Many questions arise when thinking of certifications as you have already seen many other people gain certifications which have changed their lives significantly. You might think why do goal-oriented people have a better chance of flourishing in their professional field of expertise. Well, the answer to this question is clear, it is because they know exactly where they want to reach and so they plan out their way accordingly. Setting up a path after deciding the goals isn’t a difficult task. The difficult task is to be dedicated and focused towards your goal, which would push you forward on the path towards fulfilling your goals. It requires clear planning and evergreen motivation to walk ahead on the path. Here, the milestone could be something grand. Here, it is achieving (ISC)2 certificate. It might seem difficult at first, but the thought of getting rewarded with the certificate is a great motivator in itself.
Steps towards achieving the certification:
- Be well versed with all the necessary details before applying the exams. Know the exam registration dates, the policies of the examination and all the testing guidelines.
- Be well versed with examination domains and prepare well for them. For instance, CISSP certification concepts of 8 domains. They are:
- Managing and overlooking of the security provided to assets.
- Engineering of Security measures and Architecting of new structural codes to prevent breaches
- Securing systems from future risks or managing and mitigating risks after they arise.
- Securing the network and providing security to communications so that no data leaks out of the chain or nobody is eavesdropping.
- The Securing operations by well-coded security check-posts
- Testing the system and network security systems and assessing the loopholes.
- Managing of all those who can access any particular information in a company and by checking identities of people requesting to access the database information.
- The providing of security to software development units or teams of the company
To be a certified cybersecurity expert, not only you have to be an expert in all these 8 domains, but also, you’d have to appear for an exam of the same. The examination would be held for duration of 3 hours and would consist of 150 questions in random order, covering all the eight domains. A minimum of 100 marks has to be scored in the examination. Apart from that, you would require a paid work experience of more than four years in two of these eight domains.
- Neither expects too much from the examination as that would be an overestimation of your capabilities nor expect too less, as that would be an underestimation. Be neutral. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. No matter how strong you are with the domains, don’t stop brushing up your skills.
- Plan out strategically and learn to prepare for the exam confidently. Make a proper timetable and try sticking to it. The more disciplined and planned out your actions are, the more likely you are to achieve what you desire. Leading an organized life helps you focus more on your goals without worrying for other existing factors.
- Take proper training and gain enough knowledge from study resources or materials. Knowledge plays a key role in everything you do in life. If you know the way you should take things to proceed further towards your goal, you may consider that you are already halfway through to reach your goal.
- Set a mentor or role model for yourself. That would help you determine how big your dream is. Try to gain advice and tips from your mentor. In CISSP certification, your mentor could be any member of the (ISC)2 body globally. Ask them about their experience and little hacks that you could use to succeed. The more you know about their experience, the more well versed you would be.
Always remember nobody sets for limits for you except for your excuses. Stop giving excuses. If you are planning to be one of the best Cybersecurity experts known worldwide, excuses shouldn’t come in the way of your dreams. Work towards your goal with full dedication and commitment. Make sure to give importance to each and every minute detail in you. Learn everything about the work environment, pressure and responsibilities that are going to come with the certificate. Be prepared for everything before, after and while getting your desired certificate.