In my inbox today is the reminder from ISC2 that my CISSP certification is up for renewal this fall. I haven’t been very diligent about tracking my credits so I have some work to do there. I found myself questioning whether or not I should spend the $105 and renew it. Thinking back over the 8 years since I passed the exam, I can’t remember an instance where this certification has helped me. Maybe it has along the way..I just cant think of when. It has never come up specifically during a job interview or similar discussions. With all of the boot camps / study guides out there I can’t help feel that this cert is being watered down a bit. I’ve never been that big into certifications anyway, CISSP is the only one I have.
I just don’t know. Given my career path as of late (a couple of CTO gigs), I’m just not sure it’s worth it. Then again, I would hate to have to sit down and memorize the difference between a wet pipe and dry pipe sprinkler system or how many rounds in an AES CBC cipher all over again.
Thoughts?
–Chris
Technorati Tags: cissp, certification, isc2, security
July 10th, 2007 at 5:50 am
Chris, I know there is a big debate now about the worth of the CISSP cert. I have been one for 6 months now and I know it has benefited me. I landed a new position a couple of months ago and if I did not have my CISSP I would not even been considered.
You have to weigh the cost vs the benefit. $105 is a small price to pay verse having to spend time studying, paying $500 to take the exam and the possibility of failing. I'm sure it has played a bigger part than you realize.
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July 10th, 2007 at 11:15 am
I'm pondering the same thing. I got it last year because I knew a lot of HR people screen for it. Now that I have it though, saw the test, etc. I'm not so sure I feel like keeping up with it.
There isn't much benefit to my employer for the cert, but they will pay for me to remain certified I suppose.
Hmm….
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July 10th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
We had a lively discussion about this same topic back in March. Maybe something of value in the comments:
http://blog.ncircle.com/blogs/sync/archives/2007/…
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July 12th, 2007 at 5:41 am
Chris,
I would recommend to renew it.
They made me resit the exam because i forgot to pay the renewal (was moving country at the time) so they cancelled my certification. Wouldn't recommend to redo the exam again if you can avoid it. Funnily enough I found quite a few mistakes in the exam which I commented on in the feedback forms.
To top it off, they wanted me to pay the renewal fee for the time that I didn't have the cert due to the non-payment. It took many emails to them to understand that they wanted me to pay for maintenance for a non-existant cert… Anyway it's all sorted and I don't plan to resit that exam again.
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August 11th, 2007 at 4:49 am
The question I always wonder about: what is the difference to a recruiter/hiring manager of "CISSP" versus "Former CISSP."
If the goal of maintaining your cert is to demonstrate you are staying active and growing in the field – and you can demonstrate that through you blog, your actions, your professional attitude…
I often wonder this myself – so I am curious as to what you decide.
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December 29th, 2009 at 5:21 am
I feel that you should renew your certification immediately. If you are working a job that does not require the CISSP certification— it is okay find one that cares if you are certified!!! The important this in that you have the knowledge. When ones driver's license expires, that person still knows how to drive. I think that your should look for a job that gives a damn if you are certified or not. The US Goverment Department of Defense(DoD) requires the CISSP for its level three category IT Managers. The US Army and other departments in DoD,(example: NSA) and also cooperate America needs you CISSP Certified so belive that. You are a IT Pro, so enough of playing in the minor leagues! I am studying now for my CISM and/or CISSP and I value that certification more than my Masters in IT Management. The reason why is because one has to stay current with the IT knowledge and continue to learn as new technoloy continues to develop. My Masters was in 2002, and nobody has asked be about it since I got a job but I needed one to get the job I have now. SO!! Save the dialog and write the check, and turn in your credits. Be proud that your CISSP Cert it is one of the hardest certs to get. PeaceOut!!!
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August 3rd, 2010 at 1:55 am
I never used to give any cert much value until 2002-2003 when work became very hard to find. Since I had time on my hands I decided to sit for the exam. After gaining the CISSP cert I republished my resume and BAM there was interest in my skills immediately from prospective employers. It seems as though resume scanning software that looks for buzzwords /does/ pick out "CISSP".
In addition, many .gov Agencies are requiring that their network/host/application security people have some form of cert. Given the current economy where the private sector is weak but the jobs demand in the public sector is strong, it makes sense to get and keep your CISSP cert.
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