Professional Certifications.... part deux!

[HughJarse]

Hi, I manage our education technicians - they all have degrees and the microsoft certificates are something we look for, but youre more than qualified to be working in a school. If I could suggest you look at where you want to be and then plan your route to get there. Find your job and then enquire as to necessary qualifications.

 

[Spinal]

Bringing back another ancient post (I should look at a career in archaeology) to ask a quick question that is VERY related...

The "certification of the month" atm for the jobs I'm looking at seems to be the CISSP one... leaving aside that it looks quite expensive (renewal every 3 years in addition to the £300 exam fee + training)... does anyone have this?

Any comments on the CISSP?

I need to set my goals for the coming year, and I'm undecided between furthering my ITIL certification (at v3 foundation now), doing a CISSP or the CEH (CEH is more something I think would be fun; very few employers seem to be asking for this) or CISA...

Ideas?

M.

EDIT: To answer Hugh's question; I'm undecided between two career paths... I'm looking at getting into either IT management or IT security (or a blend of the two). That said, IT management seems to be oversubscribed at the moment, so going into security now seems like the smarter choice...

EDIT2: From a job posting I've been looking at (that otherwise looks quite good)

- Knowledge of current and future security threats

Now that would be really nice to know!

 

[Nik_Endeavour]

Michele, I would recommend CCNA as route to CCNP. Try and play aorund with the CCNA materials (I am sure you can find a source) and buy some cheap equipment. No need to pay someone to teach you that.

I took my CCNA about 4 years ago and found it reasonable. I now teach at local college N+ which I have found suprisingly informative.

With regards to courses that give you a combined CCNA/MCSE (which I do not hold at high regard anyway) in a short amount of time (1-2 weeks) I think they are overpriced and you will not learn anything. They usually focus on possible questions that might come in the exam and play a percentage game. When you have a real problem in a real life situation you are going to get stuck.

 

[saorbust]

I have a Masters in ITIL, (that's MSc) plus the Managers Certificate.

It's a great way of learning the framework - but to back someone else - the application is the key thing. Honestly I don't use it daily - in fact not for years, but the principles are sound and ensure you look at the wider scope of things.

Secondly, I'd try to get someone else to pay for it. You have a lot on already - so I'd do the foundation certificate - and then look to a large employer to potentially take you through the Managers course.

Thirdly I'd recommend you consider professional memberships as well. With your existing skills try the BCS, for CITP. I wouldn't go for any other memberships beyond that. If you need a referral for CITP let me know and I'll be happy to give you one. The only reason I recommend BCS above the others, is because of the access you get to various networking events and so forth - which might help you going forward.

Best of luck.

 

[Spinal]

I have a Masters in ITIL, (that's MSc) plus the Managers Certificate.

It's a great way of learning the framework - but to back someone else - the application is the key thing. Honestly I don't use it daily - in fact not for years, but the principles are sound and ensure you look at the wider scope of things.

Secondly, I'd try to get someone else to pay for it. You have a lot on already - so I'd do the foundation certificate - and then look to a large employer to potentially take you through the Managers course.

Thirdly I'd recommend you consider professional memberships as well. With your existing skills try the BCS, for CITP. I wouldn't go for any other memberships beyond that. If you need a referral for CITP let me know and I'll be happy to give you one. The only reason I recommend BCS above the others, is because of the access you get to various networking events and so forth - which might help you going forward.

Best of luck.

It's an old thread - since the first post in the thread I've already done the v3 foundation to ITIL and am a member of both BCS and IET/IEEE. Thanks for the offer, but I can't be chartered by BCS yet though - need more experience Kind-of like the CISSP...

M.

 

[Nik_Endeavour]

Just thinking,

I live right where BCS is based and have never joined. Just done some online research but wondering on first hand experience is it worth being a member?

 

[Spinal]

Just thinking,

I live right where BCS is based and have never joined. Just done some online research but wondering on first hand experience is it worth being a member?

They do ALOT of organised meetings and conference-type things, it can be useful if you want to keep informed - or if like me, you need to jump at any opportunity to network that comes your way...

 

[Deker]

I need to set my goals for the coming year, and I'm undecided between furthering my ITIL certification (at v3 foundation now), doing a CISSP or the CEH (CEH is more something I think would be fun; very few employers seem to be asking for this) or CISA...

Ideas?

Hiya,

I've just got back from a CEH v6 course and to be honest I don't think it's worth the price tag as a lot of the course was out of date and it just seemed like padding.

Chances are if you've played about with unix\linux for a while you'll probably know most of the tools anyway, if they cut all of the padding out of the course it wouldn't fill 2 days.

The wireless hacking was fun but very short lived and I think that is what should have been covered more.

I'll send you a PM of the more useful tools that were covered if you want and if you play with them you can probably just do the exam and save a fair amount of money!

Have you thought about a Prince2 course?



Dek

 

[Spinal]

Hiya,

I've just got back from a CEH v6 course and to be honest I don't think it's worth the price tag as a lot of the course was out of date and it just seemed like padding.

Chances are if you've played about with unix\linux for a while you'll probably know most of the tools anyway, if they cut all of the padding out of the course it wouldn't fill 2 days.

The wireless hacking was fun but very short lived and I think that is what should have been covered more.

I'll send you a PM of the more useful tools that were covered if you want and if you play with them you can probably just do the exam and save a fair amount of money!

Have you thought about a Prince2 course?



Dek

Thanks for that!

I wasn't planning on doing the course - all my disposable income (and a large part of my non-disposable one as well ) goes towards paying my masters; so any certification I do I self-study "on the cheap".

I've got the 6-DVD CEH training package with the tools, but to be frank - I haven't had a minute to look at what's on them!

Regarding prince - I did think of it, but I thought it was/is fairly "parallel" to the ITIL line?

m.

 

[fyonn]

The "certification of the month" atm for the jobs I'm looking at seems to be the CISSP one... leaving aside that it looks quite expensive (renewal every 3 years in addition to the £300 exam fee + training)... does anyone have this?

Any comments on the CISSP?

yeah, I'm CISSP certified. it's okay. I did it as a boot camp, ie a very intensive week where there is a lot to learn and then the exam on the last day. hard work but it got it done and over with. warning, the exam for CISSP is 6 hours straight. multiple choice, but it's "chose the most correct answer"

as for the content, well, a fair bit of it I knew, some I didn't. There were definately questions where the answer they wanted was not the practical answer you'd do in real life, but you kinda learn to know what answer they want to see.

don't forget that if you get CISSP, you need to get CPE points during the year too, 40 a year basically and those points are made up from security related educational things you do during the year. it can be a pain, but then it's also a good excuse to go to conferences and stuff (last years ISF congress in spain earned me nearly half my haul for the year).

how useful it is I don't know. I did it last year and I still work for the same place, so I've not seen how effective it is on a CV for example, but still doesn't hurt.

dave