Gyroscopic Investing

As many of you know I am done university studies. I am now looking around in the community and even in other provinces at job opportunities. The primary area in technology that I'm interested in is cybersecurity and information privacy. That area, it seems to me, is a nexus of strong career opportunities, meaningful work, and personal interest.

Despite being done school, I'd like to continue my education by getting some professional certifications. Based on my research so far my current plan is the following:

1. CompTIA Security+
2. CompTIA CySA+
3. CISSP

Yes, the likes of folks like Craig Rowland and Edward Snowden, as I'm sure you've guessed, are influences in my chosen path.

What I'd really like to ask concerns the CompTIA Security+ exam and how to prep for it. Has anyone here on the forum taken it? Any tips or tricks? There are numerous exam bundles with differing amounts of prep material included. Which bundle is the best bang for the buck? I've even heard of some people just buying the basic exam voucher and purchasing study materials separately. That option is what I'm leaning towards the most.

(As a side note I'd like to mention the insane difference in cost between professional certifications in various industries relative to college education.)

Here's a table of the exam prep bundles being offered by CompTIA.


Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Well....

I would start looking at the various defence/intelligence agencies and see what certifications they ask for.

Also, have a look for recruitment programs for new graduates. In Australia they used to put you through in-house training programs and pay for your certifications

Here's a starter. Find the Canadian version of this -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia ... irectorate
Especially if you have foreign language skills, you should have a good chance. Potentially you could even get on an exchange program between the five countries in the future. Say hello if you get a transfer to Australia

Edit: There you go -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communica ... ablishment

Hal wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 2:28 am Well....

I would start looking at the various defence/intelligence agencies and see what certifications they ask for.

Also, have a look for recruitment programs for new graduates. In Australia they used to put you through in-house training programs and pay for your certifications

Here's a starter. Find the Canadian version of this -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia ... irectorate
Especially if you have foreign language skills, you should have a good chance. Potentially you could even get on an exchange program between the five countries in the future. Say hello if you get a transfer to Australia

Edit: There you go -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communica ... ablishment

You are touching upon a very interesting topic that I would love to talk about. Believe me. Unfortunatley:


The agency literally does polygraph tests for this kind of stuff. I will say no more.

So I guess no one on the forum has done the Security+ designation eh? Dang.

I work with guys who have to have it for their jobs. Most opt for classroom instruction the first time and then they renew via self-study

Kbg wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:41 pm I work with guys who have to have it for their jobs. Most opt for classroom instruction the first time and then they renew via self-study

Cool. Does that mean they simply bought the basic exam voucher and got their training elsewhere? Meaning, they didn't buy one of the expensive bundles as per the table in my OP?

About 20 years ago I studied for and obtained CompTIA A+ certification.

I did it all self-study. Bought two or three recommended books. And, read them, One was 1,000 pages, which I read twice.

I also found some free material on the internet which I studied.

Did that study over two years as I had other things going on in my life.

It was explained to me that I'd go to a testing site to take the two exams on a computer. That the number of questions I'd be asked depended upon on how well I did answering them. If I answered a question wrong, I'd be asked an easier one. If I got an answer right I'd be asked a harder one.

This ended up being a unique testing experience for me as I completed BOTH tests in 5 minutes total! About 2 1/2 minutes per test. I guess I asked some difficult questions and was well prepared.

Smith1776 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:44 pm

Kbg wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:41 pm I work with guys who have to have it for their jobs. Most opt for classroom instruction the first time and then they renew via self-study

Cool. Does that mean they simply bought the basic exam voucher and got their training elsewhere? Meaning, they didn't buy one of the expensive bundles as per the table in my OP?

The company pays for in class training for newbies as it is a requirement for their continued employment. Normally the training company fees include a test voucher and a "pass guarantee" or the voucher is refunded.

For posterity: I have decided to simply buy the basic exam voucher bundle off the CompTIA website. The absolute cheapest option.

My exam training will primarily derive from 2 sources:

Professor Messer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/professormesser

and

The GCGA Book: https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Security ... 939136059/

Based on my research, it seems the above is pretty much all you need to learn the material. The all-in cost should be quite minimal, which is a welcome change from university education.

Smith1776 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:12 pm
For posterity: I have decided to simply buy the basic exam voucher bundle off the CompTIA website. The absolute cheapest option.

My exam training will primarily derive from 2 sources:

Professor Messer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/professormesser

and

The GCGA Book: https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Security ... 939136059/

Based on my research, it seems the above is pretty much all you need to learn the material. The all-in cost should be quite minimal, which is a welcome change from university education.

What is your preferred learning style of the three - visual, aural, kinesthetic?

Mine is by far the latter with aural being the worst.

Which is borne out by me always hating classes (way too much aural) and why I do quite well with printed, self-study materials.

That is how I achieved both my CFP and A+ certification. No classes of any form for either.

My rarely used intuition says that you've made a good decision for you!

Check out https://www.udemy.com/

They have full courses geared toward many certifications for ~$10-20 each.

At that price, hard to pass up just as another resource.