How I passed GCFW
Dear friends,
As I recently passed the GCFW silver certification, I thought I would share my study strategies with you.
Even though SANS has changed the way GIAC certifications are awarded, I still think they are very valueable to a security professional. After having completed the 502 track, I can easily see myself attending other SANS tracks in the future.
I attended a LMP (Local Mentor Program) session, but there are other ways to approach this. The most common is attending one of their conferences. The month prior to starting the LPM, I read the book "Inside Network Perimeter Security" by Stepken Northcutt (ISBN: 0-672.32737-6). The content of the book is very similar to the curriculum of the actual course thus filling out areas I were weak in, in advance.
I studied doing the following:
First, I read about a particular subject in the textbooks. Then I heard the audio files (they are very good by the way) while going over the textbooks again. After completing a subject, I did the practical assignments if I felt I needed practice in a particular area.
The week prior to taking the exams, I read the textbooks cover-to-cover. That's about it actually Very Happy I used 4 of the 6 months available.
One final note: I will definitely go for the GCFW gold later this year. I have learnt more in the 4 months of studying for the GCFW, than I have learnt by doing any of my other certifications. I highly recommend this SANS course to anyone working in network/perimeter security.
As I recently passed the GCFW silver certification, I thought I would share my study strategies with you.
Even though SANS has changed the way GIAC certifications are awarded, I still think they are very valueable to a security professional. After having completed the 502 track, I can easily see myself attending other SANS tracks in the future.
I attended a LMP (Local Mentor Program) session, but there are other ways to approach this. The most common is attending one of their conferences. The month prior to starting the LPM, I read the book "Inside Network Perimeter Security" by Stepken Northcutt (ISBN: 0-672.32737-6). The content of the book is very similar to the curriculum of the actual course thus filling out areas I were weak in, in advance.
I studied doing the following:
First, I read about a particular subject in the textbooks. Then I heard the audio files (they are very good by the way) while going over the textbooks again. After completing a subject, I did the practical assignments if I felt I needed practice in a particular area.
The week prior to taking the exams, I read the textbooks cover-to-cover. That's about it actually Very Happy I used 4 of the 6 months available.
One final note: I will definitely go for the GCFW gold later this year. I have learnt more in the 4 months of studying for the GCFW, than I have learnt by doing any of my other certifications. I highly recommend this SANS course to anyone working in network/perimeter security.
Comments
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crap I forgot my old pwd
Member Posts: 250
Excellent job man! I haven't really explored the world of SANS yet, but I do hear that their certs are mighty tough to tackle. I was looking into GIAC myself. Thanks for your input! -
JDMurray
Admin Posts: 13,099 Admin
Congratz on passing the GCFW!
Did you pay for it yourself or is your employer footing the bill? -
Webmaster
Admin Posts: 10,292 Admin
Those are the best kind of employers
Congrats and thanks for the info! -
Ten9t6
Member Posts: 691
Congrats...that is a nice one to have.Kenny
A+, Network+, Linux+, Security+, MCSE+I, MCSE:Security, MCDBA, CCNP, CCDP, CCSP, CCVP, CCIE Written (R/S, Voice),INFOSEC, JNCIA (M and FWV), JNCIS (M and FWV), ENA, C|EH, ACA, ACS, ACE, CTP, CISSP, SSCP, MCIWD, CIWSA -
darkuser
Member Posts: 620 ■■■□□□□□□□
one thing that kept me from the sans certs was writing that thesis they wanted ..... kids .... job .. no_timerm -rf /
