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Education => Certifications and Careers => Topic started by: deanwebb on December 05, 2018, 12:57:22 PM

Title: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on December 05, 2018, 12:57:22 PM
That's right, it's 2019 in just a few weeks from the time of this writing!

What tests do you need to take?

What things do you want to accomplish?

For me, I can skate on my cert for now since I'm with the vendor that the cert is for. We don't need a lot of Cisco certs here at ForeScout... :smug:

Career goals is the tricky bit, though. I'm pretty much an apex predator, technically speaking, as an architect. I just have to keep current on my technology and that's all I *need* to do. So I have to ask myself, what do I *want* to do?

:think:
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: SimonV on December 05, 2018, 01:51:00 PM
I want to finish my JNCDA before the end of 2018, and then I'll need to focus on Fortigate for a new assignment starting in January.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: icecream-guy on December 06, 2018, 05:40:13 AM
My CCNP is due for renewal this year, haven't does any R&S for over a year,  considering letting it drop and moving on to other things like Palo certs.
Though I'd like to keep my CCNA security. so I just may take one of the CCNP Security tests and renew it.

Considering how much time I spent on my CCNA and CCNP originally, feels like I'm throwing all that time away by letting the cert drop.

Getting into my mid 50's these days, memory ain't what it used to be. Cramming for these, and remembering all the minute details for a Cisco exam
is a bit daunting. I think the CCNP Security certification would be out of the question.   

Although certs are good for the self-marketing and the company likes them, and considering that Cisco isn't the end all be all, that's why I'm considering other certs like the Palo, just to broaden my knowledge with other vendors products. CISSP would be another consideration.

I'll probably end up taking a last minute stab at the TSHOOT, and forgetting about the rest.

Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on December 06, 2018, 03:07:20 PM
If your employer likes to keep certs in the stables, the TSHOOT one sounds like the way to maintain everything.

Only go to CCNP-Sec now if you plan to push Cisco security products. That isn't a fit for my situation...
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: SimonV on December 07, 2018, 03:45:50 AM
TSHOOT is easy but still costs 250 USD/EUR, so depends if your CCNP is worth it to you or your employer...
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on December 07, 2018, 07:00:20 AM
Quote from: SimonV on December 07, 2018, 03:45:50 AM
TSHOOT is easy but still costs 250 USD/EUR, so depends if your CCNP is worth it to you or your employer...

True, but if they reimburse exam costs, it's no monetary cost to the test-taker.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: SimonV on December 07, 2018, 04:49:25 PM
Which reminds me I need to take TSHOOT in 2019 :)
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on December 07, 2018, 05:33:31 PM
Quote from: SimonV on December 07, 2018, 04:49:25 PM
Which reminds me I need to take TSHOOT in 2019 :)

Should we get a study group going so everyone can review?
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: icecream-guy on December 08, 2018, 07:11:33 AM
Wish I hadn't sold off half my lab.....
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: wintermute000 on December 11, 2018, 03:25:31 PM
RHCSA
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: SofaKing on December 28, 2018, 12:59:50 PM
I'm currently working on my MS in Cybersecurity which I'll have completed by April 2020.  Only two classes left but only taking one class a year so work foots the bill ;).  I plan on getting my CISSP by the middle of this year.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: Otanx on December 28, 2018, 03:17:57 PM
I was told the other week that CISSP is going to be a requirement for my new role. So I guess that. Also doing the Palo Alto PCNSE. We had the classes so just need to take the tests.

-Otanx
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: SimonV on January 04, 2019, 03:34:56 PM
Passed JNCDA today, now I need to step back from Juniper and focus on them Fortigates :)
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on January 05, 2019, 05:23:01 PM
Quote from: SimonV on January 04, 2019, 03:34:56 PM
Passed JNCDA today, now I need to step back from Juniper and focus on them Fortigates :)
:applause:
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: SimonV on January 07, 2019, 11:55:35 AM
Combined with the JCNIA I had and the JNCIA-Cloud I took in september, this also makes me a JNCIAx3. Recruiters will go bonkers now  :o
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on January 09, 2019, 04:50:00 PM
Quote from: SimonV on January 07, 2019, 11:55:35 AM
Combined with the JCNIA I had and the JNCIA-Cloud I took in september, this also makes me a JNCIAx3. Recruiters will go bonkers now  :o

Lots of Juniper in Europe, so that's a good call to make.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: DesertFox on June 05, 2019, 08:40:25 AM
Hello, I finally succed to land my first security job. A big service provider decides to outsource a whole new center here and needed security guys (like a bunch of), so your dear is now into the security team. And I have started my PWK  (not that I have time for it).
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on June 05, 2019, 09:02:30 AM
Quote from: DesertFox on June 05, 2019, 08:40:25 AM
Hello, I finally succed to land my first security job. A big service provider decides to outsource a whole new center here and needed security guys (like a bunch of), so your dear is now into the security team. And I have started my PWK  (not that I have time for it).

Awesome! Welcome to security!

You will want to print off a copy of the image below and keep it at your workplace:

:notthefirewall:

When people walk up, point to it and it may answer the question they were about to ask. :smug:
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: wintermute000 on June 06, 2019, 07:44:57 AM
Well I abandoned my RHCSA dreams after realising that memorising how to partition LVM disks, debug selinux labels and all that jazz was only tangentially related to my job. Did go through the linux academy course anyway which taught me a few new tricks and indoctrinated me in the 'red hat way' like using firewalld, systemctl and nmcli instead of good old fashioned iptables and /etc/network/interfaces and all that jazz. I figured that I'd need a ton of time at the linux console to memorise the commands for RHCSA standard, but why bother when I can literally do every task in the syllabus if given google and 5 minutes, just don't have the daily XP to have the exact commands / config file locations etc. memorised. Its given me a new appreciation for how hard the RHCE is though, eff me memorising all that detail for mysql and apache and postfix and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Knocked out an AWS Advanced Networking Specialty instead so at least I got something productive done!

