Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) – A Step Towards Ultimate Goal

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nby Naveen Kohli, CISSP, CSSLP, CC

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nA few months ago, I took thennCertified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP)nnexam. While checking out from the exam center, the person who wasnhelping me looked at the signing sheet and said “Wow, you are ancybersecurity professional?” After a brief conversation with him, Infound out that he was a young IT professional who was aspiring tonget into cybersecurity. I got the impression that he wanted to get ancybersecurity certification but was unsure about himself.n

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nLater, I wrote about my experiences with ISC2’s exams and a lot ofnIT community members sent me messages wanting to know more about mynexperience. Many messages had an undertone that people were unsurenand had questions about the following:

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  • Is it hard to pass these exams?
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  • Is it hard to prepare for these exams?
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  • How much do I need to prepare for these exams?
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nFrom all these conversations I concluded that the only questionnpeople have in their minds is “Will I pass the exam?” Certificationsncan be big undertakings; I can understand why people could doubtnthemselves.n

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nSmall steps and success always help in building a person’snconfidence. I asked my coworker Vishnu to takennCertified for Cybersecurity (CC) practice quiz offered by ISC2nn. It is a 10-question exam. After taking the exam, Vishnu told me “Inthink I am ready, and I can do it.” There are two things that thenquiz did. One, it gave Vishnu a basic understanding of whatncybersecurity is all about. Second, it provided him with a quicknoverview of what type of questions he will potentially come acrossnduring the exam.n

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nnThe CC initiativennby ISC2 is a great step. It provides a great foundation fornfundamental skills in cybersecurity. It covers a lot of essentialntopics without overwhelming a person and without the overload ofnadvanced concepts. In my opinion, this provides that sense of smallnvictories before conquering the final mission. It helps in buildingna lot of confidence for a person to move on to taking certificationnexams like CISSP, CCSLP and CCSP.n

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nThe topics that you learn for CC certification exam also carry over tonother certification exams like CISSP. The following infographic providesna tentative comparison of how CC topics can map to the topics covered innCISSP.

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nOne great thing about CC exam is that thenncomplimentary examination vouchernncovers the cost of self-paced training as well. A question that I havenreceived many times is about the training and practice exam resourcesnfor CISSP, CCSP and CSSLP. For these exams, one must purchasenpreparation resources in addition to the purchase of an examinationnvoucher. I am glad that CC took this into consideration and did a greatnjob of providing all the tools for a person to prepare and pass thenexam.n

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nIn my opinion, every IT and Software professional should consider takingnCertified in Cybersecurity certification exam. It helps in attainingnfundamental cybersecurity knowledge and removes the barriers in one’snmind about achieving the higher goals in cybersecurity profession.n

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