How I Passed the CompTIA Network+ in Five Weeks (With No IT Background) 🏆🎗️
Date of authorship: May 5th, 2025
Intro – What is the CompTIA Network+? Why did I pursue it?
The CompTIA Network+ is a vendor-neutral certification that validates the core skills necessary to establish, maintain, troubleshoot and secure networks in any environment, preparing you for a career in networking and cybersecurity. So why did I decide to take it?
It all started with a desire to get into cybersecurity. I wanted to (and still want to) become a SOC analyst. I wanted to shift out of the same office job I've had for 7 years. I'm 30 years old now, married, and have 3 children. I made okay money, but I began to think about my life in a more zoomed-out fashion - I started to see how prepared I needed to be for my future and how my current job just wasn't enough to take care of us. My wife and I will need to be able to retire, our kids will have schooling expenses, we will all need medical care. I wanted to give them the best life I possibly could. I decided that even though I had no idea if I'd ever even be able to get a job - even with certifications - I would give it an honest try, and really apply myself. I put my trust in God to provide a job for me at the right place and time.
I started a few lessons on Let's Defend through the SOC Analyst Roadmap they had available, but it showed me I knew NOTHING about how networks worked at all. I knew what a router was because I had one in my home, but I couldn't even really tell you how it worked!
I decided at that point that if I wanted to learn security, I first needed to learn how WHAT I am securing works. I needed a strong grasp of the fundamentals of networking if I was going to learn how to think outside of the box and understand threats and vulnerabilities better. I immediately began studying for the Network+ exam around February 15th. I passed the exam 6 weeks later on May 3rd, 2025.
My Study Strategies – Customized ChatGPT, Professor Messer Videos, Developing Learning Tricks
I followed a consistent daily schedule, starting with watching Professor Messer’s free Network+ video series. I reinforced each topic by taking detailed notes, quizzing myself using online tools, and using ChatGPT to simplify concepts I didn’t understand. I also built memory tricks, flashcards, and drilled review questions daily.
- Professor Messer Videos: I thought these were incredibly insightful and helpful. Not only did I watch all 87 videos, I took notes the entire time. Everything the professor read and explained, I wrote down. Was it tedious? Yes. Did it take longer to complete the videos? Yes. BUT, did I actually learn it? YES! Slowing down like this forced me to face what I didn't know. I also held myself accountable - I wouldn't let myself continue to the next video unless I understood the material in the last one. Once I did, I allowed myself to continue. As someone who didn't have exposure to networking, there were several times I wasn't sure about something, even after watching the video on it. That's where I tailored ChatGPT with custom instructions to match my learning style and help me break down concepts in addition to quizzing me. As you may know, many YouTube videos come with subtitle transcripts. ALL of Professor Messer's videos had them. So with that in mind, here was my process for each video:
1.) Watch the whole video - and take notes over everything.
2.) Find the video's transcript on YouTube. Copy it.
3.) Using my customized ChatGPT, paste the transcript into the GPT and have it develop a 10 or 15 question, multiple-choice quiz for me that explicitly covered the transcript material.
4.) Evaluate. Did I understand? Ready to move on? At this point, I usually went to the next video lesson.
Learning Tricks: I know I can learn just about anything, and it's largely due to the way I learn. I not only reinforce my learning, I make sure I'm not just memorizing by exploring the concepts, and asking questions. If I didn't know something, I looked it up, and if I didn't understand how it worked, I tried my best to find out. Here are a few tricks I used for myself. These may not work for everyone because my learning style is unique at times, and unorthodox:
1.) Ask questions. ChatGPT will collect the information from the internet for you in order to answer your questions. If you can't Google and find an answer - take it to ChatGPT and ask for an explanation.
2.) Use Mnemonic Devices. A Mnemonic device is a memory technique where you use an association or something to assign to your mind to help you remember something. Sometimes I used little songs, funny jokes, sayings that only made sense to me, or even a funny accent to make an acronym stick in my head. These were especially helpful for acronyms and port numbers. For example It might seem ridiculous, but I passed the NET+ exam with an 813 my first try.
I will go over exactly how I used ChatGPT in the Tools section.
Notes - A Visual of the Dedication and Effort
I took over three full legal pads of handwritten notes during my study process. These notes became my main review material. Writing for each lesson really helped me engrain the content into my mind. When doing review quizzes, I always tried to answer from memory, but would occasionally consult the notes to help me find the right answer. These same legal pads also helped me establish questions I needed to review at the end of completing all the video lessons. It's probably overkill for most, but this is what helped me learn. I had no prior knowledge, so this is what it took to absorb the material. Looking back, I can see how dedicated I was to complete this by just looking at how much I wrote!
Each one of these legal pads was FULL of notes.
TOOLS – ChatGPT, Dion practice exams, Cisco Packet Tracer, etc.
I used a combination of ChatGPT for breaking down hard topics, Dion practice exams for testing readiness, and Cisco Packet Tracer for building network simulations. I also experimented with flashcard apps like Quizlet to memorize ports and command-line tools.
