advice

blatblat

i've had a cruisey decade as a level 1 and 2 support technician. the most i've touched security-wise is nt user account creation, some checkpoint stuff & ad permissions management.

i'm getting to that age where i'm pumped about learning and developing myself again, and security has been something i've always had an interest in. i want to do something along those lines, even if it's just a moderate step up from what i'm already doing.

i'm wondering whether i'd be better off shooting for sscp or skipping it and churning out cissp. my focus is bang for buck/time spent. i'm more interested in a technical role than management, but there are far more businesses seeking those with cissp.

1. is it worth my while pushing to get cissp, despite being a ways off having it 'active' and being more interested in a technical role?
2. should i just get sscp which i might be able to activate immediately, and is also more geared toward the work i'd be interested in doing?

the_hutch

So what your asking really, is Associate of ISC2 or SSCP? That's a tough one. I can't say I've done enough research to say that one or the other is going to be more valuable. But I'd say go for SSCP unless you are already working in security. You only have a few years (I think 5???) to acquire the required work experience for your Associate of ISC2 to mature into a CISSP. If you don't satisfy that requirement because you are unable to find something in security, then you just wasted a lot of time and money. Based on your situation...I'd say SSCP.

emerald_octane

You get six years for associate of isc2. Then of course you only have to do 4 years of experience if you have a college degree or a certification which is mind blowing considering that you can cram for an MCITP in a weekend and get a full freaking year off .

I'm going to be probably one of the longest running associates of (isc)² there has ever been simply because most of my IT experience has been part time/internship based. I won't be eligible for full vest until around 2015 but I have until 2018. I am now in a security focused position so I decided to just get the CISSP exam out of the way and just let it vest. I can tell you having Associate of ISC2 toward CISSP in my linked in profile has increased the number of recruiters that are looking my way; probably looking for fully bonafied CISSPs but still. I have been given more authority at work and I enjoy doing the CPEs because it forces me to think outside of my realm.

Bottom line, if you are already in an infosec position, go for associate so you can let it vest. If you aren't infosec related, I wouldn't gamble that you'd be able to find an infosec position in 1 or 2 years (if you have a college degree) so you still have time to acquire the full experience. You DO NOT want to have to take that stupid test again.

JDMurray

Check the job postings you are most interested in. Are any of them asking for the SSCP, or are they all specifying the CISSP (or GSEC or CISM or CISA)? What's the ratio of SSCP or CISSP? Maybe there is another cert or two that stands out as well?

If employment is your goal, let the job postings guide you.