Udemy issues a certificate of completion for every course you finish. That piece of paper is not a certification. The confusion costs some learners six months of prep time and a failed exam — because they trained for the wrong thing. If you landed here searching "udemy certification," that distinction is the most important thing you'll read today.
Here's the actual picture: Udemy is a delivery platform. The certifications — CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, AWS, PMP — are issued by the certifying bodies after you pass a proctored exam. Udemy courses (including Mike Meyers' widely-used ones) are the study material. Pass the course, get a completion badge. Pass the exam, get the credential that hiring managers actually recognize.
Mike Meyers sits at the intersection of both worlds better than almost anyone on the platform. His CompTIA prep courses on Udemy have helped hundreds of thousands of students clear exams that genuinely move careers. This article breaks down what his courses cover, where they fit in a real study plan, and what the Udemy certificate itself is — and isn't — worth.
What "Udemy Certification" Actually Means
When someone Googles "udemy certification," they usually mean one of three things:
- Udemy's certificate of completion — auto-issued when you finish a course. It's shareable on LinkedIn and looks fine as a learning signal, but no employer will confuse it with a CompTIA, AWS, or Google credential.
- Certification prep courses on Udemy — courses designed to prepare you for an external, proctored exam. This is Mike Meyers' territory.
- Udemy Business certificates — enterprise learners completing assigned learning paths get completion records in their LMS. Again, these are completion records, not credentials.
The only path to a credential that changes your W-2 is option 2: use Udemy as prep, then sit the actual exam. Meyers' courses are explicitly built for that purpose.
Mike Meyers on Udemy: The Certification Prep Case
Meyers has been building IT curriculum since the early 1990s. His textbooks are the ones CompTIA A+ candidates have been dogearing for two decades. When he moved to Udemy, he brought the same structure: concept explanation, hands-on demonstration, then exam-objective mapping so you know exactly which domain each lesson covers.
His three flagship courses cover the CompTIA trifecta:
CompTIA A+ (220-1101 / 220-1102)
Over 40 hours across both core exams. Hardware teardowns, OS troubleshooting, basic networking, mobile device management, security fundamentals. Meyers uses physical hardware on camera — not slides with diagrams. The course gets updated when CompTIA revises the objectives, which matters because outdated A+ material is everywhere. Enrollment is typically 200,000+, which gives you an active Q&A thread where common sticking points are already answered.
CompTIA Network+ (N10-009)
Around 25 hours covering subnetting, routing protocols, switching, wireless, and network security. The subnetting section alone is worth the price for most people — Meyers uses a method that makes the math stick without rote memorization. Network+ is the practical prerequisite most helpdesk-to-sysadmin transitions require.
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
The cybersecurity entry credential that DoD 8570 mandates for contractors and that most enterprise security roles list as baseline. Meyers covers threat actors, cryptography, IAM, risk management, and incident response — all mapped to the current exam domains. Security+ holders earn a median salary 10-15% higher than A+-only techs in most metro markets.
The honest limitation: Meyers' courses are video-heavy and concept-forward. They're less strong on practice questions. Most students supplement with Jason Dion's question banks or the official CompTIA CertMaster Practice tool. Budget for both.
Is the Udemy Certification Course Worth It vs. Alternatives?
Meyers' courses typically run $15-20 during Udemy's near-constant sales. The CompTIA official training retails at $400+ per exam track. Professor Messer offers free video content but no lab demos. CBT Nuggets runs $59/month with better labs but higher ongoing cost.
For most self-studiers, the math lands on: Meyers' Udemy course ($15-20) + a practice exam bank ($20-30) + the exam voucher itself ($250-350). Total under $400 for a credential that, at entry level, is often the difference between getting the interview and not.
The Udemy certificate of completion you get after finishing the course carries zero weight in that equation. What carries weight is passing the proctored exam Pearson VUE administers.
Top Courses for Understanding the Udemy Platform
If you're approaching Udemy certification prep from the instructor or enterprise admin side — building training programs, deploying Udemy Business, or creating your own courses — these are the relevant resources:
Udemy Business Onboarding Course for Admins
If you're an L&D or IT admin deploying Udemy Business for an organization, this course covers the admin console, user provisioning, and learning path setup — the operational knowledge that gets a rollout done without back-and-forth with Udemy support.
Achieve Udemy Success with Course Marketing
For instructors who've built a certification prep course and want students to find it, this covers Udemy's search algorithm, pricing strategy, and external promotion — the unglamorous side of course publishing that determines whether your material gets discovered.
Amazon Video Direct, Skillshare And Udemy
Covers multi-platform distribution for course creators who want to publish the same content across Udemy, Skillshare, and Amazon Video Direct — useful for instructors building certification prep content who want to maximize reach beyond a single marketplace.
How to Create and Sell Courses on Udemy
A practical walkthrough of the Udemy course creation and publishing process, from recording setup to the review queue — relevant if you're thinking about building your own certification prep material rather than buying it.
FAQ: Udemy Certification Questions
Does a Udemy certificate count as a real certification?
No. Udemy certificates of completion document that you watched the course. They're a learning signal, not a credential. Actual certifications — CompTIA, AWS, Google, PMP — require passing a separate, proctored exam administered by the issuing body. Udemy courses help you prepare for those exams; they don't replace them.
How long does it take to complete a Mike Meyers Udemy certification course?
The CompTIA A+ course runs about 40 hours of video. Most students spread that over 6-10 weeks while also doing hands-on practice. Network+ is around 25 hours. Security+ is similar. Add time for practice exams — most people need 2-4 weeks of dedicated question drilling before sitting the actual exam.
Are Mike Meyers' courses kept up to date with current exam objectives?
Generally yes, but check the "last updated" date on the Udemy course page before buying. CompTIA A+ moved to the 1101/1102 objectives and Security+ moved to SY0-701. Outdated versions still exist and rank in search — make sure the course maps to the current exam number.
Can I use Udemy Business for CompTIA certification prep?
Udemy Business (the enterprise tier) includes a curated library, but not every individual course is included. Mike Meyers' courses may or may not be in your organization's licensed library depending on the plan. Check your org's catalog, or purchase directly if the courses aren't available through Business.
What do employers think of Udemy certificates?
Recruiters and hiring managers at most companies understand that Udemy completion certificates aren't credentials. They may view them positively as a signal of self-directed learning, but they won't substitute for a CompTIA, AWS, or other vendor certification when the job description lists one as a requirement.
Is Mike Meyers better than Professor Messer for CompTIA prep?
Different strengths. Messer is free, concise, and covers objectives methodically. Meyers uses more hands-on hardware demos and a more conversational teaching style that some learners find easier to follow for long sessions. Many candidates use both: Messer for objective-by-objective review, Meyers for conceptual depth. Neither replaces dedicated practice exams.
Bottom Line
If you're searching for "udemy certification" to figure out whether Udemy courses can replace a real IT credential — they can't, and that's not their purpose. What they can do is cut your study costs from $400+ to under $50 for world-class prep material.
Mike Meyers' CompTIA courses on Udemy are among the most cost-effective paths to A+, Network+, and Security+ available. The teaching style holds up over 40 hours, the content tracks current exam objectives, and the community Q&A is large enough to be genuinely useful. The completion certificate you earn is irrelevant to hiring — what matters is the CompTIA credential you earn by passing the proctored exam afterward.
If you're building or administering certification training at an organizational level, the Udemy Business and course-creation resources above address the platform side of that work.
Buy the Meyers course during a sale (Udemy runs them constantly), add a practice exam bank, schedule the real exam within 90 days, and don't let "finished the Udemy course" become a psychological substitute for actually sitting the test.