RoleMath

cert eligibility

Which certifications can you actually earn now? Eligibility, honestly

Some respected certifications require years of verified work experience to earn — they are not first credentials, no matter how often they're marketed that way.

Build my personalized career plan

Some respected certifications require years of verified work experience to earn — they are not first credentials, no matter how often they're marketed that way. Others are open to anyone who registers. Here is the honest split per credential, with the requirement cited to the certifying body. The point is to help you avoid paying for a credential you can't yet hold.

CertificationEligibilityExperience to earn itDetails
AWS Certified Cloud PractitionerOpen to beginnersNonesee page
AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer - AssociateOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
AWS Certified Developer - AssociateOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
AWS Certified Security - SpecialtyOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - ProfessionalOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
AWS Certified Solutions Architect AssociateOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CC - Certified in CybersecurityOpen to beginnersNonesee page
CCNP EnterpriseOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CCSP - Certified Cloud Security ProfessionalNot an entry credential5 years required work experience.see page
CDPSE - Certified Data Privacy Solutions EngineerNot an entry credential3 yearssee page
Certified Associate in Project ManagementOpen to beginnersNonesee page
CGEIT - Certified in the Governance of Enterprise ITNot an entry credential5 yearssee page
CGRC - Governance, Risk and Compliance CertificationNot an entry credential2 years required work experience.see page
CISA - Certified Information Systems AuditorNot an entry credential5 yearssee page
Cisco CCNA AutomationOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
Cisco CCNA CybersecurityOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
Cisco Certified Network AssociateOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
Cisco Certified Support Technician CybersecurityOpen to beginnersNonesee page
Cisco Certified Support Technician IT SupportOpen to beginnersNonesee page
CISM - Certified Information Security ManagerNot an entry credential5 yearssee page
CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security ProfessionalNot an entry credential5 yearssee page
CompTIA A+Open to beginnersNonesee page
CompTIA Cloud+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA CloudNetXOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA CySA+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA Data+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA DataAIOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA DataSys+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA Linux+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA Network+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA PenTest+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA Project+Open to beginnersNonesee page
CompTIA Security+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA SecurityXOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CompTIA Server+Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
CRISC - Certified in Risk and Information Systems ControlNot an entry credential3 yearssee page
CSSLP - Certified Secure Software Lifecycle ProfessionalNot an entry credential4 years required work experience.see page
GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA)Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
GIAC Penetration Tester Certification (GPEN)Open, but experience recommendedNonesee page
ISSAP - Information Systems Security Architecture ProfessionalNot an entry credentialCISSP plus 2 years required work experience, or 7 years cumulative experience.see page
ISSEP - Information Systems Security Engineering ProfessionalNot an entry credentialCISSP plus 2 years required work experience, or 7 years cumulative experience.see page
ISSMP - Information Systems Security Management ProfessionalNot an entry credentialCISSP plus 2 years required work experience, or 7 years cumulative experience.see page
Linux Foundation Certified System AdministratorOpen to beginnersNonesee page
Microsoft Azure Administrator AssociateOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
Microsoft Azure FundamentalsOpen to beginnersNonesee page
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer AssociateOpen, but experience recommendedNonesee page
SSCP - Systems Security Certified PractitionerNot an entry credential1 yearsee page

How to read this

  • Open to beginners — no prerequisite and no work-experience requirement; anyone can register.
  • Open, but experience recommended — no hard gate, but the vendor recommends meaningful prior experience.
  • Depends on your route — earnable without experience via one official route; another route requires experience.
  • Not an entry credential — requires years of verified experience; there's usually a provisional/associate path while you earn it.

These pages draw on the same sourced data, and are the closest to what you just read.

Go deeper on this

hub eligibilityCan you earn AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner? Eligibility and prerequisiteshub eligibilityCan you earn AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer - Associate? Eligibility and prerequisiteshub eligibilityCan you earn AWS Certified Developer - Associate? Eligibility and prerequisites

Zoom out

cert eligibility hub exploreCompare entry paths into techcert eligibility hub start hereYour honest, step-by-step plan to break into tech

Core source records

This table lists the page’s core content records and their checked dates where recorded. Claim-specific citations appear beside the relevant text and may not be repeated here.

IDSupportsSourceChecked
CIT-01Per-credential eligibility & prerequisitesSee each pageDate not recorded

Ready to turn this decision into a plan?

Find the entry-appropriate path for your situation with the RoleMath planner.