[Dshield] SANS going to proctored exams?

[Dave Hull]

On 12/7/07, Joel Esler <eslerj at gmail.com> wrote:
> You also have to remember that Certs on a resume gets you either put in
> the "interview pile" or gets you past HR.  it's also used for salary
> negotiation.

Sadly, this does seem to be the case at many large orgs.

> Because it's not about if you have the certs.  It's "can you do the
> job".

Indeed and Johannes Ullrich's post in this thread addressed ANSI's
"job task analysis" emphasis. So it would seem that the ANSI
certification process should lend itself nicely to making sure cert
holders know something about what's required to get the job done.

> I know of people that have the CISSP that can't get out of a wet paper bag.  Alot
> of them actually.
>
> But for that matter, I know people that have masters degrees in Computer
> Science that have no idea what a 'packet' is.

Is a packet something I can use to get out of this wet paper bag?

I sat for the CISSP nearly two years ago. Studying for it was a chore,
more so than studying for either of the GIAC certs I hold, but the
knowledge gained broad not deep. The CISSP is a good thing to study
for if you want to get a feel for the world of info sec.

I've never talked to anyone who walked out of the CISSP exam room
feeling like they'd passed. Everyone I know felt drained and
uncertain. Spending hours having to pick the "most correct answer"
will do that to a person. Granted, I have a small sample size of a few
dozen, but I speculate that it scales up.

On the other hand, the GIAC exams I've taken have invigorated me, made
me feel more confident and certain of my abilities and knowledge. Not
to mention the knowledge gained is more readily applicable.

The proctored exams will not be as convenient, but for me, the
benefits will likely outweigh the inconvenience.

-- 
Dave Hull
CISSP, GCIH, GREM, SSP-MPA, CHFI
Trusted Signal, LLC
http://trustedsignal.com
Tel. 785.424.0832