Entry-Level Certifications Compared: Security+, eJPT, OSCP, CEH

Certifications are a hot topic among beginners, with strong opinions on every side. Some employers require them, some candidates swear by them and some practitioners think they are overrated. The truth is nuanced: a certification is a signal, a structured learning goal, and sometimes a requirement for a particular job or contract. In this lesson you will understand what four well-known ones cover, how they differ and how to choose without wasting time or money.

What a certification does and does not do

It can:

• Give your learning a clear structure and deadline.
• Signal a baseline of knowledge to employers, especially for a first job, where you have few other proofs.
• Meet a formal requirement in some job offers, public contracts or consulting firms.
• Boost your confidence.

It cannot:

• Replace practice, curiosity or good communication.
• Guarantee a job.
• Stay valid forever: most expire or require renewal and continuing education, and the exams evolve.

The strongest profile combines a recognizable certification and visible practical work, such as the portfolio you are building.

Four common entry points

These descriptions are general and cautious. Exam formats, domains, prices and requirements change, so always read the official page of the certifying body before deciding. This lesson intentionally gives no prices.

Security+

• What it is: a broad, vendor-neutral foundation in cybersecurity, offered by CompTIA.
• Typical coverage: general security concepts, threats and vulnerabilities, security architecture, security operations, governance, risk and compliance.
• Format: mainly a knowledge-based exam with multiple-choice questions and some practical scenario questions.
• Level: entry to early career. Good first certification for defensive roles, general IT security and organizations that value standardized baselines.
• Strengths: broad coverage and wide recognition, including in some formal job requirements.
• Limits: not a practical hacking certification; it does not prove offensive skills.

eJPT

• What it is: an entry-level, hands-on penetration testing certification, associated with INE Security (formerly eLearnSecurity).
• Typical coverage: core methodology of a basic test: networking foundations, host and network assessment, exploitation basics and web fundamentals.
• Format: a practical exam in a lab environment, where you must complete tasks and answer questions about what you found.
• Level: beginner-friendly, intended to confirm you can apply the basics of a pentest.
• Strengths: practical, accessible and a good bridge from the methodology you learned in the previous courses.
• Limits: less widely known by non-technical recruiters than some others.

OSCP

• What it is: a demanding, hands-on penetration testing certification from OffSec.
• Typical coverage: a broad range of techniques for assessing networks, systems and applications, including enumeration, exploitation, privilege escalation and Active Directory topics, plus the writing of a professional report.
• Format: a long practical exam in a lab environment, followed by a written report. Perseverance and time management are tested as much as technique.
• Level: intermediate. Not a first certification for most people; usually taken after solid practice on training platforms.
• Strengths: strong reputation among practitioners for proving practical skill.
• Limits: demanding in time and effort, and the approach rewards a particular style of methodical, persistent work. It is offensive-oriented and says little about defense.

CEH

• What it is: the Certified Ethical Hacker, from EC-Council.
• Typical coverage: a wide survey of attack techniques, tools and countermeasures across many domains.
• Format: traditionally a knowledge-based multiple-choice exam; the vendor also offers a separate practical component.
• Level: entry to intermediate in terms of requirements.
• Strengths: frequently named in job offers, especially in certain sectors, consulting firms and government-related contexts, so it can pass an automated filter.
• Limits: practitioners debate how well a purely multiple-choice format shows practical skill. If you choose it, complement it with visible hands-on work.

Comparison at a glance

Certification	Orientation	Exam style	Best for
Security+	General, defensive foundations	Knowledge-based, with some scenarios	First step; SOC, IT security, compliance-oriented roles
eJPT	Offensive basics, hands-on	Practical lab	Aspiring pentesters who want a gentle practical start
OSCP	Offensive, advanced for beginners	Long practical exam and report	Candidates with solid lab experience aiming at pentest roles
CEH	Broad offensive awareness	Mostly knowledge-based	Roles or contracts that explicitly require it

Other certifications and national schemes

There are many more: defensive and analyst-oriented ones, cloud security ones, application security ones, management-oriented ones for governance and risk, and national or vendor schemes. In France, ANSSI (cyber.gouv.fr) publishes information on the job profiles and on qualifications for providers and products; check what exists and what employers in your region ask for. Note that some qualifications apply to companies or products, not to individuals.

How to choose: ask four questions

1. What job do I want in twelve months? Defensive analyst, pentester, consultant, GRC? Read ten real job offers and note which certifications recur.
2. What does my target employer ask? Some require specific ones; others do not care.
3. What do I have in time, money and energy? Some paths take months of evenings. Be realistic.
4. What is my current level? A harder certification too early leads to frustration. A good test is whether you can complete training-platform machines or exercises of the relevant level without constant help.

Preparing sensibly

• Use the official exam objectives as your syllabus, and map each one to a lab or note.
• Practice on the legal training platforms you already know: TryHackMe, HackTheBox, PortSwigger Web Security Academy, your own lab.
• Keep notes in your own words. They become portfolio material and exam-day reference.
• Take practice exams for knowledge-based tests, and rehearse time management for practical ones.
• Avoid shortcuts such as "braindumps" (leaked exam questions). They violate the certification rules, can cancel your result, and harm your reputation in a field based on integrity.
• Ask your employer or training funding schemes whether costs can be covered, if you are in work or training. Eligibility rules vary, so check them.

A sensible beginner sequence

There is no single correct path, but here are three plausible examples:

• Defensive route: a foundational certification such as Security+, then analyst-oriented learning, then specialization.
• Offensive route: an entry-level practical certification such as eJPT, then lab practice, then a more advanced one such as OSCP when you are ready.
• Mixed route: foundational knowledge first, then choose by the job you land. Many professionals start in one area and move.

Your turn: advise three people

Recommend a first certification, with one sentence of justification, for each of these fictional people:

1. Léa, a system administrator who wants to move into a SOC and has never done hands-on pentesting.
2. Omar, a self-taught learner who has completed many training-platform machines and loves offensive work, and aims to become a pentester in a consulting firm.
3. Julie, a project manager in a firm that requires a specific recognized ethical hacking certificate to bid on certain public contracts.

See a solution

1. Léa: a foundational defensive certification such as Security+, because it validates broad security knowledge for SOC-type roles and builds on her system background. A log analysis project from this course would complement it.
2. Omar: eJPT as a first practical milestone, then OSCP when his lab practice is strong, because his experience already points to offensive, hands-on proof.
3. Julie: the certification named in the contract requirement, such as CEH, because the requirement is external and non-negotiable. She should still verify the exact text of the requirement and then add practical learning for her own growth.

Other answers can be valid; the key is to link the choice to the goal and to the context.

Portfolio step

In 06-bug-bounty-community, add certification-plan.md: your own target job, ten job-offer observations (just the recurring certifications and skills, no company names needed), your choice of first certification, a rough timeline and the official source you will check. This document feeds directly into your 90-day plan in the last chapter.

The last lesson of this chapter is about the proof that works best: your portfolio.