GCIH on the way!

So a few months ago, I was informed that my job would require DoD 8570 IAT Lvl III.

Great! I thought. I'll just register for the GCIH. I have some GI Bill money left from the VA to use and my employer has a Tuition assistance program. Maybe I should go for the SANS Graduate program and take the GCIH as a grad school course.

Well, SANS is kinda slow on responding to my Grad school application. I think they recently changed the requirements. When I applied in November, I did not see the requirement for 2 papers and recommendation and a 3 minute video demonstrating something on any topic.

Being that I have a deadline to get the cert by May/June 2016, I pulled the trigger and paid for the course out of pocket yesterday while still waiting to hear back on approval from my employer that they will pay for the course. By the way, my employer will only pay a max of $5250 for any certification course.

Since my last cert, the GSLC cost me around $5K, I figured the GCIH should be in the same ballpark. Whoa! The sticker shock! Looks like, not only has SANS raised prices on the course. They also broke up the various components into separate charges! ie. I don't recall the 2 practice tests on the invoice to be a separate $258 charge!

So, in all, with $250 discount for registering before Jan 13 and I think $1000 discount for bundling Net Wars with the class (still being charged $1199 for Net Wars after discount), my total comes in at $7937! Just a few dollars short of $8K! Heck that's 8 x cost of my car and I had considered that my most expensive cost of going to work!

My company will only cover $5250 out of the total cost of the course and my military education only covers the cost of the exam ($659). My out of pocket will still be $2028!

I'm still looking forward to taking the class and the stresses of the exam, but OUCH!

******* This ends my gripe session. All posts from this point on will cover my study methodology and exam taking strategy.

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Comments

cyberguypr

This is the kind of example that makes me appreciate the Work Study program more and more every year.

JoJoCal19

Wow I couldn't ever talk my wife into letting me pay that much out of pocket for a cert. Ouch. Agree with cyberguypr, I definitely appreciate the Work Study program!

BillHoo

Does anyone know if NetWars-Continuous is necessary to train for and pass the GCIH exam? It was an additional $1199 added to the course.

How does it fit in the course schedule? Is it part of the day's training? Or is it something done after the 9AM to 5PM days (Tues thru Sat)?

Also is OnDemand necessary? I don't recall needing it for my GSLC.

cyberguypr

I didn't do NetWars and passed with over 90%. It's a competition that helps you refine your skills. I hate losing so I don't ever bother with it. It's an extra session that usually takes place after class between 7PM until 10PM.

OnDemand is just the class in CBT format. I had access to it as part of the Work Study package but didn't touch it. Class + labs + comprehensive index should do the trick.

Guyotron

BillHoo wrote: »

Does anyone know if NetWars-Continuous is necessary to train for and pass the GCIH exam? It was an additional $1199 added to the course.

How does it fit in the course schedule? Is it part of the day's training? Or is it something done after the 9AM to 5PM days (Tues thru Sat)?

Also is OnDemand necessary? I don't recall needing it for my GSLC.

I didn't purchase NetWars nor OnDemand, and I passed using the standard SEC504 course books.

E Double U

@ JoJoCal19 - I don't even want to think of what my wife would demand in return if I paid that much for a cert.

@ BillHoo - I didn't do the NetWars Continuous. Just the two night sessions after class. Not necessary to pass the GCIH, but I still enjoyed the experience.

@ cyberguypr - But you might win man!

iBrokeIT

I think you should probably talk to someone at SANS so you understand what you are purchasing...

The only things you really need to purchase are the $5,620 class and $659 certification attempt which would total $6279 without any discounts.

Do you understand the difference between Netwars and Netwars Continuous Bundle? Why are you purchasing Netwars Continuous if you are not enrolled in the graduate certificate?

Robicus

iBrokeIT wrote: »

I think you should probably talk to someone at SANS so you understand what you are purchasing...

The only things you really need to purchase are the $5,620 class and $659 certification attempt which would total $6279 without any discounts.

Do you understand the difference between Netwars and Netwars Continuous Bundle? Why are you purchasing Netwars Continuous if you are not enrolled in the graduate certificate?

