Certifications

Nine earned, each one verifiable.

What I've learned, why it mattered, and when I earned it. Every completed certification below links to a live, third-party verification page rather than a claim you have to take on trust. Not every credential here is the same kind of thing, so they're classified rather than lumped together as nine equivalent certifications.

9 obtained 2 in progress Last updated
Professional Cert Micro-credential Learning Path Obtained In Progress Planned Proposed Long-Term

Learning, formalised and verified

Five professional certifications, one Microsoft micro-credential, and three learning-path completions. Different weight, shown as different weight.

Jul 2026
SC-200: Security Operations Analyst Associate
Microsoft · Professional Cert
Verify
Jun 2026
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
CompTIA · Professional Cert
Verify
Jun 2026
CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst, CySA+ (CS0-003)
CompTIA · Professional Cert
Verify
Jun 2026
AI Skills Fest 2026
Microsoft · Micro-credential
Verify
Mar 2026
AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals
Microsoft · Professional Cert
Verify
Mar 2026
SC-900: Security, Compliance & Identity Fundamentals
Microsoft · Professional Cert
Verify
Dec 2025
Junior Cybersecurity Analyst Career Path
Cisco · Learning Path
Verify
Dec 2025
Cyber Security 101
TryHackMe · Learning Path
Verify
Dec 2025
Pre Security
TryHackMe · Learning Path
Verify

What each one actually taught me

Resources I actually used, kept separate from what's officially recommended, plus where each certification shows up in real project work.

Professional Cert
AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals
Obtained
Issued March 2026
Planned
Active
Proven
Resources I Used
  • John Savill's AZ-900 Study Cram
  • Microsoft Learn's official path
  • ~$200 of real hands-on lab time in a live Azure subscription
Recommended (Official)
  • Microsoft Learn: Azure Fundamentals path
  • Official AZ-900 practice assessment
Professional Cert
SC-900: Security, Compliance and Identity Fundamentals
Obtained
Issued March 2026
Planned
Active
Proven
Resources I Used
  • John Savill's study cram
  • Microsoft Learn's official path
  • A freeCodeCamp video walkthrough
  • ChatGPT for reinforcement
Recommended (Official)
  • Microsoft Learn: Security, Compliance and Identity Fundamentals path
  • Official SC-900 practice assessment
Professional Cert
SY0-701: CompTIA Security+
Obtained
Issued June 2026
Planned
Active
Proven
Resources I Used
  • Professor Messer's full SY0-701 playlist
  • Cyberkraft's performance-based question practice
  • ChatGPT for reinforcement
Recommended (Official)
  • CompTIA's official exam objectives
  • Official practice questions
Professional Cert
CS0-003: CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst, CySA+
Obtained
Issued June 2026
Planned
Active
Proven
Resources I Used
  • LetsDefend's investigation pathway
  • Cyberkraft's PBQ practice
  • The Certify Breakfast YouTube playlist
  • ChatGPT for reinforcement
Recommended (Official)
  • CompTIA's official exam objectives
  • Official practice questions
Professional Cert
SC-200: Security Operations Analyst Associate
Obtained
Issued July 2026
Planned
Active
Proven
Resources I Used
  • Microsoft's own "Sentinel Ninja" training
  • Microsoft Learn's official path
  • John Christopher's SC-200 YouTube series
Recommended (Official)
  • Microsoft Learn: SC-200 path
  • Official SC-200 practice assessment

Attempt, gap, improvement

I'm keeping this one honest rather than tidying it up.

Professional Cert
AZ-104: Azure Administrator Associate
In Progress
Retake: from now (20 Oct 2026)
Planned
Active
Proven

First attempt: roughly 15 days of preparation, without reaching the exam's final module. This retake adds more hands-on lab time and less passive review.

First Attempt, 28 Jul 2026 609 / 1000 (700 to pass)
Exam domains (Microsoft's published weights)
Manage Azure identities and governance
20–25%
Implement and manage storage
15–20%
Deploy and manage Azure compute resources
20–25%
Implement and manage virtual networking
15–20%
Monitor and maintain Azure resources
10–15%
Weights are the exam's published question distribution, not a measure of my own readiness in each area.
Resources I Used
  • Microsoft Learn's official AZ-104 path
  • John Savill's AZ-104 Study Cram
  • Gemini for reinforcement, worked alongside practice questions
Recommended (Official)
  • Microsoft Learn: AZ-104 path
  • Official AZ-104 practice assessment
Professional Cert
SC-500: Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate
In Progress
21 Oct 2026, the day after the AZ-104 retake
Planned
Active
Proven

This exam only went to general availability in mid-2026, so the free-resource ecosystem around it is still thin compared to the older, established exams above.

Exam domains (Microsoft's published weights)
Manage identity, access, and governance
20–25%
Secure storage, databases, and networking
25–30%
Secure compute, including AI security
20–25%
Manage and monitor security posture
20–25%
Secure storage, databases and networking carries the most weight, so that's where study time is concentrated first.
Resources I Used
  • Microsoft Learn's official SC-500 path, studied alongside AZ-104 rather than after it
  • Gemini for reinforcement
Recommended (Official)
  • Microsoft Learn: SC-500 path
  • charbelnemnom.com's independent SC-500 study guide (community resource, not official)

What comes after October

Professional Cert
AI-901: Azure AI Fundamentals
Planned
Target: late November / December 2026
Planned
Active
Proven

AI-901 replaced the retired AI-900 on 30 June 2026 and goes further than the old exam: real Microsoft Foundry usage, not just describing AI concepts.

Exam domains (Microsoft's published weights)
Identify AI concepts and capabilities
40–45%
Implement AI solutions using Microsoft Foundry
55–60%
Resources I Used
  • Not started yet
Recommended (Official)
  • Microsoft Learn: AI-901 path
  • charbelnemnom.com's AI-901 study guide

Four certifications, in priority order

01
BTL1
Blue Team Level 1
Planned · 2027
02
SecurityX
CompTIA SecurityX
Planned · 2027
R9,530 planning estimate
03
AWS Security
AWS Certified Security – Specialty
Planned · 2027
R5,000 planning estimate
04
Terraform
HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
Planned · 2027
Proposed, 2028 to 2029
AZ-400: DevOps Engineer Expert
Proposed
Planned
Active
Proven
GitHub Foundations, Actions & Advanced Security
Proposed
Planned
Active
Proven
CKA & CKS
Proposed
Planned
Active
Proven
SC-100
Proposed
Planned
Active
Proven
CISSP
Proposed
Planned
Active
Proven

Development ideas, not commitments with dates attached yet.

This page tracks what each certification covers, the role it plays in my development and when I earned it, not what it cost. For target months, see the Certification Calendar. For how it all connects, see the Career Roadmap.

Open to SOC & Cloud Security Roles