As the title indicates, I passed the GIAC GSEC exam today! It was a really cool process from beginning to end, and I'm happy to add this credential to my resume'.
Score: 90% - A decent score; however I was tallying about 94% through the majority of the exam so I was slightly disappointed. The killers for me in that regard were the 'skipped' questions from earlier in the exam. As one might expect I skipped the questions that would be most difficult for me to answer. Unfortunately those questions hadn't gotten any easier by the time I had to answer them at the end
Method of study: SANS SEC401 in-person bootcamp with Dr. Eric Cole himself. The conference was in Chicago and it was a great time. I was also able to meet another TE'er who was there for the same reason so that was really cool. I was fortunate enough to be accepted for SANS Work Study and my employer stepped up to the plate to pay the fee. The Bootcamp was great and needless to say Dr. Cole is a great teacher with a unique ability to drive points home.
Thoughts on the exam: I thought the exam was fair and the practice tests granted to me beforehand were an excellent representation of the real thing.
Thanks to - My employer. Even though I do not mention my employer's name on this site, I would like to thank them for funding and supporting my goals of expanding my skillset and taking on more responsibility. Since attending the bootcamp last November I have been moved into a role as an L1 Security Analyst - I truly enjoy the work and I learn every day.
After each exam I like to reflect on the path my career has taken and the progress that I have made; I also take the time to assess mistakes I have made and learn from them. At the time of the SANS bootcamp I was doing Desktop Support for a number of sites and it was quite the coup for me to get a SANS education for free. It has been just under three years since I earned my first IT certification (A+) and I am pretty happy with my progress so far. The point I would like to make is that I don't believe I'm smarter than the average bear and if I can do it anybody can do it.
I have been pretty fortunate in the sense that anything I have wanted to accomplish or learn I have done so with a good amount of success; but as we all know it doesn't come easy. Not everyone is willing to sacrifice time with friends, family, and other hobbies to manufacture success in this field and that is what sets everyone here apart. Thank you to everyone here who supports one another. Keep working hard, I know I will.
