Networking-Forums.com

Education => Certifications and Careers => Topic started by: deanwebb on April 24, 2023, 04:10:56 PM

Title: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on April 24, 2023, 04:10:56 PM
Dang, it's April, but at least I'm starting the thread!

I picked up my Eggplant certifications, level 1 and 2, and have appeased the vendor gods... for now...  :smug:

(Eggplant is a software GUI testing suite that has nothing really to do with networking, but we sell it, so I needed to get certified in it. Lots of programming stuff, but their code is easy to read and figure out, so it's all good. :D )

Now on to ServiceNOW CSA training... that's the next one I need to knock down. All these security vendors hook into SNOW, and I need to be able to both run our SNOW instances for those integrations and to talk about them intelligently with our customers.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: Otanx on April 25, 2023, 10:12:55 AM
Had my 3 year renewal on my CISSP last month. Finished all the CPE stuff about a month early, paid the fee, and get to start CPEs all over again. Also have CCNP renewal coming up. Cisco Live should cover the CPE I need for that. Cisco finally opened the scheduling for Cisco Live last week and I got my week planned out. Need to count the expected CPEs to make sure it will cover and maybe change classes around to get enough credits. I am also going to try the CCNA level DevNet cert exam while I am there. Other than that I might end up getting the PCNSE. We do a lot more Palo these days so might just go take the exam.

-Otanx
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on April 25, 2023, 01:07:05 PM
Let me know before you take the PCNSE, I took that last year with my PCNSA. Definitely reading through the Admin Guide was a huge help on that exam.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on May 04, 2023, 09:00:47 AM
Just had some CyberArk pre-sales certs added to my to-do list. Knocking out the 5th of 5 hopefully today. They're pretty painless, kind of like annual security awareness videos in terms of the ease of the certification exam.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on October 05, 2023, 09:29:10 PM
On day 4 of a CISSP bootcamp. I'm drained but it's something I wish I did 5 years ago.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: networkloser on October 11, 2023, 03:49:02 AM
idk if that's only me, but cissp is so basic in terms of web security perspective.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on October 13, 2023, 02:11:02 PM
Quote from: networkloser on October 11, 2023, 03:49:02 AMidk if that's only me, but cissp is so basic in terms of web security perspective.

It's basic in almost everything, but it covers so much. It's a mile wide and an inch deep. Metric conversion is it's 1.26km wide and 2.54cm deep. :smug:
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on October 24, 2023, 04:54:26 AM
First impression is that I wish I did it five (5) years ago.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on October 27, 2023, 02:28:38 PM
Passed the exam today. I put it off for a few weeks promising myself I would study more. I didn't. Did a couple hours of review last night and another hour or so this morning. Barely did any practice questions.

YMMV. Stored knowledge and experience from lots of test taking and working in high security environments for the past 14-years is my reasoning on why I was able to pull it off with such a half-a$$ effort.

IMO the old CCNP R&S was harder.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on October 28, 2023, 08:59:57 AM
Lol, I might just register and see what happens. :D
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on October 28, 2023, 08:58:38 PM
Quote from: deanwebb on October 28, 2023, 08:59:57 AMLol, I might just register and see what happens. :D

TBH the boot camp made the difference for me. They can't teach you the test but they can tell you what to focus on. I can't remember an unfamiliar IP address three minutes after you tell it to me, but explain a concept and it's apparently in there forever.

Not sure what's next. I'm thinking FSCE because I already took the class and still have my notes. Another low hanging fruit. They are enforcing the FSCA -> FSCP -> FSCE path now so I would have to take the FSCP first. I'm considering just taking it and seeing what happens.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on November 30, 2023, 07:27:57 PM
FSCE next week. I found out as a partner I can go FSCA -> FSCE as long as I have deployment experience. Which I does.

After this I am keen on CSA's Zero Trust training.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: icecream-guy on December 01, 2023, 07:10:48 AM
squeeze 'em out, if ya can. There's only a month left in the year.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on December 01, 2023, 08:54:01 AM
OH SNAP IT'S DECEMBER
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: Otanx on December 04, 2023, 09:21:50 AM
For the first time in awhile I actually got most of my goals this year. Renewed both CISSP, and CCNP. The CCNP was close I didn't end up with enough credits from Cisco Live, and had to do some online training through U.Cisco to get the last few. The CPEs didn't actually get processed until after the CCNP expired, but they date them to when you took it, and it reactivated. I was a little worried for awhile. I also passed the CCNA-DevNet test. It wasn't too hard.

Now to figure out 2024 goals.

-Otanx
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on December 08, 2023, 11:55:02 AM
Getting AWS certs before year-end if I can. Working on CCP now and there are SO MANY AWS products offered, most of the practice test I'm working on is just matching up the right product to the right function and knowing what each of the other three answers involve... there are so many AWS database products alone, it's insane.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on December 14, 2023, 08:54:34 AM
Talking to a developer has REALLY helped me to understand what and why all the AWS services are behind the networking stuff. That was a huge help.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on December 15, 2023, 12:11:38 AM
Quote from: Otanx on December 04, 2023, 09:21:50 AMFor the first time in awhile I actually got most of my goals this year. Renewed both CISSP, and CCNP. The CCNP was close I didn't end up with enough credits from Cisco Live, and had to do some online training through U.Cisco to get the last few. The CPEs didn't actually get processed until after the CCNP expired, but they date them to when you took it, and it reactivated. I was a little worried for awhile. I also passed the CCNA-DevNet test. It wasn't too hard.

