11 December, 2018

Professionally Evil CISSP Certification: Breaking the Bootcamp Model

Professionally Evil CISSP Certification: Breaking the Bootcamp Model
Kevin Johnson
Author: Kevin Johnson
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ISC2 describes the CISSP as a way to prove “you have what it takes to effectively design, implement and manage a best-in-class cybersecurity program”.  It is one of the primary certifications used as a stepping stone in your cybersecurity career.   Traditionally, students have two different options to gain this certification; self-study or a bootcamp.  Both of these options have pros and cons, but neither is the best.
 

Bootcamps are a popular way to cram for the certification test.  Students spend five days in total immersion into the topics of the CBK.  This is an easy way to pass the exam for lots of students because it focuses them on the CISSP study materials for the bootcamp timeframe.  But there are a few negatives to this model.  First is the significant cost.  The typical prices we see are between $3500 and $5000 with outliers as high as almost $7000.  The second issue is that it takes the student away from their life for the week.  Finally, most people finish the bootcamp with the knowledge to pass the exam but since it is crammed in, they quickly forget most of the information.

Self-Study is the other common mechanism for studying for the CISSP exam.  This allows a dedicated student to learn the information at their pace and time frame.  It also allows for them to decide how much to spend.  From books to online videos and practice exams the costs vary.  The main problem with the method is that students often get distracted by life and work while trying to accomplish it.

But there is an answer that combines the benefits of both previous options.  Secure Ideas has developed a mentorship program designed to provide the knowledge necessary to pass the certification, while working through the common body of knowledge (CBK).  All done in a manner that encourages retention of the knowledge.  And it is #affordabletraining!

The mentorship program is designed as a series of weekly mentor led discussion and review sessions along with various student support and communication methods, spanning a total of 9 weeks.  These work together to provide the student a solid foundation to not only help in passing the certification but to continue as a collection of information for everyday work.   This class is set up to cover the 8 domains of the ISC2 CBK:

    • Security and Risk Management
    • Asset Security
    • Security Architecture and Engineering
    • Communication and Network Security
    • Identity and Access Management (IAM)
    • Security Assessment and Testing
    • Security Operations
    • Software Development Security

The Professionally Evil CISSP Mentorship program uses multiple communication and knowledge sharing paths to build a comprehensive learning environment focused on both passing the CISSP certification and gaining a deep understanding of the CBK.

The program consists of the following parts:

    • Official study guide book
    • Weekly live session with instructor(s)
    • Live session will also be recorded
    • Private Slack team for students and instructors to communicate regularly
    • Practice exams
    • While we believe students will pass on their first try, we also include the option for students to take the program as many times as they want, any time we offer it.  🙂

You can sign up for the course at https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/1085902272163828481 for only $1000.  Our early bird pricing is $800 and is good until July 10th.  Just use the Coupon code EARLYBIRD at checkout.  Veterans, active duty military and first responders also get a significant discount.  Email info@secureideas.com for more information.

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