CISSP/CEH: Am I ready?

sthompson86

Good morning, I have a training opportunity coming up towards the end of this year thanks to my current company I work for.

My job role is currently desktop support, but my career path I am gearing towards is network/network security. Currently I have my CCNA and Sec+/Net+ certs, and I will have CCNA:Security very soon. I also have a 2 year in Computer Info Systems.

My question of concern is .. Is CISSP and CEH too much for me since I really do not have any security work experience? I know I can learn from a book and instructor lead course. My worry is getting in there and being lost. Since I have not really looked into these 2 certs too much I just want to double check with the people who have been there and done it.

Thanks.

GreenLantern

you may want make sure you qualify for the CISSP before you go that route. I think you need a certain amount of experience in two domains. You will also need someone to vouch for you and they will want a copy of your resume once you pass. it's almost like applying for a job, lol.

I have been interested in the CEH, but have a full load as far as certs go right now so I don't know much about it.

dmoore44

Those certs are very different from one another... so I would advise you to re-examine your career goals see if you can define the are of security you want to concentrate in. Network security is pretty broad... And there are many aspects of networking that apply to security. For example: you could be a pentester, network device auditor, firewall config, traffic analyst, etc...

To qualify for the designation of CISSP, you need to have 5 years of experience across the domains covered on the exam (you can subtract one year if you have a degree, or another security related cert). If you don't meet the experience, you can still take the exam and become an[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT] Associate of (ISC)² toward CISSP.

CEH is an entry level, technically oriented pentester cert. It'll cover the basics of pentesting. There aren't any experience requirements for the CEH, but you do need to either buy their courseware or attend a boot camp to get a registration number.

colemic

You can also apply directly by meeting the requirements below... but I am pretty sure the only one that matters is you paying them $100.
https://cert.eccouncil.org/application-process-eligibility.html[h=2]Attempt Exam without Official Training
[/h]In order to be considered for the EC-Council certification exam without attending official training, candidate must
Have at least two years of information security related experience.
Remit a non-refundable eligibility application fee of USD 100.00
Submit a completed Exam Eligibility Application Form.
Purchase an official exam voucher DIRECTLY from EC-Council through Products | EC-Council Store