Now to figure out 2024 goals.

-Otanx


Close call. I had a buddy who lost 2x CCNP by neglecting to renew in time. Guy got it all back though, amazingly. My CCNP is up for renewal next May and I am debating on if I want to keep it at this point. A large part of me says yes even knowing it will be expensive.



Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: Otanx on December 15, 2023, 10:48:18 AM
Depending on how many credits you need there are 28 free ones on u.cisco.com. The DEVNAE and SDWFND trainings are free. Just have to take the time to do it.

-Otanx
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: icecream-guy on December 15, 2023, 03:06:35 PM
Quote from: config t on December 15, 2023, 12:11:38 AM
Quote from: Otanx on December 04, 2023, 09:21:50 AMFor the first time in awhile I actually got most of my goals this year. Renewed both CISSP, and CCNP. The CCNP was close I didn't end up with enough credits from Cisco Live, and had to do some online training through U.Cisco to get the last few. The CPEs didn't actually get processed until after the CCNP expired, but they date them to when you took it, and it reactivated. I was a little worried for awhile. I also passed the CCNA-DevNet test. It wasn't too hard.

Now to figure out 2024 goals.

-Otanx


Close call. I had a buddy who lost 2x CCNP by neglecting to renew in time. Guy got it all back though, amazingly. My CCNP is up for renewal next May and I am debating on if I want to keep it at this point. A large part of me says yes even knowing it will be expensive.





if you use it, it is worth keeping,  I had mine, moved into network security 5 yrs ago. It kept alive due to pandemic, but once that was over,  I have little need to set local preferences, in BGP, or trying to figure out why my spanning-tree is not working, etc.  never mind the 9300's and their bridge group virtual interfaces, bundle interfaces and integrated routing and bridging, need to understand for security, but implementation, No.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on December 19, 2023, 09:59:46 AM
Quote from: icecream-guy on December 15, 2023, 03:06:35 PMif you use it, it is worth keeping,  I had mine, moved into network security 5 yrs ago. It kept alive due to pandemic, but once that was over,  I have little need to set local preferences, in BGP, or trying to figure out why my spanning-tree is not working, etc.  never mind the 9300's and their bridge group virtual interfaces, bundle interfaces and integrated routing and bridging, need to understand for security, but implementation, No.

That's the thing, I just don't do it day-to-day anymore. It would be a side project taking my attention away from cloud sec stuff and things.

Going to have to update my resume: CCNP - but expire  :smug:
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on December 19, 2023, 01:01:38 PM
Mine is CCNP but expire, as well. :D
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: icecream-guy on December 19, 2023, 03:14:31 PM
Quote from: deanwebb on December 19, 2023, 01:01:38 PMMine is CCNP but expire, as well. :D
for all my expired certs, I just put in cert name, start date, end date.
-  Cisco Certified Specialist - Enterprise Core certificate, 05/2010 – 01/2023
-  Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) CNSS 4011 Recognition. 02/2011 – 01/2023
-  Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professional Recognition, 02/2011 – 01/2023
-  Cisco ASA Specialist 04/2014 - 04/2016
-  Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional 08/2011 - 08/2014

I also went to the Cisco Cert site and updated resume with certs that I didn't know I had like Cisco Certified Specialist - Enterprise Core


for the current ones, or ones that never expire just since date
-  Certified under the AlgoSec Security Administrators (CASA), since 03/2020
-  Certified under the Splunk Certified Power User 6.x Program, since 06/2018
-  Certified under the Splunk Certified User 6.x Program, since 05/2018
-  IPv6 Forum Gold Network Engineer Certification, since 07/2012

Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on December 21, 2023, 11:47:21 PM
I still have the old lifetime Sec+ but nobody seems to care. Pay and CEU or fu.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on December 22, 2023, 03:55:49 PM
Some genius figured out that they could get a revenue stream instead of being just nice.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on January 05, 2024, 06:08:12 AM
A little late, but I took the FSCE practical exam yesterday. Definitely a time-management exam. Should have results in a day or two.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on January 05, 2024, 09:05:25 AM
Good job! Hope you passed it!
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on January 08, 2024, 01:43:49 PM
I did not. Ultimately I was not as prepared as I needed to be. My understanding of policy creation and flow needs attention and unfortunately policy is weighted the most heavily on the exam. I also wasted a bunch of time troubleshooting around a fat-fingered domain credential  :XD:

Giving it another go in a couple weeks.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on January 09, 2024, 08:47:28 AM
Policy is the heart of Forescout, knowing what a broken policy looks like is key to fixing customer issues when they make broken policies because they are just guessing at things.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: config t on February 14, 2024, 06:47:58 PM
Crushed it this time. I want to do RHCA next since Forescout is shifting from CentOS back to red hat. I need to focus on zscaler for employer reasons though.
Title: Re: Certification Goals for 2023
Post by: deanwebb on February 14, 2024, 07:44:25 PM
Yeah, RHEL is the new CentOS, looks like. :)