How Harness Projects Prepares You for Cybersecurity Certifications

One of the most common questions we hear from people looking to break into cybersecurity is:

“Will this course prepare me for certifications?”

It’s a great question. Certifications like CompTIA Security+, Network+, CySA+, and PenTest+ are well-recognised in the industry and can help boost your career. But here’s what most people don’t realise:

  • A certification is an exam, not a course. You prepare for it separately, then book and sit the exam through the certifying body.

  • Employers rarely expect you to have a stack of certifications before getting your first job. In fact, many will even pay for you to sit exams once you’re hired.

  • What matters most at the start isn’t the certificate itself — it’s proving you can actually do the work.

That’s where Harness comes in. Our Cybersecurity Career Launcher Course involves real preparation for certifications — because the projects you complete mirror the skills employers and exam boards actually test. You’ll assess risks, respond to incidents, and run vulnerability scans with professional tools.

  • Then, when you’re ready to sit the exams, you’ll have Pluralsight included as a final prep tool — helping you revise the terminology, frameworks and theory in the exact style you’ll be tested on.

So by the time you book your exam, you’re not just memorising content — you’re backing it with proven experience and a portfolio that shows you can already do the work.

Why Experience Comes First

It’s easy to assume certifications are the first step — but going straight into a string of exams can backfire. We call it certification overload: collecting credentials without real-world context.

Employers can spot this quickly. They’re less interested in how many exams you’ve passed and more focused on whether you can:

  • Assess risks in a business environment

  • Write an incident response plan

  • Use tools like Nessus or Nmap effectively

  • Communicate clearly with colleagues and stakeholders

That’s why our grads stand out. They can talk about the actual projects they’ve delivered, not just the exams they’ve memorised for.

How Certifications Fit After Harness

With Pluralsight included, you’ll be able to step straight into certification prep once you graduate. And because you already understand the context from projects, you won’t be starting cold.

  • Security+ – Much of the content (risk, threats, incident response) is already built into your projects. Pluralsight helps you polish the terminology and exam-style knowledge.

  • Network+ – You’ll have already worked with firewalls, VPNs, and risk frameworks. Pluralsight helps you cover theory like subnetting and the OSI model.

  • CySA+ – Your incident response and vulnerability management experience means you can focus on SIEMs and log analysis with Pluralsight resources.

  • PenTest+ / CEH – You’ll already know the methodology; Pluralsight helps you drill the specific tools and frameworks for the exam.

  • Cloud security certifications (AWS or Microsoft) – Pluralsight gives you vendor-specific study modules to add to the principles you’ve learned in Harness projects.

Graduate Success Stories

Our graduates show that building capability through real projects is what employers value most.

  • Manilou came from retail and dental nursing before moving into cyber. By completing projects in risk assessment, vulnerability testing and incident response, she built the skills and confidence to step into a role as a SOC Analyst.

  • Mason had a tech-oriented path but little direct cybersecurity experience. Through projects, he developed a portfolio that demonstrated practical skills employers could see in action, helping him transition quickly into the field.

  • Belle England balanced full-time work and raising children while delivering professional-grade projects with tools like Nessus and Nmap. Her capability and portfolio helped her secure a GRC Security Analyst role at Sprinklr before finishing the program.

These stories illustrate a consistent theme: real-world projects create job readiness. Certifications add polish, but it’s capability that gets you hired.

Choosing the Right Path

Not every cyber role requires the same certifications. A SOC Analyst might aim for CySA+, while a GRC Analyst may focus more on governance frameworks. A Pen Tester might eventually target CEH or OSCP.

If you’re not sure which direction is right for you, check out our article on discovering the cyber security role that fits you best. It explains the different career pathways and how we prepare you for each one.

The Bottom Line

  • Certifications prove knowledge.

  • Experience proves capability.

  • Employers hire for capability first.

Harness gives you that capability — plus Pluralsight access so you can take the next step into certifications with confidence. You’ll graduate with the experience, the portfolio, and the resources to succeed.

👉 Ready to see how it works? Book a call with us to learn how Harness can help you break into cyber and set you up for certification success.