emerald_octane wrote: » It absolutely is not considered a certification, but rather a designation that is awarded to you while you peruse the required experience. The official title is "Associate of ISC2 Toward CISSP". As usually mentioned in these types of threads, the pros and cons are below: Cons: It is not considered a certification. You will not receive any type of certificate or card indicating that you are an associate of ISC2 (but the members area of ISC2 will reflect this) Your information will not come up on the ISC2 Credential verification page which may confuse potential employers. Still required to keep up with AMFs & CPEs (at a lesser amount than full blown CISSP). Pros: You may use the title "Associate of ISC2 Toward CISSP" on your resume (so you get to still use CISSP somewhere and let prospective employers decide for themselves). Full access to ISC2 portal including the mailing lists and mailings for events, discounts and such. Much longer deadline to apply for fully credentialed status (obviously). Able to get the test out of the way and work on other certifications in the meantime which also count towards your CPEs if you do it correctly (credited for time spent). Prestige (ok, this is debatable, but I definitely saw a salary/responsibility increase for becoming an Associate.)
emerald_octane wrote: » Cons:You will not receive any type of certificate or card indicating that you are an associate of ISC2 (but the members area of ISC2 will reflect this)