certification
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA
$404
exam fee · checked 2026-08
110 hrs
110 hours — about 11 weeks at 10 hrs/wk
3 yr
renewal cycle — this is a recurring cost
Where it is actually asked for
- Computer User Support Specialist (national)11%4 of 36 postings
- Computer Network Architect (national)8%2 of 24 postings
Where it barely came up
It appeared in these samples, but rarely. If one of these is the job you want, this credential is probably not the thing standing between you and it.
- Database Architect in San Francisco1%1 of 81 postings
- Information Security Analyst (national)1%2 of 221 postings
- Network and Computer Systems Administrator (national)1%1 of 181 postings
- Database Architect (national)1%1 of 192 postings
These percentages describe the samples we read, listed above with their sizes and dates. They are not a statement about the whole labour market, and absence from this page means we have no evidence either way — not that the credential is worthless. How we know →