Is Security+ the right certification for me?
Hey Folks!
I 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!
I 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!

Comments
I have worked on IBM middleware tools such as DataPower, Message Broker, MQ etc. using XML, XSLT, ESQL etc.
I am not sure whether I would want to go back to pure technical role post my MBA.
Security Engineer/Analyst/Geek, Red & Blue Teams
OSCP, GCFA, GWAPT, CISSP, OSWP, AWS SA-A, AWS Security, Sec+, Linux+, CCNA Cyber Ops, CCSK
2021 goals: maybe AWAE or SLAE, bunch o' courses and red team labs?
I too am worried that I might end up under selling myself post my MBA. My natural inclination was towards CISSP, CISM and CISA (in same order), but I was not sure about the experience requirements.
Majority of my experience (around 5+ years) was working on IBM DataPower, which provides security, control, integration and optimized access to a full range of mobile, web, application programming interface (API), service-oriented architecture (SOA), B2B and cloud workloads.
Following are the security related features I remember working on:
AAA implementation, XML Firewall, configured crypto objects, Kerberos, Encryption/Decryption, Web Application Firewall (WAF), configured SSL profiles for client and server etc.
These were not the focus of my role. However, DataPower was primarily being used as secure gateway, hence I had to deal with security related stuff most of the time.
I have no idea how much will this contribute to the work requirement for CISSP. I will try to dig more and see where this experience can lead me to.
Thanks again!
Who we are | What we do
Security+, eJPT, CySA+, PenTest+,
Cisco CyberOps, GCIH, VHL,
In progress: OSCP
The certifications you have mentioned are quite technical. I already have decent software development experience, and do not want to get back to similar role after my MBA.
I have planned to start with Security+, and will then eventually move on to CISSP. I want to do something which helps me enter the Cybersecurity field, and an entry level certification such as Security+ will help me build a strong foundation.
I have started preparing for Security+, and will hopefully get this out of the way very soon and get a couple more certifications before I resume my MBA term in September.
These will give more credibility to my profile and lay a strong foundation for my prep towards CISSP, CISM etc.
Who we are | What we do
Hopefully I passed it soon and experienced experts on here will show me more route towards passing the CISSP next .
So I will say the decision to take the Security+ is a good step to be honest .Good luck with studies and keep us posted with development
Future Goals: DevOps, CASP+, Server+, Linux+, Red Hat, PenTest+