The Ethical Hacker Network - Certifications +/-?

BillV

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Certifications +/-?

« on: December 14, 2006, 04:23:49 PM »

Hi everyone,

I've seen different posts/discussions on various sites regarding the security certifications out there. I'm curious to know whether the people that currently have these certifications (whether it's Security+, CEH, CPTS, etc.) have benefited from them?

What has raised my concern is, mostly, the reputation of EC-Council and their certifications. I've seen numerous posts about how they're not helpful in the real world. Up till today, I've been trying to justify to myself that it's because they're a younger organization than say, SANS. But today I found out my CEH/ECSA courses have been canceled.. again. So I'm re-thinking the route I'd like to take and would like to hear from anyone with some good input

Thanks,
V


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Kev

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Re: Certifications +/-?

« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2006, 09:15:47 PM »

My feeling and experience is having the CEH is a good thing if you know how to present and sale it. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view, you can’t rely on just having a bunch of certs to get you a sweet fat job. Its not like having obtained a medical degree from Harvard which would just about land you a job any where unless you were a total psycho in your interview.

If you are going into the security field, well the sad truth is its getting more and more competitive so any edge you can get is a plus. Suppose two CISSPs where trying to get the same job and one had a CEH and knew how to present it, and the other applicant didn’t. If the CEH made the interviewer understand that he not only had the typical security training, etc.. he also had the ability to see things like the attacker and that gave him a major advantage over the average admin, I know which one will have the greater chance of being hired.


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nebu10uz

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Re: Certifications +/-?

« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2006, 10:04:15 PM »

I definitely agree with kev. But not only that, when you take the time to study for such certification, you learn new things that you did not know before which could really help you in your career. I have been working in the security field for 2 years now and in a sense, I'm still a newbie. So I decided it would be good to obtain a few certs and learn to new things in the process. When I studied for my security+ cert, I gained some knowledge that really help me on what I do today. Thats why I recommend before heading out to a bootcamp, to purchase books and study guides and take the time to read and study the materials carefully. This is not about just passing a test, it's about acquiring knowledge and skills that you can apply to your job experience.

After passing my first certification test, I was so happy and proud of myself, it felt really good and to tell you the truth I got hooked. I wanted to learn more, and thus I'm continuing in my journey to obtain another cert for which I'm currently studying, the CEH v5.


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Security+, OSCP, CEH

BillV

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Re: Certifications +/-?

« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2006, 07:39:45 AM »

Yeah, I agree with what you guys are saying. I keep going back and forth on that particular certification. I just finished reading all 3 course books for CEHv5 and I definitely picked up on some things I hadn't thought about. Then I started to read the ECSAv2 books, and now those (like CEHv4 just before v5 was released) seem to be behind and not as well written.

I've seen some discussions where people try to relate CEH to Security+ and I really don't see that. Security+ is a great introduction to security related topics, but I really think CEH goes a bit further than that by going into a lot more detail.

I think that perhaps the training center I decided to go with is an issue for me. This is the second time my CEH course has been dropped (due to "low enrollment" they say). I asked about the ECSA course that I had scheduled and was told I was the only person enrolled =P So I'm sure I've been the only one in the CEH course these past two times as well. I think leads me to be more skeptical of the certification and such.


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don

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Re: Certifications +/-?

« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2006, 08:41:23 AM »

Picking the right training company is just as important if not more so than any other component of getting a cert. I have personally attended more than 1 course with The Training Camp and can recommend them highly. It doesn't hurt that they also give EH-Net members discounts:

http://www.trainingcamp.com/us/info/schedule_csp.asp?refer=CSP

Give them a shot,
Don


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CISSP, MCSE, CSTA, Security+ SME

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