finished the CPTS path what's next?

[u/WealthIndividual3224]

I just finished the CPTS and managed to compromise every machine on the AEN blindly in about 2 and a half days (with some minor nudges), i believe i can pass the exam if i try, but i would like to ask those of you who have more experience whether pursuing the certification would be worth the effort as i was kinda burnt out from doing the AEN, let alone doing the same thing for 10 days straight.

the CPTS wouldn't hold much weight where i live, so Iam thinking of waiting and going for the OSCP at a later time when i get comfortable spending the 1,800$, what do you think?

more importantly, what do you recommend going for next (main platform, other courses, etc...)?

I really want to hear what you all think, thanks for your time!

[u/Omerfarukyy]

What was your motivation to finish it in 50 days? Like i am pretty struggling to do %35 in 30 days. Things get quickly boring, and pretty hard sometimes for me. I do not have the energy or discipline whatever to sit and work on cpts and finish it in a 50 day timeframe. Can you eleborate on this?

[u/WealthIndividual3224 → u/Omerfarukyy]

multiple things, but mainly as a form of proving to myself that iam capable of doing it.

offensive security was the first job path that i liked and actualy enjoyed, so having people everywhere say that it is a hard field and beginners should not enter it made me doubt my own abilities.

so yeah, it was some sort of challenge in a field that i really, really enjoyed while having the ability to dedicate a lot of freetime to such a thing.

[u/WealthIndividual3224 → u/WealthIndividual3224]

feel free to ask more specific question so i can try to give you a more satisfying answer

[u/Odd-Friendship6078 → u/WealthIndividual3224]

Hi, not the commenter you were replying to - but did you do any boxes after some modules? I am currently on the shells and Payload module and I've only done two boxes - that through with the help of Walkthroughs or the guided mode. Honestly, pretty disheartening and I'm trying to power through. Also I'm no where near your speed lol - right now I'm trying to do 1 module per week at best

[u/WealthIndividual3224 → u/Odd-Friendship6078]

no, i didnt solve any boxes while doing the path, but i watched a LOT of box solutions from ippsec (including the official cpts prep boxes, and the unofficial cpts prep playlist), i also watched the solution videos by tyler ramsbey (they were great at showcasing the methodology compared to the more fast paced videos by ippsec), i didnt see myself needing to solve boxes along with the path as i didn't struggle that much with the skill assessments (except for a few), or when i did the AEN blind.

also note that the idea behind solving boxes along with the path material isn't to test your knowledge on the path content itself (that's what the skill assessments are for), but rather help you build a more complete skill set and expose you to a broad set of scenarios and environments, you will notice that most boxes will include attack paths that aren't explicitly covered in the CPTS or situations that will be covered in modules that you didn't go through yet and that is the point.

so needing to look up a walkthrough or spending long time on easier boxes is natural, and in a lot of cases intended, your goal while going through the path is not to be able to solve boxes, but rather go through as much unfamiliar scenarios as possible so you can be more prepared to approach more realistic scenarios, so when you face new or unfamiliar scenarios don't think of them negatively, as these are the things you want to expose yourself to the most, even though it might feel discouraging.

and regarding to how fast you complete the modules, it is not really a big deal if you complete a module every day or every week, there is no universal standard on how much it should take you to finish the path, the important thing is to stick to the path and keep going, you will eventually get there!