Honestly I would say not to worry much about the CPE credits.  If you can make a conference once a year, and you are really into security then the credits are everywhere.  Just take an interest in a local security group or two and you can get them very quickly.

One thing to use caution with on the tests is that you can be the best hacker in the world and miserably fail the test. It basically comes down to what the testing group decides what it is important and the wording of the question is.

Good luck in what you decide, honestly one thing you can try is looking at some jobs you really like, and seeing what the requirements are to get the job.