What do you do with a MSIA and MSIS

philz1982

I'm about a year away from my MSIA and my MSIS being done. What do folks do with these degrees. I have to admit, I mainly went and got the degree because it was paid for and I like learning. However, I like money also and I'm curious what those of you with an MSIA/MSIS do?

-Phil

BradleyHU

DoD is looking for pplz with MS:ISA. I know they have a scholarship for it, but I'm sure they're also looking at pplz who earned it on their own dime...

colemic

Philz,

I have the MSISA and am a network security engineer... but in reality, that's one of many hats I wear here. Really wanting to get out of the more technical, and into the more strategic/GRC side; that just takes time (and laying groundwork for a new position, LOL) where I currently work. It's definitely not what I want to do the rest of my career.

Just a side note, the DoD scholarship requires a time commitment after completion, and I am pretty sure it would involved a move, if you weren't already in the DC area.

zxbane

I don't have my MSISA yet unlike Colemic but I am wrapping my MBA up with a concentration in Info Sys Management and plan to go for the MSISA next and plan to stick with the strategic/GRC side of things more so than the technical side as well. Part of that is also due to the fact that I seem to enjoy/grasp the GRC concepts more so than the technical side of things.

Nersesian

I recently finished my MBA with an emphasis in IT Management and am just starting down the road for the MS IS&A. These will essentially serve as my preparation for the CISSP beginning in 18 months or so. I'm an IT Director now stateside and would like to move into a CIO position in the European market with an emphasis in internal compliance with a multi-site organization.

I'm 35 now and realize I'm not going to be down for that much travel past the next 10-15 years, so I would like to get this whole euro fantasy out of my head before it becomes too difficult. Longer term, I would like to stay in a CIO role. Whether or not that's going to be stateside remains to be seen.

The way its been explained to me is the higher the qualifications, the easier it is to get corporate sponsorship for some of the more popular western European countries. Think windmills and canals.

philz1982

Appreciate all the feedback so far. Not really looking to move into the DoD with the location requirement and what would be a, I assume, a massive reduction in pay. Right now I manage all the technology partners for a Fortune 75 company and I am responsible for the technology design and integration design for all of the smart buildings we build. I'm looking to get out of the buildings business and into either a more product architecture or security role. My ultimate goal is to be a CTO. Not sure how to design my next step though.

@ Nersesian, why are you waiting on the CISSP. It's a pretty easy exam to study for it's just long @ 6 hours. I found the Cisco CCNA exams to be harder then the CISSP.

Nersesian

- @ Nersesian, why are you waiting on the CISSP. It's a pretty easy exam to study for it's just long @ 6 hours. I found the Cisco CCNA exams to be harder then the CISSP.

A few reasons:

- Someone I personally know and respect labeled the CISSP "The Beast". He said it was one of the most difficult exams he had ever sat for and reduced him to tears on one occasion. I need to know I'm prepared for it.
- I'm not great at focusing on one topic for longer than an hour or two. Its taken me a long time to get to the point I'm at, but I understand my own shortcomings. I have to know the material cold before testing.
- The ten domains contained within the CISSP are straightforward, but I don't hit these on a regular basis. I want to knock out my MS program and then start down the CISSP route while everything is fresh in my mind. I can't multitask (successfully) when I'm studying, so I have to take these one at a time.
- I have a few things to resolve before I start to segway out of the country and want to ensure a the CISSP renewal date doesn't coincide with something I'm already working on. I plan these things out at least 18 months in advance and don't want to be just settling into a new gig and have to contend with taking the exam again.

tl;dr: I know my own limitations, schedule and habits. Difficulty is relative.