How to Become a Certified Ethical Hacker (PenTest+) - MedCerts

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If you’re a fan of Hollywood movies about cybersecurity, you’re probably intrigued by the world of illegal hacking. But did you know that people are paid handsomely to legally hack company systems?

Ethical hackers use the same tools as criminal hackers to expose and shore up cybersecurity vulnerabilities. If you have strong problem-solving and technical skills, we recommend you consider a job in ethical hacking. With IT experience and appropriate cybersecurity training, you could become a certified and well-paid ethical hacker.

Why You Should Consider Ethical Hacking Careers

Breaking into a cybersecurity career like ethical hacking is well worth the time and investment. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that ethical hacking careers will grow over 23% in the next two years. Cybersecurity professionals also have high earning potentials—with an average salary of around $90,000 per year. With ethical hacker certification, training, and experience, earnings grow even higher.

Background Skills for an Ethical Hacker

Ethical hackers must be organized and have strong technical skills. They also need solid communication skills—after assessing a client’s security risks, you must be able to gather and clearly present information.

Various professional backgrounds apply to ethical hacking careers. A military background is particularly useful, as armed forces offer IT training and grant security clearance.

Ethical Hacker Certification

If you don’t already have experience in tech support or network support, we highly recommend that you obtain a CompTIA Security+ certificate. You obtain this certificate after finishing a cybersecurity training course that provides you with a solid understanding of IT security fundamentals, networks, and organizational security.

If you have prior cybersecurity experience or hold the CompTIA Security+ certification, you are qualified for an ethical hacker certification program that will boost your ethical hacking career.

Ethical Hacker Training

To become an ethical hacker, you must be certified in penetration testing via the CompTIA PenTest+ exam.

The CompTIA PenTest+ assesses five essential skills for ethical hacking:

  1. Planning and Scoping
  2. Information Gathering and Vulnerability Identification
  3. Attacks and Exploits
  4. Penetration Testing Tools
  5. Reporting and Communication


We recommend that you prepare for the exam with a comprehensive ethical hacking certification program. The best program will provide extensive ethical hacker training and knowledge of subsidiary skills, such as customer service and Microsoft Office Suite tools.

MedCerts IT Career Training

You may know MedCerts as an excellent provider of healthcare certification, but we also provide reliable IT career training. With comprehensive online career training programs, MedCerts boasts certification exam pass rates that are 20% higher than the national average.

MedCerts programs are delivered fully online and include video-based training, intimate one-on-one support, and assessments to monitor your progress. Student Advisors will guide you every step of the way to ensure your success in finding a suitable position in your chosen career.

The six-week CompTIA PenTest+ program covers:

  • Penetration testing
  • Vulnerability assessment
  • Vulnerability management
  • Security assessments for desktop and mobile devices
  • Security for cloud and embedded systems
  • Basic skills in Microsoft Word and Excel


At the end of the course, you will walk away with penetration testing certification and a Certified Customer Service Professional (CCSP) certificate to kickstart your ethical hacking career.

Ethical hacking plays a valuable role in today’s cybersecurity infrastructures. Businesses will pay certified professionals excellent salaries for protecting company systems from malicious hackers.

If you have a technical background or seek to jumpstart your ethical hacking career, take a look at MedCerts' CompTIA PenTest+ program. A Student Advisor will answer your questions and help plan your exciting new career.

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Published on October 21, 2019