Thoughts on the CISSP

My thoughts on preparing for and acquiring the (ISC)2  CISSP (Certified Information System Security Professional) certification. Before deciding on pursuing the CISSP i considered a few other certifications including CEH, CISA, & CISM, however the CISSP seemed like the best option when i started to consider the value of the certification. In many circles the CISSP is considered the gold standard of information security certifications. Many government agencies along with companies recognize and require the CISSP credential for employment in certain positions relating to all aspects of information security. After reading more about this certification i decided i wanted to join the thousands of people that have already achieved it.

First thing i did was schedule my exam, based on Parkinson’s Law i know that the amount of time you give yourself to perform a task will be the time it takes to complete the task. Sooooo if i don’t set my own completion date i would have never got it done. Now it was time to get down to business and start studying. Because i had several years experience in many of the domains covered on the exam i was able to use the Shon Harris CISSP All In One book to focus on my weak areas. After several months of note taking, practice exams, flash cards, and researching topics online i felt i was as prepared as i was going to be for the exam. The day of the exam i was not nervous and felt i had prepared as well as i could have for it. I took the exam and looked at my watch and realized it only took me 4 hours to complete the exam. At that point i didn't know if i should be happy that i was so prepared or worried that i rushed through the exam. Six weeks later i received my results and was pleasantly surprised that i passed the exam.

My overall opinion of this certification is positve, passing it doesn’t mean you are an expert in all of the domains. Passing this exam simply means you have a fundamental understanding of a wide range of topics that are covered in the exam. The biggest advantage of this exam for me was the prestige that is associated with having this exam on my resume. As i mentioned before, this exam is very well respected and can open doors to job opportunities for me in the future. If you have the necessary years of experience and are interested in focusing on the Information Security field then i would definitely recommend this exam to help give your career a boost.


Resources Used to study
Shon Harris - All In One CISSP Guide
CISSP Professional Study Guide by Sybex
www.freepracticetests.org
www.cccure.org
www.google.com
www.isc2.org