My First Experience With Linux

Well, I just passed the final exam for the
GIAC
GSEC credential from
SANS, and I have to say it’s a pretty good feeling. It’s still less respected
in most circles than the CISSP, but that’s because less people know about
it. I think that’s likely to start changing very soon, though.

If I were to go for another SANS cert, I think it’d be the GSFW, but right
now finishing my bachelors is the top priority. With my two most-desired
certs taken care of, I can now focus completely on that task. Ultimately, I
think employability comes down to a special combination of the following:

1. Experience

2. Degree

3. Certifications

It seems that 2 and 3 have been switching places as of late due to a number
of factors. Perhaps the biggest one is the lack of quality control in
today’s universities. To put it bluntly, an employer cannot any longer be
sure that someone with a bachelors in computers is going to be valuable to
his/her organization.

There are great IT people out there with degrees, and great ones without
them. It’s hit or miss really. I still think there’s a higher
chance that the person will be decent at something if they
have the degree, but it’s not the kind of indicator it used to be.

As for me, I choose to have all three — experience, certs, and the
degree. Can’t go wrong there.