+1

You should drop NetWars all together! (Not because it's not a value-add, but because it's not needed to earn the certification).

BillHoo

Thanks to All.

I don't think I need or plan to use OnDemand or NetWars.

I was in a hurry to register for the class before the Jan 13 deadline for the discounts.

Those items were automatically checked in the registration process, so I thought they were necessary.

I think I have enough time to cancel those items - they do claim there will be a processing fee.

But, to be able to take $1858.00 off my total bill helps me out a lot.

It's like the time I bought a new car and before I signed the contract, I looked at it line by line and found they were adding $250 for vinyl mud flaps and $350 to apply racing stripes to the side of the car. I told them I didn't want those and to please remove. they spent an hour generating a new contract and I went over it again and found they removed the items, but added $300 for 1 year brake system insurance and $100 for custom license plate cover. Had them remove that too!

BillHoo

Yippee! They took the charge for those items off my bill and refunded my credit card!

So with the total after discounts, my employer's max reimbursement for the course and the VA covering the exam, total cost out of my pocket is $170.

IaHawk

cyberguypr wrote: »

This is the kind of example that makes me appreciate the Work Study program more and more every year.

Do you still receive two practice exams with the work study program? I want to attempt the GCIH this summer/fall and would like to try the Work Study route.

cyberguypr

Absolutely. You get everything a regular customer gets except the price tag. That includes books, T-shirt, practice tests, SANS posters, etc.

TechGromit

cyberguypr wrote: »

SANS posters

Posters? What Posters? I didn't get a poster when I took my last class! Was that an extra option my company didn't pay for?

BillHoo wrote: »

I'll just register for the GCIH.

When you taking your class?

BillHoo

TechGromit - I'll be taking the one in McLean Feb 15 thru 20. You from Galloway? I'm originally from North Plainfield near Exit 131 on the Parkway, or Exit 9 on the Turnpike (Ha!).

Do you work for the casinos in AC?

I do work for the DoD, but I've been looking at alternatives in case military spending budgets get drastically cut. Maybe cyber security for a casino is the way to go?

cyberguypr

They usually have tables set with a whole bunch of printed promo material including these posters.

BillHoo

How difficult is it to get on the Work Study program? I always suspected there was a long line of people trying to get selected for it.

cyberguypr

Last one I did I was told that 50 people applied for my spot. You are in Virginia so you are lucky there's a ton of SANS events in that region.

quogue66

My company paid for the on-demand course for GCIH. I watched two of the videos and was bored of them. I read the books 3 times, made a killer index, took two practice tests and sudied for about a month and got an 86.

tpasmall

quogue66 wrote: »

My company paid for the on-demand course for GCIH. I watched two of the videos and was bored of them. I read the books 3 times, made a killer index, took two practice tests and sudied for about a month and got an 86.

My company did the same thing. But they bought vouchers and we've been waiting on the vouchers for 8 months, they will expire before we even get to us them, it's been frustrating.

TechGromit

BillHoo wrote: »

TechGromit - I'll be taking the one in McLean Feb 15 thru 20. You from Galloway? I'm originally from North Plainfield near Exit 131 on the Parkway, or Exit 9 on the Turnpike (Ha!).

I'm a few miles from Garden State Parkway Exit 48

BillHoo wrote: »

Do you work for the casinos in AC?

I did, I'm happy to be out of that rat race. It never really paid all that well, I got out in 2006 before the Casino Market went kaput. I worked for the Federal Aviation Administration for 7 years until I got laid off due to budget cuts. I work for a Nuclear Power Plant now.

BillHoo wrote: »

I do work for the DoD, but I've been looking at alternatives in case military spending budgets get drastically cut. Maybe cyber security for a casino is the way to go?

If you like working for peanuts, absolutely.

BillHoo

Surprising!

I woulda thought with all that gambling money flowing around the floor and with casinos moving some operations to online gaming... Surely they would want to have strong cyber security or IA personnel on their payrolls.

I guess they think having a few mooks around to bust kneecaps is all they need to discourage cyber theft!

"There's a ninety-five pound Chinese man with a hundred sixty million dollars behind this door." - George Clooney in "Ocean's Eleven"