Associate of (ISC)² . Is it worth it?

DEMENT3D1 · May 2012

I do not meet the requirements for CISSP but my Army Reserve unit is sending me to the CISSP course in few months. Obviously since I do not meet the requirements yet I cannot get the CISSP but can get the Associate of ISC2.

Is it worth me spending money and getting it or should I wait till I am eligible to take the exam to go back though the course and take it?

I'm just starting out in IT. I got 9 classes left till my B.S and have A+, Sec+ and CCNA.

spicy ahi · May 2012

What's your MOS? How long have you been in? I know right off the bat that as a member of the military you can can count every year of active service for the Physical Security domain. Some people also believe that you can count every year you have held a clearance for the operational security domain so if you go by that, just being in the military for 5 years gives you the knowledge requirement for the exam. Don't forget that having the Security+ lops off a year off that requirement so depending on how long you've been in, you may have the requirement covered already.

emerald_octane · May 2012

I would say yes as long as you are able to get the experience you need in the meantime.

So I took the test on may 20th for the associate of isc2 (which really wasn't any different from the CISSP folks in the room), just trying to get it out of the way as it is in my mind one of the toughest things i've endured, saying this as a holder of a BA (for which I worked 2 part time jobs during the pursuit) .

Once I do that as I accumulate experience I can move onto other certs such as CEH and such. Since I have a degree + other certs then I get to subtract a year from the reqs, add current 2 years of experience and um cookin'.

Career wise I really don't think it will help much. Because as some have mentioned here before, no job post will say "associate of isc2" or "passed cissp", they want bonified cissp folks. So in my current role I will be able to leverage the "associate of isc2" but i don't think it would make a difference in hiring for security roles. I wouldn't get the job!
Then again check out this guy who is apparently a senior security auditor holding a associate of isc2 cert (but also holding the CISA cert) http://www.linkedin.com/pub/chris-livingston-cisa-associate-of-isc2/14/93b/271

DEMENT3D1 · May 2012

I spend 3 years on active duty as 11B- Infantryman.
I been in my Reserve unit since end of 2010 but just recently graduated 25B [IT Specialist] school

spicy ahi · May 2012

That's not too bad. Your Sec+ waives one year of the required 5 year experience in a minimum two domains, so you just have to worry about 4 years. Counting your time served (if I can safely assume you went straight into the reserves from active duty) you have more than 5 years so you've easily covered the 4 year requirement in the physical security domain. Now, you can count all of your time in Bravo school towards the Operations Security domain, as well as any following time that you served in that role. So if you finished Bravo school in late 2010, you should have more than two years covered already in the OPSEC domain. So really, you are a lot closer to meeting the requirement than you think! If you handle COMSEC and the like (which you may or may not, depending on if you unit is big enough to warrant having Sierra's) then you can also count that time served against the cryptography domain. Long story short, I say go for the CISSP. If you take and pass at the end of the year, you'll have probably a year more to go in your current role before you fulfill the experience requirement. Good luck!

JDMurray · May 2012

spicy ahi wrote: »

Some people also believe that you can count every year you have held a clearance for the operational security domain

Only if you have worked in both operations and security. Many people with a DoD clearance have worked in neither.

spicy ahi · May 2012

JDMurray wrote: »

Only if you have worked in both operations and security. Many people with a DoD clearance have worked in neither.

You are correct sir. Hence the mention of "Some people believe" because that's a matter of debate. I know some folks who have gotten audited and used that method of reasoning so I can't totally say that it is right or wrong. The way I read the operations security domain, it's not a given with a clearance but *shrug* eh. I have experience in other domains so I didn't list it as one of my domains of coverage.

flatworld · June 2012

Demented, it's highly worth it.
If you see the transition into working for a contractor once you exit the military as an ideal situation, do it.
I know many people who have came from army/marines, went into infosec/IT, passed the exam, and it has helped their career in the short term (finding work quickly), and it will help in the long term.

There is no wrong in getting it.
If you for see yourself in DoD world after your army career, get it...

It's also respectable in teh private sector, but not everyone requires it.....but it will definately set you apart from others...

again....get it ..

Associate of (ISC)² . Is it worth it?

Comments