Yep, Certs Are Worth It.
Co-authored by Scott Bowman, SecureSet Denver Career Services Manager and Joseph Davis, SecureSet Jr. Copywriter
If you’ve spent any time within or around the cybersecurity industry, you’ve undoubtedly heard of cybersecurity certifications. CEH, CISM, CompTIA Security+, and CISSP are just a few of the certs that you’ll often find filling the resumes of highly successful cybersecurity professionals. Most industry veterans will tell you that certifications can be a crucial part of your career development, but are they really worth the time and money? The easy answer: yes, they are definitely worth it.
Skeptical? Whether you’re looking to break into the industry or you’re preparing for your next career move, there’s an ongoing list as to why you should be earning cyber certs. Below, we’re giving you our top five reasons for how certs can benefit you, as well as the quickest and most efficient way for you to earn them.
Your Leg-up on the Competition
It’s no secret that the cybersecurity industry is facing a tremendous shortfall of professionals; career-ready talent is in high-demand right now. But this doesn’t mean that securing a role as a cyber professional is a cakewalk. Even with position vacancies, the field remains extremely competitive as organizations continue to seek the most qualified candidates to fulfill their roles. Put simply, certifications put you ahead of your competition. Not only will you make it farther in the HR screening process, but in many cases, your certs can be a major deciding factor in getting hired. According to Burning Glass, over a third of cybersecurity roles ask for a certification. As a general rule, if it comes down to you and another candidate with equal experience, whoever holds the cert will land the job.
Imagine that you are a SOC analyst, and you’re applying for a role as a pen tester. While you already have some cybersecurity experience, it may not be 100% applicable to pen testing. How do you compete with those who already have ethical hacking experience? The answer: by earning your Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification. This certification shows hiring managers and recruiters that you are familiar with vulnerabilities, attack vectors, cryptography and other core pen testing concepts. This is just one example of how certifications can give you the upper hand when pursuing specific cybersecurity roles.
If you want to see which certifications are requested for specific cyber careers, check out the Cybersecurity Career Pathway tool at Cyberseek.org. Not only can you see which certs can help you land specific roles, but you can also get an idea of what skills you’ll need to get each job done. Below is an example of qualifiers that can help you land a role as a cybersecurity engineer.
Career Advancement
You may be on your boss’ good side and you may be having an extremely productive year, but if you’re looking for a promotion, the right certifications are your best bet. Certifications considerably increase your chances of landing more advanced roles. The CISSP, for example, is a certification that you’ll find under the belts of a majority of CISOs and Directors of Security. In many instances, the right certification comes with the territory. Certifications can also help you qualify for adjacent roles in the industry, allowing you to alter your career trajectory more easily. The bottom line is that the more you continue to develop your cyber credentials through certifications, the more options you’ll have throughout your cybersecurity career.
A Bigger Paycheck
Certification achievement can often be followed up by a significant salary bump upon completion. If you’re getting ready to enter the industry, certifications can give you extra wiggle room when negotiating your entry-level salary.
Cybersecurity veterans can see significant increases in their salaries with the right certifications. In 2016, a survey conducted by (ISC)² found that cyber-professionals who possess their globally recognized, CISSP certification, reported an average annual salary of $97,778, while uncertified professionals reported an average of $76,363 per year. That’s just a few dollars shy of a $20,000 difference, based solely on the possession of one certification.
Universal Skill Validation
Whether you’re involved in our highly-effective, immersive programs, or you’ve chosen the path of traditional education, one thing is certain, you will have to prove your level of expertise when interviewing for a role in cyber. Not every employer will be familiar with the education you have received, so demonstrating your skillset is a must. On the other hand, an industry-recognized certification speaks for itself. For example, obtaining the CompTIA Security+ certification will show employers that you possess a highly-desired level of expertise in cybersecurity foundations. Certifications will instill confidence in those looking to hire you, and they can do a lot of the talking in the interview process.
A DoD “Must-have”
If your goal is to work for the government in a cybersecurity capacity, you’ll need to have the right certifications. The Department of Defense for example, follows directive DoDD 8140 when hiring candidates. This directive outlines the minimum requirements for DoD cyber roles, including non-negotiable certifications. In other words, if you’re not certified, you’re not working for the DoD. End of story. Without meeting these minimum certification requirements, your job application won’t even be considered for these roles. You can find more specifics at SANS or through directly researching DoDD 8140. The certification that you’ll want to pursue is highly dependant on the kind of government role that you’re interested in. It’s best to thoroughly research these roles before working towards your next certs.
How Do I Get Started?
So are you ready to get cybersecurity certified? Now what? How can you prepare to pass your certification exams? Our partner, CyberVista, is a leader in cybersecurity training as well as certification preparation. CyberVista’s live and online classrooms will get you certification ready in just weeks. CyberVista’s website and staff are also an excellent source to help you figure out which certifications are best for your career goals.
As a SecureSet partner, CyberVista offers our students and alumni discounted prices on their training courses. This means that you can save money and earn certifications while enrolled in one of our immersive education programs. Some of our most successful graduates leave the Academy with certifications alongside their SecureSet diploma. It’s a one-two punch that you don’t want to miss out on.
SecureSet Student Testimonials
…Study for certs, not just Sec+ or CSA+, go for the basic platform certs, for example, for Splunk (the basic one is free), Microsoft Azure (free training with a Microsoft Imagine account that you have access to with the admission letter from SecureSet), AWS certs (get a free year of access to training) and many others that I might have forgotten. To sum it up: DO NOT BECOME DULL IN YOUR SKILLS” — SecureSet HUNT Program Graduate
Don’t let yourself get discouraged. There will likely be a lot of rejection, but it only takes one acceptance to get your chance. Getting Security+ helps, though some hiring people say they don’t care about certifications. Learn Splunk. Seriously, it is pretty cool, and a lot of people are using it. If you already know Splunk coming into a company that uses it, you will be miles ahead and that much more likely to get the job.— SecureSet HUNT Program Graduate
Do the work. Start a side business. Read books. Get certified. And continue doing the work. — SecureSet CORE Program Graduate
Learn more about our immersive cybersecurity programs at secureset.com. You can also visit CyberVista for more details on cybersecurity certifications.
SecureSet is a cybersecurity academy with the mission of transforming and securing the world by educating a new generation of cybersecurity professionals. With campuses in Denver, CO, Colorado Springs, CO, Tampa, FL and Washington, DC. SecureSet aims to provide the most complete, immersive and compressed cybersecurity education out there, in order to help the future of organizations and information worldwide.
Learn more about how our CORE, HUNT and PATH programs can help you launch your career in cybersecurity. You can learn more about all of our programs, workshops and partnerships at secureset.com.
