Junior Leonardo Guerrero has gotten three certifications in cybersecurity, making him the most certified in Shadow Ridge history. As soon as he gets out of high school, he wants to make as much money as possible.

“I started taking these exams because I believed that it was the most efficient way to success,” Guerrero explains. “You’ve heard it all the time, work smart, not hard, and work fast, not slow. The knowledge of having these certifications available to me made me take the initiative and implement those two sayings in my life. Due to my three certifications, I have gained the title of a secure infrastructure specialist, and I am guaranteed around an 80k salary right after high school. In just six months of hard technology work, I have accomplished what usually takes normal people in other professions a decade to accomplish. And in the average person’s expectations, I am one step away from winning the game of life.”

These certifications will help Guerrero get the job he wants out of high school. The CompTIA tests help him learn new things.

“A CompTIA certification is a vendor-neutral certification that provides a convenient way for Information Technology (IT) employers to verify the knowledge and skills of job applicants quickly,” Guerrero explains. “A vendor-neutral certification means that the certification isn’t based on a certain technology manufacturer. So using the topic of phones as an example, you’re not getting certified on having the skills to operate an Apple or Samsung phone. You’re getting certified on knowing how to operate on all phones.”

When Guerrero took these tests, he went through a lot of emotions. Nervousness is a normal feeling, and he was going through it. During the tests, Guerrero was able to relax.

“The tests were great experiences, I experienced a lot of nervousness before them, and I experienced a lot of thrill while taking them,” Guerrero says. “The first two exams I took were at physical testing locations. They give you a small whiteboard and marker to take any notes during the exams, and they also give you noise-canceling earmuffs. The last exam I took was at home, and some lady online was making sure I wasn’t cheating by spectating me through my webcam.”

To take these tests, Guerrero had to study for them. He had to learn many things to understand and, most importantly, pass them.

“I studied a lot of things,” Guerrero says. “A quick list of some of the more notable things I can think of are operating systems, network devices, protocols, penetration testing tools, governance, risk, compliance, cryptography, and last but not least, the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology. All these things were part of the exam objectives. The exam objectives are a huge list of technologies and concepts you need to know to pass each CompTIA exam. It took me an average of about two months to study for each exam.”

Guerrero has made a website for himself. He wants to share his insights and knowledge with others to help them in the future.

“To all Shadow Ridge students, please join a Cyber security class with Mr. Mann as your teacher next year,” Guerrero pleads. “Please get the three certifications I have gotten. Even if you don’t like technology or have a passion for it, it’s not about that. Every day, technology skills and knowledge become more of a necessity for the planet. The people that don’t have skills and knowledge about technology will most likely fall behind very soon in the future. With just a year of not-so-hard work, you can accomplish a lot. Let us take part in the wonderful opportunity the school district and CTE have given us and get certified. I will also personally teach you about technology if you email me. It is my time to start giving back.”