Work Study Course Choices?

belledern

Hi all,

First time poster here, so please excuse any mistakes I may have made making this post.

I signed up for the SANS work study program for 2 different events/conferences. In the application where you need to choose the courses you want to sit in on, I did what others have suggested to do and ranked them from 1-10 instead of choosing 1 and ranking the others 0.

The thing is that there's only one course (SEC401) that I really want to be present at (out of both events), and don't fancy spending ~$1600 on a course I'm not that interested/qualified for.

Do you think I should contact SANS to say I made a mistake on the applications, and re-enter with the 1 choice, or leave it as is and hope I get picked for my number 1 choice?

Just note that this would be the first SANS course I have been to, and have not gotten a GIAC cert before.

Thanks in advance

chrisone

belledern said:

In the application where you need to choose the courses you want to sit in on, I did what others have suggested to do and ranked them from 1-10 instead of choosing 1 and ranking the others 0.

Do you think I should contact SANS to say I made a mistake on the applications, and re-enter with the 1 choice, or leave it as is and hope I get picked for my number 1 choice?

I don’t believe you can mark the others 0. Work study programs are given as is, its a need to need basis. They will place you where they have openings and they actually really do try to honor your top choices. It’s MOST probable they see any application with 1 entry (which I believe is impossible) and trash it immediately. 

Keep what you have and be grateful if you get selected for a course. $1500 for a sans course and to participate in the work study program is a lucky situation. If you get any courses you did not want at least from your top 5-7 then I understand spending money on that course may not benefit you. Just decline and try again. Good luck and remember this is done as a need by need basis, not on what we demand to be selected for.

cyberguypr

Interesting fact: the majority of the work study applications that i submitted forced me to put a number in every box. This morning I submitted an application for my 7th work study and it allowed me to enter only two numbers for classes I really wanted. SANS gods smiled on me I guess.

TechGromit

cyberguypr said:

Interesting fact: the majority of the work study applications that i submitted forced me to put a number in every box. This morning I submitted an application for my 7th work study and it allowed me to enter only two numbers for classes I really wanted. SANS gods smiled on me I guess.

They are probably starting to wise up, why go through the trouble of selecting someone to facilitate for a course they really don't want and have them turn it down, you have to go though several other selections before someone is willing to fill the role.  For course they have difficulty finding facilitators for, I think they should allow you to do a course you don't really want (you don't get the books, your just there to support the instructor), and give you the home study version of the course you really do want.    

COBOL_DOS_ERA

Couldn't agree more with TechGromit,  I just received this work-study application status update, like an hour before "you have been selected to facilitate in (SEC566: Implementing and Auditing the Critical Security Controls - In-Depth at SANS Security East 2019)."  SEC 566 was my 8th choice, MGT514 was my first. Unfortunately, since from the first week of January to mid-March I will be out of the county, I had to decline the offer.

" For course they have difficulty finding facilitators for, I think they should allow you to do a course you don't really want (you don't get the books, your just there to support the instructor), and give you the home study version of the course you really do want. ""  TechGromit, are you reading my mind, I had the same exacts thought.

I wish they would go on that route. For my situation, if I was not going out of the country I wouldn't mind facilitating SEC566 but would have wanted them to give me on-demand access to MGT514. I hope, in near future, they will go on that route, its a win-win for both parties. Those, who have been to the advisory board, and know some instructor in SANS, could you guys bring this wonderful alternative solution to their attention, and see if they would entertain this idea down the line.

TechGromit

promethuschow said:

Unfortunately, since from the first week of January to mid-March I will be out of the county, I had to decline the offer.

Does anyone know if you decline a work study offer, are you blacklisted from getting any future consideration?

cyberguypr

No blacklisting AFAIK. I've declined a couple and done others afterwards. 

COBOL_DOS_ERA

@cyberguypr, thank you for the info.