get my CISSP

I just started a twice a week training class and hope to get this within 6 months. I got 60% on practice test before opening book…passing is only 70% so wish me luck :)

I already did Security+ so this is the next logical step. I found out I can use the GI Bill to help pay for it, so now I have no excuse. I’ll start by reading the Exam Cram and doing SkillPort CBTs ahead of the boot camp.

CISSP is pretty essential for entry into (or a continued career in) the infosec job world. When I got mine in Feb 02 I had several years of experience in infosec so it was a question of studying, primarily, the All In One CISSP Certification book as well as the Exam Cram CISSP book. I’d recommend these to others. Some find success going to a boot camp.

I’d encourage those without the requisite experience and knowledge to at least try to gain that in a specialty area first (e.g., you’re a network admin? find your way into administrating your firewalls. System admin? Start getting involved in host hardening; do research / reading on infosec on the side specific to your area). Happy to help/adivse/whatever.

Every couple weeks I try to post to my blog some of my lessons learned and some other thoughts about infosec that I hope may help those interested in the subject. http://shimsec.blogspot.com/ Lots of other (better :)) resources out there for infosec. Best of luck and let me know if I can help.

I have a fat book and access to online lectures. I just have to stop procrastinating.

Pretty good experience…studied a bit, took a class, and took the test right after.

I got notification this morning that I passed the exam! The last week I had convinced myself that I failed, up to the point that I was starting to save money to write it again. No need now though! I’ll mark this as done as soon as I get the endorsement phase all dealt with and actually get my certificate.

Whew, I wrote the exam for this today…it almost killed me. Security Stuff has been all that I have been thinking about over the last month so I am really glad that it is just over with. Now I must wait to find out if I passed or not. Took me just over 4 hours to write it. Not a nice thing to do on a Saturday.

My fingers are crossed…I’ll post my results when I get them.

Studying for this exam is killing me. Work a full time job, then come home and study for another 4 hours or so…every day for the last 3 weeks! Only a week and a half till the exam…god I hope I pass it the first time. I don’t want to have to do it again!

In less than a month I’ll be writing the CISSP exam for the first time. I am pretty sure I know the material, but I am still quite worried about the exam.

It was the most difficult exam I’ve ever taken in my life, but having it has made me a lot more employable in my chosen field.