SecurITyCerts dot Org
Navigating Security Certifications
Do Information Security Certifications Matter?
Certifications (and degrees) are critical in many professions. For example, medical doctors, nurses, accountants, and professional engineers must be certified.
InfoSec requires no Certifications or Degrees.
Many people in infosec have no related certifications or degrees. I certainly didn't have any certifications for the first decade+ of my infosec career. Fortunately my clients never asked and I had all the interesting work I could handle at great rates.
But certifications have become more important . . .
The right InfoSec cert CAN help your career.
- Certifications help you stand out from the crowd.
- Sometimes they are required just to be considered for a position.
- Someday they may be required just like in other professions.
Clearly security certifications are not required for success today. Some of the smartest and most successful people have no certifications or degrees, and there is no shortage of certified idiots and incompetents, but . . .
I've never prepared for an infosec cert and not learned some really cool and useful stuff,
and most people who hold Information Security certifications have learned valuable information and gained useful skills too.
Yeah, so I've learned some worthless drivel as well - nothing is perfect, and that certainly includes certifications.
I'll admit to holding over three information security certifications now, including the CISSP and GSEC, although I don't list a litany of alphabet soup initials after my name.
Does it matter if Einstein was certified? It might today!
Ted Demopoulos, NIN (No Initials Needed, or CISSP, GIAC GSEC, Security+ etc. if you prefer)
