So I just Recently Achieved some Certs For CompTIA, and would like some software/kernal suggestions to apply my knowledge to.

I had just spent the recent last 4-6 months studying and achieving the CompTIA N10-007 Networking+ and CompTIA SY0-501 Security+ certificates, and I'm trying to see where I can safely practice and demonstrate my knowledge from these two certificates within a VM instance with actual software one can expect to be utilized within the actual IT industry these days. I mean try as I might studying for these two, but I was unable to pull up or recognize direct software or kernel distros that utilized these features or tested my knowledge on that were representative within any sort of test example you'd get from say PASSCOMPTIA for instance.

I also don't know within the compTIA certs or direction of certs I should be achieving for should I wish to even get to dip my toes into the pool of Red Hat Ethical Hacking.

Maybe I'm just missing something, but most of the information I try to search up, doesn't exactly point me to any particular direction, or perhaps maybe I'm not asking the right answers within the search bar to come anywhere close;

Still, any information or software/kernel distros anyone here can suggest for me to play around with that can be applicable to the upper IT field is looking for in terms of cyber security or that similar is much appreciated, Thanks.