Debating what to do next, dive back into more linux, K8, NSX-T..... Azure (barfs but they're hoovering up traditional enterprise something shocking, but can I be arsed to memorise another cloud...).

BTW strongly recommend linux academy subscription. a quarter the price of a typical 5-day course, and all the linux/cloud you can drink.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: Otanx on June 06, 2019, 09:06:42 AM
Quote from: Otanx on December 28, 2018, 03:17:57 PM
I was told the other week that CISSP is going to be a requirement for my new role. So I guess that. Also doing the Palo Alto PCNSE. We had the classes so just need to take the tests.

-Otanx

Time for the 6 month checkup. CISSP is still on the table. Doing a boot camp in October when SANS comes to town. I could probably pass it without the class, but a week out of work would be nice, and the conference is held right next to one of my favorite cigar lounges. Never did the PCNSE. Probably next year thing now. However, I have my free shot at CCIE Written next week at Cisco Live. Doing it on Thursday this year. Last year I took it early in the week, and then in class later in the week I learned stuff that would have maybe bumped me enough to have passed. If I pass that then I need to make the decision on pursuing the lab, or not. I don't feel the stuff I need to learn for the lab would help me as much as studying Automation, VXLAN, etc. However, it has been a goal for a long time.

-Otanx
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: icecream-guy on June 06, 2019, 11:15:35 AM

have a practice test for my Palo PCCSA this afternoon.  been through the course and read the book twice.  it seems fairly straight forward. unless they start nailing questions about Aperture, Evident, wildfire and Traps.. hope to do the real test by 4-jul. That'll give me about 3 months to cram in my CCNP Troubleshoot to renew my Cisco certs before they expire.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on June 11, 2019, 04:40:06 PM
Writing whitepapers that will one day make it into training and certs for my $VENDOR's product.

This is basically my ticket to ride, going forward.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: icecream-guy on June 12, 2019, 07:20:52 AM
Quote from: deanwebb on June 11, 2019, 04:40:06 PM
Writing whitepapers that will one day make it into training and certs for my $VENDOR's product.

This is basically my ticket to ride, going forward.

Going the Technical Writer route?
or the tests will be easy-pesy since you practically wrote the exam training material.
(which of course, you would have to know the questions to make sure you covered all the tested concepts)
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on June 12, 2019, 08:16:54 AM
Quote from: ristau5741 on June 12, 2019, 07:20:52 AM
Quote from: deanwebb on June 11, 2019, 04:40:06 PM
Writing whitepapers that will one day make it into training and certs for my $VENDOR's product.

This is basically my ticket to ride, going forward.

Going the Technical Writer route?
or the tests will be easy-pesy since you practically wrote the exam training material.
(which of course, you would have to know the questions to make sure you covered all the tested concepts)


Kinda sorta... more like putting my byline on stuff that all my customers are going to read. :smug:

Doing more research and study on OT stuff because I'm moving more into those industrial environments.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: srg on July 22, 2019, 03:29:00 AM
Hm, thought I did mention my May CCDE attempt here.. maybe not. However, results came a couple of days ago, and PASS! :ninjaturtle:

20190008.
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: Otanx on July 22, 2019, 10:49:04 AM
Quote from: srg on July 22, 2019, 03:29:00 AM
Hm, thought I did mention my May CCDE attempt here.. maybe not. However, results came a couple of days ago, and PASS! :ninjaturtle:

20190008.

Congrats man. That is awesome.

-Otanx
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on July 29, 2019, 12:03:32 PM
Quote from: srg on July 22, 2019, 03:29:00 AM
Hm, thought I did mention my May CCDE attempt here.. maybe not. However, results came a couple of days ago, and PASS! :ninjaturtle:

20190008.


:applause:
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: wintermute000 on August 03, 2019, 05:46:50 AM
Quote from: srg on July 22, 2019, 03:29:00 AM
Hm, thought I did mention my May CCDE attempt here.. maybe not. However, results came a couple of days ago, and PASS! :ninjaturtle:

20190008.

OMG that is amazing. I only know a tiny handful who have crossed that line. Big congratulations, I know how hard and how wide that test is!!!
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on August 05, 2019, 08:41:37 AM
Also much kudos on using :: notation for your CCDE number! :smug:
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: Otanx on December 16, 2019, 02:23:14 PM
Renewed my CCNP on Friday. Took TSHOOT and got a 846 score. Passing is 846. CISSP exam is going to be on Jan 4. Can't schedule it any sooner. Apparently only one test center in town can offer it.

-Otanx
Title: Re: Certification and Career Goals for 2019
Post by: deanwebb on December 16, 2019, 03:01:47 PM
Quote from: Otanx on December 16, 2019, 02:23:14 PM
Renewed my CCNP on Friday. Took TSHOOT and got a 846 score. Passing is 846. CISSP exam is going to be on Jan 4. Can't schedule it any sooner. Apparently only one test center in town can offer it.

-Otanx


:applause:

A win is a win, even if it's from a field goal kicked in the final seconds of overtime after three failed TD attempts from the 1-yard line!