When it comes to advancing your career in cybersecurity, certification is the ultimate measure of competency and a key step in continuing education. Whether you’re just beginning your cybersecurity career or are looking to advance into leadership, certification can be a way to prove your skills and qualify for roles with greater responsibility or higher pay.
These certifications are available from a variety of vendors and cover topics such as penetration testing, security architecture, cyber threat management, and many others. There are also different types of certifications you can pursue: vendor-specific certifications that focus on one company’s products; industry-neutral certifications that cover general cybersecurity topics; or hybrid certifications that combine elements of both.
Before you take the plunge with any cybersecurity certification program, it’s important to understand what you’ll get out of it and what it will cost you in time, money, and stress. In this blog post, we go over everything you need to know before taking the plunge with a cybersecurity certification program.
Decide Which Certification is Right for You.
The first step in deciding which certification is right for you is to understand what skills and competencies those certifications test. Every vendor certification has its own unique set of skills and topics that it covers, so it’s important to make sure the certification is aligned with the knowledge and skills you already have or are hoping to develop.
The best way to do this is to read up on the certification program and review the syllabus to see if the certification is a close enough match for your career goals. If you’re not sure what certification you should start with, many cybersecurity employers include certification as part of the hiring process and expect candidates to have a certain level of certification.
Determine the Length of Your Exam Path
The next major consideration when choosing a cybersecurity certification program is how long it will take you to complete the required exams. There are a few factors that will affect how long it takes to complete your certification path, including:
– The number of exams you need to pass
– The number of times you need to take each exam
– The length of time between attempts
– The length of time it takes you to prepare for each exam.
The smaller your certification path, the easier it will be to finish in a reasonable amount of time, but you’ll have less room for error and may not cover as many topics as you would with a longer path. Depending on your certification path and exam vendor, you may be able to take all of your exams at the same time or break them out over several months or even years.
Estimate Your Study Time
As you go through the certification program and exam syllabus, you’ll want to keep track of how long it takes you to complete each section of the certification program. Some components of certification require more study time than others, like taking the exam itself.
Some certifications are strictly written exams, while others require a hands-on lab environment for testing. You’ll want to estimate how long it will take you to complete the certification program and make sure you factor in the amount of time required for each exam. If your certification program has prerequisites, you’ll need to account for the amount of time it takes to complete those certification requirements as well.
Commit to a Certification Exam Date
Before you commit to a certification exam, make sure you understand the exam scheduling requirements and have a realistic time frame to complete the exam. Some vendors have a very open exam scheduling policy, while others have strict scheduling requirements or may even require you to travel to a specific testing center.
You’ll want to select an exam date that gives you enough time to prepare for the exam and pass. While some certifications are easier to pass than others, it’s important to give yourself enough time to thoroughly review the exam syllabus and get comfortable with the exam format.
Prepare for the Exam Environment
Finally, when you’re ready to start preparing for the exam, you’ll want to prepare yourself for the exam environment. Depending on the certification vendor and type of certification you’re pursuing, you may have to pass your exam at a testing center. This might involve travel or a stay in a hotel as you’re scheduling your exam.
While you’re preparing for the exam, you’ll want to stay off social media and other distractions to avoid any last-minute surprises that could trip you up during the exam. You’ll also want to make sure you are well-rested and have a quiet, distraction-free environment to take the exam.
You don’t want the pressure of an exam or a looming deadline to be the sole source of stress in your life as you’re preparing for the exam; it’s important to take care of yourself so you are ready to tackle the exam head-on when exam day rolls around.
Be Realistic about your Chances of Passing
Finally, before you commit to certification and start preparing for the exam, you may want to get a sense of the exam passing rate. While passing a certification exam itself is no easy feat, you may want to get an idea of the passing rate for your specific certification and exam to help you decide if certification is right for you.
What’s the passing rate for your exam? How many people fail? How many people pass? Where do you fall on that spectrum? If you have a low passing rate and high failure rate, you may want to consider what you can do to increase your chances of passing.
If you have a high passing rate and low failure rate, congratulations! You may be more prepared for the certification than you thought. Either way, you can use this information to help inform your decision about certification, whether it’s the right path for you or what you need to do before you take the exam.
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