Harvard IT Security Short Course Worth it?

JSN

https://gs.harvardx.harvard.edu/harvard-cybersecurity-online-short-course-hm/?&ef_id=c:264552998788_d:c_n:g_ti:kwd-358440744238_p:_k:%2Binformation%20%2Bsecurity%20%2Bcertification_m:b_a:54496721459&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8bGL15WN3QIVHrjACh1-BAwkEAMYAyAAEgKgxfD_BwE#

I was interested in taking the above program, it is a short course. I'm wondering for the price of 3000 is it worth it?

Any feedback would be great.

scaredoftests

How 'short' is it? If it helps you, it is worth it.

paul78

scaredoftests wrote: »

If it helps you, it is worth it.

Agreed. Also - depends on what you want to get out of it. I didn't get the prospectus but I took a look at the course modules and it looks like a bunch of obvious generalities. Seems ridiculously pricey for knowledge that you can get from self-study for a cert like the CISSP or CISM.

Tekn0logy

JSN wrote: »

I was interested in taking the above program, it is a short course. I'm wondering for the price of 3000 is it worth it?
Any feedback would be great.

I would say not worth it. Retrieved this quote from the bottom of the page:
[FONT=&quot]Enjoy a personalized, people-mediated online learning experience that consistently achieves a 90%+ course certification rate[/FONT]

What exactly is a "Course Certification"?
Furthermore, contact details: Contact us: getsmarter.com | +44 20 3457 5774
Who is driving this course? Actual Harvard professors or is this just some company aggregating courses?
If they are not sitting you for the CISSP, CISA or CISM then will have no benefit aside from name recognition.
I wonder if you could string the same "Short Course" together at edX for free?

10Linefigure

Harvard and MIT launched edx.org , there you can find all kinds of courses, and for much cheaper

Danielm7

Tekn0logy wrote: »

benefit aside from name recognition.

I think that's likely the only reason that most people do this or the Stanford certificate too, to get that name on your resume even just to hope it stands out. If you were to actually spend 3K+ on training I'd imagine you could get as good if not much more for the price.

wd40

There was a post on LinkedIn about people putting "Harvard Alumni or Graduate" etc on their CV's or LinkedIn profiles after attending one of these courses.

Most of the responses to the post were hostile to this type of misrepresentation of facts, attending a short course in Harvard does not make you a Harvard graduate.

yoba222

wd40 wrote: »

There was a post on LinkedIn about people putting "Harvard Alumni or Graduate" etc on their CV's or LinkedIn profiles after attending one of these courses.

Most of the responses to the post were hostile to this type of misrepresentation of facts, attending a short course in Harvard does not make you a Harvard graduate.

I agree. This seems like a lame way to put the word Harvard on a resume and I could see how some might look upon it unfavorably.

cyberguypr

I tend to agree with most saying this MAY NOT be worth it. I would like to know what the OP is specifically trying to achieve. For example, I've seen scenarios where employers will reimburse tuition for programs like this, yet they will not pay training like SANS or similar. In that specific scenario this coudl bring some value ot the OP and the company.

JSN

Hi, Sorry for the late response.

I will admit the potential of having some sort of Ivy League certificate is attractive to me. However at the company I'm currently at they reimburse up to 3500 for yearly tuition. Thing is they do not reimburse for any IT certifications. And considering the price of your average tuition it won't make much of a dent, so I saw this program and entertained the idea that my company might reimburse for it.


I would not put this on a resume or call myself a Harvard graduate, but I would list it on a resume as a certificate to compliment a degree as well.


EDIT: I also wanted to add that another person in a different department has a certificate such as this. His original degree is in a completely different realm than which he currently works. And it seems as if the Harvard certificate got him ahead.



The more I read the replies, I think my best bet is focusing on a 4 year degree, and IT Security certifications such as CEH, OSCP.

UnixGuy

I'm inclined to think they're not worth it IF your goal is brand name recognition. If an employer is looking for a Harvard graduate, then this Edx is not it. If you want to do it for the knowledge, it's a different story, and I think doing a vendor or a SANS certs might have a better ROI.

JSN

UnixGuy wrote: »

I'm inclined to think they're not worth it IF your goal is brand name recognition. If an employer is looking for a Harvard graduate, then this Edx is not it. If you want to do it for the knowledge, it's a different story, and I think doing a vendor or a SANS certs might have a better ROI.

I'm really hoping it's high quality.

jelevated

The program could be high quality but its tough to tell without seeing the course contents (and I'm uninterested in signing up). Certain other similar style courses offer training from infosec super stars.

Naturally I went out and google'd it to see who might be holding the certificate, low and behold you come across this gem:

https://www.mclarens.com/ann-carvalho-earns-certificate-harvards-office-vice-provost-advances-learning/

Now this is utterly ridiculous. Congratulations to this lady for completing the course, absolutely, but to carve out a blog post...imagine if a company posted a blog post congratulating a recent CCIE on their page (something I would actually approve of), that would never happen.