Hey there,
I do disagree on the CISSP being an entry level cert. It's a pity it has been used by HR drones as a bar for selection because I honestly believe that was never the goal of the cert. With prevalence came expectations too high for a piece of paper to fulfill, or for an organisation to prove the contrary. In my opinion the cert, first and foremost, establishes a common vocabulary among professionals that allows us -even though from different backgrounds and with different focus areas- to talk the same language and understand eachother. The second part I believe the organisation does -not the cert itself- is support an ecosystem of professionals. This has been established through a revised strategy (member-focused instead of product-focused) last year and the establishment of our chapter program. This ecosystem relies on an influx of 'new' people and the support of 'elders'.
While I respect your decision, I don't think it's the right one. In what we are trying to accomplish, people like you are elementary. And frankly, there is no other org that is positioned to even try this.
If anything, we need to work on communication. I do know that more than 50% of what I've written here is not commonly known among the membership and that is a very sad state of affairs.
We have done nothing but focus on preparing the org to go full force on the member-focused strategy, because it is the right thing to do.
Again, I fully respect your decision. Nothing I can do about that.
Cheers,
Wim
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The view from the other side.
Many thanks to Wim Remes, (ISC)^2 board member, for sending me his view of the cert issue and for letting me post it here. DISCLAIMER: this is Wim's own view and does not represent the rest of the board or the organization as a whole.
Going paperless.
UPDATE: Boy, this generated a lot more response than I had anticipated.
Let me make it clear: I really respect and admire what members of the (ISC)^2 board are trying to do, and they have a big job ahead of them. I don't think the CISSP is completely useless; there are areas where it's quite useful (I could write a whole post just on the challenges of hiring security pros in government). It's just not something I personally want to put time and money into maintaining.
If anyone can make me change my mind, it'll be Wim Remes and Dave Lewis; they can do just about anything they put their minds to. They're the vanguard of people who are trying to improve the industry, and the world is a better place already because of them.
===============
Much as I love some of the (ISC)^2 board members and heavily involved volunteers, I've decided to let my CISSP certification lapse.
I never actually planned to get it to begin with; I only signed up for the exam because there was a job I thought I might apply for, and the CISSP was required. By the time I decided to go in a different career direction, it was too late for me to get my exam fees back (and for that amount of money, I could have bought a laptop or some wicked designer shoes). So I crammed for about a day and a half, went to the exam, came out two hours later, and was done. Relatively painless, except for the extortion I had to do of certain former colleagues to get the recommendation forms filled out.
Since then, having that certification has done nothing for me, except to make me have to look up my number every so often when registering for a conference. As an analyst, I earn CPEs at least once a week, and I suppose if I could just send (ISC)^2 a link like this to be done with the submission, it might be less annoying. But filing them individually? And possibly being audited on them? Ain't nobody got time for that.
Besides, it still chafes me to think of paying good money every year to be allowed to do something I don't want to do anyway: put letters after my name. At this point, CISSPs are so common, they're like a bachelor's degree:* if you have to brag about it, you probably don't have anything else going for you.
After decades of being in IT, I no longer want to bother proving how much I know. If someone can't figure it out by talking to me or reading my writing, then I don't want their job. If they feel so strongly about that certification that they won't waive it for me, then they don't want me either, and that's okay. (And if someone is trying an argument from authority and won't listen to me because I don't have a current CISSP, then send 'em my way; I could use the belly laugh.)
I suppose a CISSP might be useful for people starting out in security, who need to prove that they've actually put in a few years at it and know the basics. It's a handy first sorting mechanism when you're looking to fill certain levels of positions. But by the time you're directly recruiting people, you should know why you want them other than the fact that they're certified. And then the letters aren't important.
I know that the (ISC)^2 board is working hard to pump up the value of the certifications, and I wish them luck with that. I think their biggest challenge will be getting them out of the category of "gate tickets": if having one helps you get through a gate, then you won't feel like you need it any more after that. (You don't have to keep maintaining a college degree; once you've obtained it, that's good enough for anyone who requires it.)
It'll be hard to create ongoing value for those of us who are past that stage in our careers. Especially for those of us who are too old to go kicking down doors. Maybe in the far future, a security certification will hold the same weight as an engineering one, and need to be maintained in good standing in order to practice your craft. But for that to happen, a lot of other attitudes around security will need to change. More on that in another post.
*Which I also don't have, by the way.
Let me make it clear: I really respect and admire what members of the (ISC)^2 board are trying to do, and they have a big job ahead of them. I don't think the CISSP is completely useless; there are areas where it's quite useful (I could write a whole post just on the challenges of hiring security pros in government). It's just not something I personally want to put time and money into maintaining.
If anyone can make me change my mind, it'll be Wim Remes and Dave Lewis; they can do just about anything they put their minds to. They're the vanguard of people who are trying to improve the industry, and the world is a better place already because of them.
===============
Much as I love some of the (ISC)^2 board members and heavily involved volunteers, I've decided to let my CISSP certification lapse.
I never actually planned to get it to begin with; I only signed up for the exam because there was a job I thought I might apply for, and the CISSP was required. By the time I decided to go in a different career direction, it was too late for me to get my exam fees back (and for that amount of money, I could have bought a laptop or some wicked designer shoes). So I crammed for about a day and a half, went to the exam, came out two hours later, and was done. Relatively painless, except for the extortion I had to do of certain former colleagues to get the recommendation forms filled out.
Since then, having that certification has done nothing for me, except to make me have to look up my number every so often when registering for a conference. As an analyst, I earn CPEs at least once a week, and I suppose if I could just send (ISC)^2 a link like this to be done with the submission, it might be less annoying. But filing them individually? And possibly being audited on them? Ain't nobody got time for that.
Besides, it still chafes me to think of paying good money every year to be allowed to do something I don't want to do anyway: put letters after my name. At this point, CISSPs are so common, they're like a bachelor's degree:* if you have to brag about it, you probably don't have anything else going for you.
After decades of being in IT, I no longer want to bother proving how much I know. If someone can't figure it out by talking to me or reading my writing, then I don't want their job. If they feel so strongly about that certification that they won't waive it for me, then they don't want me either, and that's okay. (And if someone is trying an argument from authority and won't listen to me because I don't have a current CISSP, then send 'em my way; I could use the belly laugh.)
I suppose a CISSP might be useful for people starting out in security, who need to prove that they've actually put in a few years at it and know the basics. It's a handy first sorting mechanism when you're looking to fill certain levels of positions. But by the time you're directly recruiting people, you should know why you want them other than the fact that they're certified. And then the letters aren't important.
I know that the (ISC)^2 board is working hard to pump up the value of the certifications, and I wish them luck with that. I think their biggest challenge will be getting them out of the category of "gate tickets": if having one helps you get through a gate, then you won't feel like you need it any more after that. (You don't have to keep maintaining a college degree; once you've obtained it, that's good enough for anyone who requires it.)
It'll be hard to create ongoing value for those of us who are past that stage in our careers. Especially for those of us who are too old to go kicking down doors. Maybe in the far future, a security certification will hold the same weight as an engineering one, and need to be maintained in good standing in order to practice your craft. But for that to happen, a lot of other attitudes around security will need to change. More on that in another post.
*Which I also don't have, by the way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)