Will CISSP improve my chances?

capio · August 2020

Hello,

I currently have GCFA Gold , GREM Gold and i am doing my bachelors in computer science. I also have 5 years in infosec. Do you guys think a CISSP will make a difference in my life or should i continue to do some SANS?

Does it matter the certifications that you have or employers only care that you have some certification?

Thanks for your time

That Random Guy · August 2020

I'm in the east coast, so my perspective and feedback will be on my personal experience and from what I've seen here. Also, please keep in mind that I'm not a recruiter of any sort nor do I really have the insight that would leverage a good explanation for why CISSP is worth it.

Personally, I think it depends on what you're trying to do and ultimately where you want to be in spite of these certs. There are definitely jobs I've seen where they've asked for CISSP. How much of a requirement that will be for you ultimately depends on what it is you're trying to move towards. Yourself already having a good number of security certs and seeing as how you already have infosec/cyber experience, you can already kind of leverage what you have to move to a different position. Again, this really depends on what you're trying to move towards.

In my experience, and because of what I've been dealt with and have found, I've had the case be where having the right cert has placed me in a position where the potential employer highlights me. I don't know if this is mainly true for contract work but I've been told verbally by a recruiter that they would only hire me if I could get security+ in a weeks timeline. This was for me, being very fresh to the field and not having any cyber security much less IT experience.

So, I tend to see things as a cynic and think "yeah, they probably just want the cert to meet this requirement, yada yada yada".

All that being said, and as I've beaten to death already, it's going to depend on what you want out of your career. CISSP seems to cover a broader range of "concepts" than the more specialized certs I'm seeing you have (although I can be wrong as I only glanced at their page briefly). To me, CISSP is like a gateway for senior security roles and the like (others can elaborate and give their take on that though).

The only reason I took it was because I thought I could stand out with my poor IT experience. This does not translate well in the real world and I probably would've benefited more from the security+ (investment-wise), which I am stuck trying to do now because some entry jobs "need" Security+.

yoba222 · August 2020

If your employer is paying, I'd just keep doing SANS certs while available.

E Double U · August 2020

As someone that holds credentials from (ISC)2 and GIAC I would say there is no need to think in terms of either or. Go for both and then some. I agree with @yoba222 on continuing to take advantage of SANS courses while your employer is paying because of how expensive they are. But I believe CISSP is more recognized than any GIAC certifications.

I also agree with @That Random Guy on making your decision based on what you want career-wise.

SteveLavoie · August 2020

There is more recognition with CISSP than GIAC. Mostly because it is more general and less expensive to get too.

chrisone · August 2020

capio said:

Do you guys think a CISSP will make a difference in my life?

Yes 1000% yes CISSP will make a huge difference in your career.

JDMurray · August 2020

A difference in your life? Maybe from the aspect that a CISSP will help you get a better (InfoSec) job that may, in turn, make a difference in your life.

Will CISSP improve my chances?

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