CISSP or Bachelors next?

Codeman6669

Hey everyone,

Im about to finish up the CCNP R&S and im thinking about what is next. I currently work in the networking field and am trying to get in with an ISP once i have the CCNP. I really want to get into INFOSEC. Thats always been my goal. However i can get a good portion of my schooling paid for with CISSP or bachelors. But which is going to be best for me?
I plan to do 3-4 months after the ccnp and study python to get some programming knowledge under my belt before jumping into my next big thing. (I will have completed N+,CCNA,CCNP in a row without much breaks between)

Any insight is appreciated.

dhay13

I would say both but....it depends on the requirements of the jobs you are looking for. The B.S. is only an HR filter in my opinion. I feel experience trumps education every time but it doesn't hurt to have both. If you want to get to the higher levels then I think the B.S. will be a requirement in most cases. In terms of timeline, the CISSP can be had quicker so that might be the way to go. Do you have the required experience for the CISSP? If not then I would definitely do the B.S. first.

That being said, I don't think the CISSP will help much until you have several years of security experience. A B.S. will help right away with any job to at least get interviews. A B.S. in the security area would help get those entry level infosec jobs and the CISSP will help you advance your career later.

OctalDump

Where are you starting from? Do you have (or almost have) the experience requirement for CISSP? Do you have an Associates degree? Or are you starting from near scratch with both?

A CISSP is likely to give you an immediate boost, and make you stand out more than a Bachelor's would. But I think longer term, maybe a bachelor's has more value. It's likely to give you more rounded knowledge and also allow you to pursue a Master's.

But it really depends on where you are now.

TheFORCE

Something I learned from much older people than me when I had the same type of questions. The decision is really easy, based on your current situation, do what will take you longer to complete, the years go by fast and you cant get back lost time. With that said get your Bachelor's first, get the degree and then the CISSP. The CISSP you can take when you are 40-50 years old. The degree will get more and more difficult the longer you wait and the older you get. I'm talking from experience as someone who took a year off from completed the degree and then went back to finish it. Degree first, you will get it out of the way and you then can focus on other things in your life with no stress.

EANx

TheFORCE wrote: »

The degree will get more and more difficult the longer you wait and the older you get. I'm talking from experience as someone who took a year off from completed the degree and then went back to finish it. Degree first, you will get it out of the way and you then can focus on other things in your life with no stress.

I disagree that a degree gets harder as you get older. I was on the 25-year plan and when I went back for the final 40 credits, I did it while working 55 hrs a week in a war zone and taking 9-10 credits per semester. Had the degree been in something outside of IT it would have been a different story but when you have been doing the work, taking classes and exams on it is insanely easy.

That said, I do think that checking the bachelor's degree box is important for a later career but if you have the security experience to leverage the CISSP (as opposed to fluff used to qualify for the cert), the cert will provide a better immediate payoff.

Codeman6669

ah, some very good advice here.

Yes i def. don't have the experience needed for CISSP at this time. I think with that advice alone, I'm probably best of doing the bachelors. I think it will open up doors in the future and probably pay for itself.

Your guys perspective/advice is invaluable and i greatly appreciate it.

jamesleecoleman

Why not go for the SSCP and then for the CISSP?

TechGuru80

I would get the Bachelors first because of the time commitment required, and the fact that you will get disqualified from positions without having a degree.

jelevated

Get Bachelors first then get CISSP, use bachelors as one year off experience requirement iirc (it may only be masters, one of those).

Keep in mind that most people you will compete with have both CISSP and a Bachelors. Many have a masters as well.

I don't have the stats on if most people have atleast a bachelors but most everyone I run into with the CISSP does.