Technology Certifications...Whats good....

[MacroGuru]

Alright, I am now looking to finalize some certifications I feel will help me out a bit more in my job hunt.

The first one I will finish up (Because all I have to do is take the tests) is my Business Analyst certification.

I also have a Novell Admin cert as well...

Now I am looking at IT Security cert but I was thinking this combined with an IT Audit Cert. However, is this a proper path, is it worth it? Has there been decent pay bumps with these?

Any additional paths out there?

Just trying to set up a structure here for me to take while I am job hunting and as I get a job, I can also present I am currently enrolled to get my certs in the areas as well.

Any help, or thought process here is appreciated..

[cartman]

CNA/CNE are pretty much only going to get you contract work at this point. That being said, I was surprised how often I was contacted for CNE jobs of 3-6 months duration. Not sure if it was 20 different recruiters all trying to fill the same opening though. :)

If you want to go down the security/auditing path, that is a wise move. This field is going to only get bigger and bigger in the coming years. The Cisco certs in this area are widely accepted, as are the certs from (ISC)2.

[hoopsguy]

Although I'm still probably booking 50%+ of my hours doing Novell work at the moment, I know that if I'm not looking to transition to their Linux product that the CNA/CNE is diminishing quickly. In fact, Novell is restructuring their certification program right now in a way that is going to basically do away with the CNE in favor of specialized certs for the products they are looking to move around identity and Linux.

The security stuff is a good way to go, with the top-tier one being the CISSP. It isn't the area that I have focused on for certification, so I'm not really sure of the value associated with certs like Security+

I know a lot of technical people who have begun looking at Project Management certs as a career differentiator over the last two years.

[Cringer]

Get your haz-mat, tanker, and double/triple trailer......oh, nevermind, wrong field.

[cartman]

Get your haz-mat, tanker, and double/triple trailer......oh, nevermind, wrong field.

I used to have a CDL... :)

[jeff061]

CISSP security cert. Only guys I've seen with one are top end senior guys and managers I spoke with love tossing around how they are hiring/have hired a guy with a CISSP. The PME is pretty much the equivalent for project management I believe, if you wanted to go that route.

[MacroGuru]

Get your haz-mat, tanker, and double/triple trailer......oh, nevermind, wrong field.

LOL! You know, the thought has crossed my mined once...maybe twice...then I picture myself driving a truck and laugh, I hate towing trailers, so I know it's not a career for me.

[MacroGuru]

Although I'm still probably booking 50%+ of my hours doing Novell work at the moment, I know that if I'm not looking to transition to their Linux product that the CNA/CNE is diminishing quickly. In fact, Novell is restructuring their certification program right now in a way that is going to basically do away with the CNE in favor of specialized certs for the products they are looking to move around identity and Linux.

The security stuff is a good way to go, with the top-tier one being the CISSP. It isn't the area that I have focused on for certification, so I'm not really sure of the value associated with certs like Security+

I know a lot of technical people who have begun looking at Project Management certs as a career differentiator over the last two years.

Project Management is definately up there with my Analyst Certification. I have been doing both combined for my career prior to the past job.

[Galaril]

Alright, I am now looking to finalize some certifications I feel will help me out a bit more in my job hunt.

The first one I will finish up (Because all I have to do is take the tests) is my Business Analyst certification.

I also have a Novell Admin cert as well...

Now I am looking at IT Security cert but I was thinking this combined with an IT Audit Cert. However, is this a proper path, is it worth it? Has there been decent pay bumps with these?

Any additional paths out there?

Just trying to set up a structure here for me to take while I am job hunting and as I get a job, I can also present I am currently enrolled to get my certs in the areas as well.

Any help, or thought process here is appreciated..

Although I'm still probably booking 50%+ of my hours doing Novell work at the moment, I know that if I'm not looking to transition to their Linux product that the CNA/CNE is diminishing quickly. In fact, Novell is restructuring their certification program right now in a way that is going to basically do away with the CNE in favor of specialized certs for the products they are looking to move around identity and Linux.

The security stuff is a good way to go, with the top-tier one being the CISSP. It isn't the area that I have focused on for certification, so I'm not really sure of the value associated with certs like Security+

I know a lot of technical people who have begun looking at Project Management certs as a career differentiator over the last two years.


Macro,

I am an Sr. Information security engineer and this is right up my ally.
I have my CISSP, CISA, and a SANS Certification GSEC in IT security along with my Master of SCience degree in InfoSec. I am looking to add another this year probably going to go to the SANS course Hacker Exploits and Incidnet Handing with the Certified Incident Handler Certification. The great thing about the SANS certs is they are vendor neutral and is the most useful way to go unless you are going to be e.g. Windows Admin for life than you should just focus on Micrsoft certs and the like. I highly recommend the CISSP and the SANS CERTS. pm if you have other questions.

As others have said Security and IT Audit paths are the ones where you can move up fast and 6 figures is very attainable in just a few years.

Check out this article at Certmag on IT Certs and salary bumps for them:

http://www.certmag.com/articles/templates/CM_gen_Article_template.asp?articleid=2479&zoneid=224

And more info on IT security certs:
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid14_gci1044613,00.html

[Cringer]

LOL! You know, the thought has crossed my mined once...maybe twice...then I picture myself driving a truck and laugh, I hate towing trailers, so I know it's not a career for me.

Naaa, I couldn't see you wanting to do it very long. I know how you do on a 3 hour drive. :D

[Daimyo]

CISSP is the best for security, but you need three years experience to sit for the exam. Its also more geared toward security managers than guys doing more technical work. I also have the SANS GSEC, but I don't respect it too much (maybe it will get better now that they offer proctored exams?). I think CISA might be a better mid-level cert, but I've only read a few books on the material since I don't see what value it would add for me over the CISSP at this point. CISM is the one I'm looking at kind of closely now, but again it seems kind of redundant after CISSP.

If you're looking entry level security I think Security+ is pretty good. I don't have it, but I've reviewed the course contents and it seems very good for an entry level security cert. I'm actually highly encouraging my staff to get it as a baseline.

For non-security, I'm not a big fan at all of MCSE. I've taken several of the tests and they just seemed very easy and not at all reflective of the kind of skills and abilities that are actually practical. I never bothered to finish.

[Galaril]

CISSP is the best for security, but you need three years experience to sit for the exam. Its also more geared toward security managers than guys doing more technical work. I also have the SANS GSEC, but I don't respect it too much (maybe it will get better now that they offer proctored exams?). I think CISA might be a better mid-level cert, but I've only read a few books on the material since I don't see what value it would add for me over the CISSP at this point. CISM is the one I'm looking at kind of closely now, but again it seems kind of redundant after CISSP.

If you're looking entry level security I think Security+ is pretty good. I don't have it, but I've reviewed the course contents and it seems very good for an entry level security cert. I'm actually highly encouraging my staff to get it as a baseline.

For non-security, I'm not a big fan at all of MCSE. I've taken several of the tests and they just seemed very easy and not at all reflective of the kind of skills and abilities that are actually practical. I never bothered to finish.


I agree with the CISM being a bit redundant but it still is good to have the letters on your sig;)
I got the GSEC when you had to write a practical paper on new research and it made it alot more demanding. The SANS as an organization and it's vendor neutral technical certs are well respected among Infosec professionals; more so than Sec+ or the vendor neutral stuff from what I have seen.I found the CISSP not to be that "done in the weeds" technical but more than enough for those looking to earn more than 90,000k.

Another option for anyone with the CISSP is to go for one of three advanced certs: ISSEP,ISSAP,ISSMP.