With ChatGPT, the importance is tailoring it to match your learning style and instructing it properly to format quizzes and content the way you learn best. This needs to be done while also preserving the integrity of the testing material, and by that I mean you need to make sure ChatGPT is covering the material on the exam and isn't teaching you something else. If you want a really good prompt to engineer ChatGPT with in the custom instructions, I'll supply you with one here:
"I am studying for the CompTIA Network+ exam. I need help reviewing each exam topic and section in detail without being overloaded. I want to understand the exam material well enough to pass the test. When I give you an exam topic or area of study, please develop a 10 question, multiple-choice quiz to give me over the topic. When I answer the question, please explain simply why I was right or wrong. All questions should be faithful to the CompTIA Network+ N10-009 exam objectives, and should cover material on the exam. If I am struggling with a particular concept or question, suggest to me at times an interesting way to remember the answer or concept. Ask me one question at a time to help me focus, and move on to the next once I have answered and your explanation has been provided."
So now, you can see how much you can customize ChatGPT. You can tailor it to remember your instructions. I suggest creating an account so that your settings are saved. This proved to be an invaluable resource for me.
For applying the knowledge you're learning - I suggest using a program called Cisco Packet Tracer, which is free. It's basically a way to simulate network functions and learn Command-Line Interface access on Cisco routers and switches. It's easy to use and once you learn it, you can get experience in setting up network topologies and even implement protocols and access control lists. A really great way to practically apply what you learn!
JDion exams (Udemy): I got these on sale for $14.99 on Udemy and it came with 6 90-question practice exams. I honestly think it's worth it. I had my doubts before purchasing, but I figured 15 bucks isn't that much to be out. They were certainly helpful. You can take these a step further and write down every question you miss on the practice exams. Then, you can actually give those questions to ChatGPT and ask it to focus on these areas where you've missed exam questions. I did this over and over until I knew the answer - and it wasn't just memorizing because I asked ChatGPT to explain why an answer was right with each one.
What Was Hard – Subnetting, port memorization, or any mental hurdles
A lot of things were hard - AT FIRST. I think the key was having consistent exposure. Since I had no prior background, I didn't know acronyms. I didn't know port numbers. Didn't even know what a "port" was. I didn't know all of these protocols. Subnetting? What? Everything was foreign to me. This is where having concepts broken down for me that I didn't understand really helped. Not only that, I often understood the lessons, but just felt overwhelmed by how much information there was. I found that over time, when you've heard "DHCP" for the 20th time, you start to actually understand it and how it works. By this, I mean that having exposure consistently to the material and not taking weeks or several days off kept my mind in the networking "realm".
So honestly, it wasn't so much the CONTENT that was difficult. It was the overwhelming sense of so much to learn. Combine that with the voices of self-defeat that made me question if I was wasting my time, If I would ever get a job, if I was going to waste money on a certification and be stuck at my same old job. This was the hardest part for me - fighting myself. It sounds dumb, but I got discouraged many times. I fought through it and on my first exam attempt got an impressive score.
How I Overcame My Obstacles
For learning protocols and port numbers, I created rhymes, acronyms, and memory tricks to retain information. I asked ChatGPT to turn complex topics into analogies I could understand. Repetition through handwritten notes, speaking concepts aloud, and applying ideas in labs helped lock it in.
For overcoming self-defeat and demoralizing, I wish I could say I did something once and made it all go away. I went through this many times. If anything, I think it was finally put to rest when the exam was done and I saw I passed. Honestly, the only was I overcame this was through prayer, dependency on God, and holding onto the vision of the future I wanted to give my wife and kids. There were some days I was tired. Some days, I was mentally drained. What helped with this was learning my capacity and admitting I couldn't just learn lessons all day and legitimately retain the information. I set a cap for myself at 5 lessons a day, often times only doing about 3-4 maximum. It depended on the topics and how dense they were.
Another thing was how it felt like I was getting nowhere. There were 87 lessons and I am only on lesson 10?! To help this, I decided I had to focus on what I could do TODAY. I had to focus on being consistent and studying for TODAY, not for 5 weeks later when I would take an exam, not for "x" amount of months later when I pass the Security+, not for "x" amount of months or years for the job I wanted - that was all WAY too much. Instead, I needed to keep my nose down, and grind as much as I could, and as efficiently as I could. This process of understanding my limitations and capitalizing on knowing myself taught me a lot.
Tips for Others – What Worked and What Didn't
What worked: consistency, handwritten notes, active learning, and using multiple formats to reinforce learning (videos, quizzes, labs).
What didn’t work: passive watching without practicing, or rushing ahead before I understood a topic. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or revisit the basics — they build the foundation.
Conclusion – What’s Next in My Roadmap?
Now that I’ve earned my Network+ certification, I’m going to apply to help desk and SOC internship roles. I don't expect much at this point, but it's be great to get my IT career started. One thing is for sure, if a company could just see my tenacity and willingness to learn and be trained, they'd see that I am an invaluable asset. When I want something, I work until I make it possible. Even in the face of defeat.
First I'd like to build a virtualized home lab that consists of virtual machines and practice admin functions, active directory, access control lists, and many others. I’m also diving into the full Let’s Defend SOC Analyst course and starting Security+ studies. My goal is to grow into a cybersecurity analyst role while continuing to document my learning journey.
It hasn't been easy, and I can't believe I not only passed, but got an excellent score. People told me I couldn't do it because I can't just study and pass it without having a prior IT job or something else. I had to fight negativity from them, and from myself. Fast-forward to now, where I not only know dozens and dozens of protocols, I know their port numbers, what they do, and their secure vs insecure versions. I know about Network topologies, diagrams, server heating and cooling, cabling, wireless networking, encryption, etc! It's been a crazy journey, and it's not over yet. Up next, the CompTIA Security+!