Need Advice

akxshay

Hey Folks!

While I introduce myself, I also seek some advice on which certification should I take?

I have 7 years of I.T experience with focus on Software Development. Because I was working for a bank, I have dealt with security aspects of software development, but it was not the major focus. Because of my bachelors in I.T and 7 years of I.T experience I know the basics of information security.

I am currently doing my MBA (in Business Analytics) from a premier institute in Canada, and also doing my internship as "Cybersecurity, Risk and Compliance Analyst". Even though it is an internship, it is as good as a full-time role. I will do 8 months of internship in this role, during my MBA.

I was always interested in Cybersecurity, but never looked at making a career out of it. While doing my internship, I realized that I will want to continue working in this field.

Post my MBA in 2020, I will try to look for roles in this field. However, I am not sure how much my bachelors, I.T experience and 8 months of Cybersecurity experience will help me to get a full-time role after my MBA.

I have 4 months of free time, so I wanted to look at the possibility of doing a certification so that I can market myself better. After that I will get back to strenuous MBA curriculum, and will not be able to invest time for certification prep until May 2020.

I really wanted to know what certifications should I do which will help me get a Cybersecurity role after my MBA. CISSP, CISA, CISM are out of question due to experience requirements.

After following several threads, CompTIA Security+ seems like the right option for me, and I can later build on by taking other certifications. Please advise whether taking this certification will be of any help.

Thanks in advance!

beads

Security+ is a good start for any InfoSec based career. Following on with technical training such as the CCNA (R and S and Security) would also help bolster your technical skills. Biggest complaint I have with people suddenly trying to break into the field is the complete lack of technical skill in general. Just spoke with a candidate about a lead security position with no idea what the seven layers of the OSI are about. We didn't make it to Wireshark.

Oh it was a bad Friday. Real bad.

Good luck with your studies.

akxshay

beads said:

Security+ is a good start for any InfoSec based career. Following on with technical training such as the CCNA (R and S and Security) would also help bolster your technical skills. Biggest complaint I have with people suddenly trying to break into the field is the complete lack of technical skill in general. Just spoke with a candidate about a lead security position with no idea what the seven layers of the OSI are about. We didn't make it to Wireshark.

Oh it was a bad Friday. Real bad.

Good luck with your studies.

Thanks for your response. I agree it is important to have a decent technical base for such roles!