which has more value: CISSP or Bachelors Degree

ajs1976

Interesting that this thread was revived a year later and right after I came up with my own answer. Not matter of CISSP or BS degree, but both.

My short term plan was to take some security related classes at my local community college to get back into course taking mode and to help prep for the CISSP. I decided to take an undergrad certificate in Homeland Security. Classes include Principles of Information Security which used a text written around the CISSP domains, Intro to Homeland Security which included chapters on vulnerability assessment, risk assessment, and physical security, Perspectives on Terrorism, Grant writing for Homeland Security, Continuity of Operations Planning, and Physical Security. In the fall, I should wrap up the certificate and start my bachelors. One of my fall class will be Software Engineering which should help with the Software Development domain of the CISSP. Course load will be heavy in the fall, so planning to take the CISSP in January or February.

Doyen

I noticed it was an old thread as well, but I am happy that you now have focus and a instilled plan to carry it out.

anITguy

Also, CISSP will more than likely transfer for several college courses you will take. Mine transferred for 6 courses (or 36 Capella University credits). It enabled me to grad. over 1.5 yrs earlier.

Greg

datacomboss

If you have plans to be in IT management or a senior consultant with a top firm you need a degree. Often times an MS or MBA.

timesvan32

I would say both

rcsoar4fun

The correct answer is experience.

A kid straight out of college or a kid with a CISSP and no experience are on equal footing, neither will be useful on the first day. Having said that, having a CISSP will tend to get your resume to the top of the heap. The experience on the resume will get you the job. For many IT positions the degree will keep your resume from being eliminated.

In your senario of being laid off the first thing I would be throwing out there was my CISSP cert. YMMV.

N2IT

I believe degrees are far superior in strategic positions. Certifications force you to think a certain way, whereas degrees generally present the information, share different concepts and theories and it's up to the student to learn all of those, but adopt the concepts etc that will form them as a professional. If the degree is worth a crap it will blow away most certifications including network and security. But if you are talking about History or some other weird degree related to IT, then the CISSP kills it.

It depends on the points listed below. IMO

What type of job are you going for?
What type of degree and where is it from?
What certification are you talking about. CISSP for a individual in security is close to a lot of bachelor degrees
What does you experience look like? Do you have a lot and if so is it scoped into a specific area?


If you are talking about solutions roles or strategic positions there really is no comparison. Bachelors followed by a Masters will get you much farther than certifications, assuming you get a decent degree, in CS or Finance or something with value. Sociology or History isn't going to get you far, those are nothing more than a check box.