First Major Cert - CSNA - Need a "Roadmap" to Success / Budget Meeting Help
Hey all.
I may be attending the Network Security 2015 SANS training in September (working out the budget now). I plan on attending the "AUD507" course, which opens the door for the CSNA exam.
To add a bit of context, I should state that I'm rather new to all of this. Though I have a Master's in IT, with a focus on InfoSec, I don't have much practical experience. I work as an Information Security Administrator performing IS / HIPAA Compliance audits at a relatively well-respected hospital. I'm new to the team, but have some great mentors over me.
So - I guess I'm asking how this all goes down. These courses are CRAZY expensive, and I need to know how to propose this at a budget meeting.
- The course itself lists its cost on the site. Though it does a very good job of breaking down the modules in the course, It doesn't say if it's a mandatory prerequesite for the CSNA certification. This won't be difficult to justify during the budget meeting. They'll either go for it, or not.
- The CSNA certification itself is an additional cost, but discounted if training is attended. This might be a bit more tricky to justify, but I think my organization reimburses for this sort of thing upon passing.
- There is also an additional optional cost for online "OnDemand" training material. Likely even more tricky to justify.
As I understand it, I'm looking at about $10k in training, certification, lodging, meals, and airfare.
So, my questions:
- Does the training event give me all of the material I need to use during the exam? I hear it's an open-book exam, and that several books are needed.
- Is the benefit of using "OnDemand" worth the investment, or can a sharp mind do without? (Given that they have all of the physical training materials.)
I may be attending the Network Security 2015 SANS training in September (working out the budget now). I plan on attending the "AUD507" course, which opens the door for the CSNA exam.
To add a bit of context, I should state that I'm rather new to all of this. Though I have a Master's in IT, with a focus on InfoSec, I don't have much practical experience. I work as an Information Security Administrator performing IS / HIPAA Compliance audits at a relatively well-respected hospital. I'm new to the team, but have some great mentors over me.
So - I guess I'm asking how this all goes down. These courses are CRAZY expensive, and I need to know how to propose this at a budget meeting.
- The course itself lists its cost on the site. Though it does a very good job of breaking down the modules in the course, It doesn't say if it's a mandatory prerequesite for the CSNA certification. This won't be difficult to justify during the budget meeting. They'll either go for it, or not.
- The CSNA certification itself is an additional cost, but discounted if training is attended. This might be a bit more tricky to justify, but I think my organization reimburses for this sort of thing upon passing.
- There is also an additional optional cost for online "OnDemand" training material. Likely even more tricky to justify.
As I understand it, I'm looking at about $10k in training, certification, lodging, meals, and airfare.
So, my questions:
- Does the training event give me all of the material I need to use during the exam? I hear it's an open-book exam, and that several books are needed.
- Is the benefit of using "OnDemand" worth the investment, or can a sharp mind do without? (Given that they have all of the physical training materials.)
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