We describe ourselves as The Ethical Hacker Network, a free online magazine for security professionals. With that in mind, we try to have a wide range of topics of varying difficulty, all with an aim towards helping the readers on their chosen career paths. As the Editor-in-Chief of EH-Net, I am constantly asked online and off about the best way to get into the field, how to get a job and most often about the value of certifications, experience and education. Long-time colleague, Barry Cooper of FishNet Security Training & iSWAT 2012 in September, not only has an abundance of each but also works in the security and training fields. So who better to offer up some advice?

For a little background information, Mr. Cooper has over 25 years of experience in information technology and security designing, developing, and delivering technical training courses for over 15 years. He has significant expertise in systems analysis, computer programming, information security, instructional design, and network engineering.  Mr. Cooper is responsible for the vision, operation, and management  of the FishNet Security Training organization. In addition, he manages vendor, security, and distance learning product development. Under his guidance, FishNet Security's training LOB now include 10 national training centers and offers well over 100 courses. He also developed FishNet Security's eLearning capability and remote live training delivery systems from the ground up. Barry has attained over 70 high-level security and technical certifications including CISSP, JNCI, CCSI and CTT+.

And we are lucky to have him answer some questions and offer some great advice.