Pruvos Journal

Notes from the exam-prep trenches

Essays on certification study, exam traps, and cloud-security careers, written by the people who generate the 28,000+ questions in Pruvos.

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CareerJob Search

"I have 5 certs and no job" — here is what is actually missing

Ten certs on the resume and zero interviews is a pattern. Four specific things are missing from these profiles, and they are not additional certs.

Gagan Walia·Jun 25, 2026, 3:05 PM·7 min read

CareerUnemployed

Which cert to take in 2026 if you are unemployed — the honest answer

If you are out of work and looking for a cert to bridge you into a new role, the wrong choice wastes 3 months and $500. Here is the framework I give candidates in this situation.

Jun 22, 2026, 10:05 AM · 7 min read

CCNACCNP

CCNA to CCNP in the cloud era: is it worth the jump?

Enterprise networking is moving to SDN, overlay networks, and cloud-native topologies. Is CCNP still the right next step after CCNA, or should you pivot to cloud networking instead?

Jun 20, 2026, 12:05 PM · 6 min read

GCPCareer

Why GCP cert salaries lag AWS and Azure in most markets — and when that changes

Google Cloud certifications pay 8–18% less than equivalent AWS or Azure credentials on average. The reasons are structural, not accidental. Here is when GCP becomes the right choice anyway.

May 30, 2026, 11:05 AM · 6 min read

DOP-C02AWS

AWS DevOps Engineer Pro (DOP-C02) is the most undervalued professional cert

DOP-C02 is dwarfed by SAP-C02 in candidate numbers, but it unlocks a different career that often pays more. If you are weighing the two, here is the case for DevOps.

May 27, 2026, 10:05 AM · 5 min read

Security+CySA+

Security+ → CySA+ → CASP+: the CompTIA stack actually considered

CompTIA's three-cert security ladder looks like a clean progression. Half of it is worth taking, half of it depends on your path. Here is the candid read.

May 14, 2026, 4:05 PM · 5 min read

CISSPCCSP

CISSP vs CCSP vs CISA: a map for the confused

Three letter-soup security certs, three different career paths, and most candidates pick the wrong one first. Here is the honest comparison, grounded in 2026 job-market data.

Apr 28, 2026, 9:05 AM · 5 min read

CISSPCareer

Is CISSP still worth it in 2026? A salary-data answer

The market changed in 2024 and 2025. I pulled CISSP salary data from three job boards to answer a question I get twice a week, and the answer surprised me in one specific way.

Apr 17, 2026, 4:10 PM · 4 min read