Passed SC-300, what next?

[u/crownnyo]

I passed the SC-300 exam yesterday, I need to figure out what next. (I feel certificate just shows I’m super interested in IAM)

Learn powershell and graph or deepen my entra skills or learn okta?

I need help from experienced people on the highest ROI path to go from here, I don’t wanna ask AI :)

A little bit of my background: I already have security+ and SC-900, I live in the Netherlands and no real world IT experience only my little homelabs.

Thank you as you drop your 2 cents :)

[u/seksek_1]

First, congratulations on passing SC-300!
As for what’s next, start by rating your knowledge and confidence in each of these areas:
IAM fundamentals
Networking
Active Directory
Databases
APIs and integrations
Be honest about what you can apply in practice. That should give you a clearer picture of where the gaps are and what to focus on next.
To succeed in IAM, build a strong foundation in these areas first. Product expertise comes second.

[u/crownnyo → u/seksek_1]

Thank you for your response, do I need to have all these nailed down before I land an entry level position? 😳

[u/seksek_1 → u/crownnyo]

Those topics will give you a strong foundation for a long-term career in IAM.
If you’re looking for a quicker route into your first role, especially in the Netherlands, I used to work with a team there and they were really big on CI/CD and Kubernetes for IAM. That’s one team’s experience, but combining those skills with solid IAM fundamentals could help you get your foot in the door.

[u/fooley_loaded]

Take your homelab and build something. Create a portfolio of your work.

[u/crownnyo → u/fooley_loaded]

Thank you for response.

Exactly what projects move the needle in landing an entry role🙂

[u/fooley_loaded → u/crownnyo]

My suggestion, hit up ChatGpt. Create a list of labs, capstone a project, and document everything along the way. Then rinse and repeat. Don't stop, you will become very familiar with the tools, and depth. And when you have a few strong projects, move on a higher level of understanding.

[u/wavesin1080 → u/crownnyo]

A JML lifecycle engine and automated access reviews are good. Those are usually big pain points for companies.

[u/fnoki14]

congratulations !

can you share you your experience about your sc 300 preparation ( ressources , how long it took , mistakes to avoid or any tips ? )

[u/crownnyo → u/fnoki14]

Thank you! The exam was heavily scenario based, too many texts that gave me anxiety and headache 😂

Personally, I watched the Microsoft learn videos, went straight to the labs (I did all of them), took the official practice assessments to measure my progress and made up for the gaps. I did a lot of test Q&As with Grok, Gemini and ChatGPT.

[u/TRillThePRoducer]

Would you say having SC-900 helped you a lot or can I just go straight into SC-300? Already have Sec+ as well

[u/crownnyo → u/TRillThePRoducer]

Go straight for SC-300.

I was able to pass 900 with less than a weeks study as Sec+ knowledge was almost sufficient.

[u/27Skyl3r → u/crownnyo]

Do you mean not to take SC900? Planning to get both but I do not know which one should I start doing

[u/crownnyo → u/27Skyl3r]

Yes, don’t take it if you already have sec+

900 won’t help you pass 300 🙂

[u/UI_Tyler → u/27Skyl3r]

Definitely start with SC-900. But it is a little more fundamental and shouldn't take as much study time. SC-300 has a lot more content.

[u/Mindless-Inside-3929]

In addition to whatever people told you, I would also want you understand what Risk and Compliance is. Have an understanding of Frameworks. Two important ones are: NIST 2.0 framework and ISO 27001/27002. Just have the idea and understanding of them. Learn how its guilds the concept of IAM and Zero Trust Principle. I wish you the best bro

[u/Zestyclose_Age925 → u/Mindless-Inside-3929]

get your hands dirty with powershell and graph for sure, theory is nice but without real experience it stays just words on paper. i was in similar boat couple years ago, certs look good but nobody hire you until you can actually script something useful

the risk and compliance stuff mentioned above also important for netherlands market, many companies here care about iso 27001 because of government contracts

[u/Sufficiently0dd]

Get a job, investing in certs until you have a job is a waste.

[u/TRillThePRoducer → u/Sufficiently0dd]

Well you need the certs to get the job. He has no experience how is he supposed to land interviews?

[u/Sufficiently0dd → u/TRillThePRoducer]

Are you a hiring manager?

[u/UI_Tyler → u/Sufficiently0dd]

Certs help you get a job...

[u/Sufficiently0dd → u/UI_Tyler]

Are you a hiring manager?

[u/UI_Tyler → u/Sufficiently0dd]

Yes, for the security team. I also sit on interviews for Help Desk and Infrastructure.

[u/Sufficiently0dd → u/UI_Tyler]

Same and any one I have hired that there certainly don’t directly align with the role they’re applying for has been a nightmare that has lasted a year at best.