GIAC certs without official training
Has anyone taken any GIAC certs without taking the official SANS training?
With the courses being so expensive I can only get the exams paid for by my employer so I was curious if anyones had success with passing any exams (Especially GCED or GCIH) by just self studying?
With the courses being so expensive I can only get the exams paid for by my employer so I was curious if anyones had success with passing any exams (Especially GCED or GCIH) by just self studying?
Comments
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docrice
Member Posts: 1,706 ■■■■■■■■■■
A couple of people on this forum have. You can read a lot of non-SANS books or other material out there and pass the exam, but it takes quite a bit of effort. Can be done and props to you if you can do it.Hopefully-useful stuff I've written: http://kimiushida.com/bitsandpieces/articles/ -
636-555-3226
Member Posts: 975 ■■■■■□□□□□
The value in SANS / GIAC is the training. The GIAC cert itself rarely does much for you as very few job postings ask for it (although that is starting to change). Also, the tests are based off of the books. As long as you have a good index, it's hard to fail a GIAC test if you have the books in front of you. Without the books you'll obviously be more challenged, but if you're very familiar with the subject matter then it is possible to pass. -
kiki162
Member Posts: 635 ■■■■■□□□□□
Many have done GSEC on their own (myself included). Some have gone the self study route with other GIAC certs, but it really doesn't replace what you need from the books themselves. Take a look at work-study, and they also have some Community SANS events in Seattle that you can do work study for. For $1100 (not including hotel) you really can't beat the price. Plus, another thing to add is if the course you take is related to what you do in your job, you can claim the expense on your taxes for next year. If you can't travel, you can always do vLive twice a week for 6 weeks, or do the Simulcast at live events.