How I Passed the CISSP Exam with 6 Months of Security Experience

About two and a half years ago I was a year into my IT career and had just graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems. After graduation, I took a much needed vacation and went to Florida, and when I got back my manager at the time was like “Okay, time to go for your CISSP”.

He knew me well and knew I wouldn’t last long just cruising along with a full-time job and no other purpose. I am always looking for a new challenge to tackle, so here I was, being gifted a CISSP textbook to get started. Little did I know this would be the most challenging journey yet, and a year and a half long journey at that.

Fast forward to November of 2019, I was on my way to the testing center a nervous wreck and trying to keep my cool while reviewing a 50 page overview of the exam. When I first heard of the CISSP certification, I was like okay, let’s do it! A few weeks into my studies, I quickly realized this was going to be quite the test, but I was determined to pass it.

There were definitely times where I questioned why I was putting the extra pressure on myself when I was so new to IT and still learning the basics. There were times where others doubted me as well, but that just motivated me more because I don’t appreciate being underestimated.