Passed Security+, what next?

[AaronW1994]

So yesterday I passed my Security+ with an 811, after 3 Months of Studying using only Daryl Gibsons Book. Excellent book that I would recommend to anyone!
I had only had minimal exposure to InfoSec before the exam, currently doing an Internship that I am 3 Months into. I know that I would like to enter into the InfoSec Field, but I am not 100% sure yet which area, and I would like to pass at least 1-2 more Exams before I finish my Internship to solidify myself as a good candidate for when I finish my Degree.

What would your recommendations for exams be now that I have cleared my Sec+? I was thinking about an MCSA for Server 2012, but I am open to any ideas!

[636-555-3226]

Minimal exposure ... pass more exams to solidify yourself as a good candidate....

As a hiring manager, I do appreciate certs, but I also value (more highly) someone who can walk in and say they know how to use Nessus, Splunk, Bro, Wireshark, Kali (and Linux for that matter), etc. Now that you've got the Security+, I'd recommend downloading and learning some of the tool sets you'll be expected to know for the job. If there's a job opening and I've got some guy with a Security+ and CSA+ in front of me but doesn't have any hands-on experience versus a guy with a Security+ and has been running Security Onion on his home network for two years - I know which one I'm more likely to hire!

[AaronW1994]

Minimal exposure ... pass more exams to solidify yourself as a good candidate....

As a hiring manager, I do appreciate certs, but I also value (more highly) someone who can walk in and say they know how to use Nessus, Splunk, Bro, Wireshark, Kali (and Linux for that matter), etc. Now that you've got the Security+, I'd recommend downloading and learning some of the tool sets you'll be expected to know for the job. If there's a job opening and I've got some guy with a Security+ and CSA+ in front of me but doesn't have any hands-on experience versus a guy with a Security+ and has been running Security Onion on his home network for two years - I know which one I'm more likely to hire!

Thanks for the advice! I have been doing a lot of Networking in my own home as a personal Hobby, as well as working with infrastructure and various Hardware, both of which I have been doing for around 10 years. Ill also have around 8 more months of Internship where I hope to learn tools such as Wireshark and Splunk, so I feel like I will be getting off to a good start when it comes to the hands on experience, as the company is letting me work at my own pace and explore what I am good at grasping.
What was the path you took? Is there a vendor-neutral Cert you would suggest to work on alongside the Internship?

[nisti2]

Nice advice!! @636-555-3226

Congratulations on your pass!