the vocabulary and the foundational stuff that made Network+ way less overwhelming when I got there. I studied about an hour a night after the kids went to bed and knocked out A+ in around four months, which felt impossible at first but really wasn't.
Once I had A+ under my belt, Network+ clicked a lot faster because you're not learning two things at once. I also found that doing practice tests consistently was what actually moved the needle for me, especially for the networking concepts — stuff like subnetting and protocols. There's some good free material out there, including comptia network security fundamentals practice tests that helped me bridge the gap between Network+ and starting to think about Security+. You've got a solid plan, just don't skip A+ trying to rush it.