Security Job Requirements (Degrees and Certifications)

OctalDump

Remedymp wrote: »

You also have to factor in skill set in terms of what's in demand.

What does "in demand" mean, though? There might be lots of jobs asking for "x" but if lots of people have "x", ie the supply is good or maybe even exceeds demand, then maybe pursuing "x" isn't that worthwhile. On the other hand, there might not be many jobs asking for "y" but the supply for "y" might be very low, making it easier to get a job once you have "y".

Superficial analysis of job listings doesn't easily answer a question like that. One thing that might shed some light is how long listings stay open. If a job listing is up for 2 months, it could indicate that the position still hasn't been filled.

And you are still stuck with how you pick keywords. Probably you'd want to compare frequency of words/phrase against a baseline of all job listings, to find terms that are specific to particular roles (eg excellent communication skills vs SIEM). But it's still possible that you'd just pick up industry buzzwords that don't mean a hell of a lot. Add to this the problem that job listings aren't always good at detailing what the employer actually wants or needs with good specificity, and it's pretty clear that this is at best "a nudge in the right direction".

Remedymp

OctalDump wrote: »

What does "in demand" mean, though? There might be lots of jobs asking for "x" but if lots of people have "x", ie the supply is good or maybe even exceeds demand, then maybe pursuing "x" isn't that worthwhile. On the other hand, there might not be many jobs asking for "y" but the supply for "y" might be very low, making it easier to get a job once you have "y".

Superficial analysis of job listings doesn't easily answer a question like that. One thing that might shed some light is how long listings stay open. If a job listing is up for 2 months, it could indicate that the position still hasn't been filled.

And you are still stuck with how you pick keywords. Probably you'd want to compare frequency of words/phrase against a baseline of all job listings, to find terms that are specific to particular roles (eg excellent communication skills vs SIEM). But it's still possible that you'd just pick up industry buzzwords that don't mean a hell of a lot. Add to this the problem that job listings aren't always good at detailing what the employer actually wants or needs with good specificity, and it's pretty clear that this is at best "a nudge in the right direction".

It's in the article link.

TechGromit

DatabaseHead wrote: »

Does this sound right to you? Reading one book and passing an exam? Not knocking the cert, but that would be pretty sweet if that's all you needed.

Some people are better at retaining information that others. I'm not one of those people who can read one book on a topic like the CISSP or CCNA and pass the exam. It takes a lot of study time. I honestly don't think I would have passed my GCIH if it wasn't open book, but I think I could have passed the GSEC without the books. I studied a LOT for the GSEC exam.

OctalDump

DatabaseHead wrote: »

Does this sound right to you? Reading one book and passing an exam? Not knocking the cert, but that would be pretty sweet if that's all you needed.

I'm sure there's people that do this. My guess is that they probably have one of two, and likely both, characteristics: they were very familiar with the content before reading the book, they are very smart. Both those things help a lot with working in the field, anyway.