From the course: CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Cert Prep

The value of certification

From the course: CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Cert Prep

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The value of certification

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- Why pursue a security certification? There are three important benefits to earning an information security certification as a step in your career development. Security certification demonstrates your commitment to information security as a profession. It can help you get a job and it can increase your earning potential. Earning a certification requires dedication and an investment of time and money. When you earn a security certification, you show your colleagues and potential employers that you have made an investment in your career, and specifically in information security. You're not simply trying to find a job wherever you can. You have a passion and interest in our field and have demonstrated a broad knowledge of the many different disciplines of information security. Certified individuals stand out. Certification can also help you get a job. In many cases, employers consider a security certification as a minimum requirement for many positions in information security. If you don't have a certification on your resume, you won't make it past the keyword screening used by many human resources departments. You have no chance of getting a job if you're screened out before your resume even lands on the desk of a hiring manager. Certified individuals also earn more than their non-certified counterparts. In the 2021 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, members of the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, ISC Squared, were asked about many different career topics. In that study, the average salary of members who did not have their certifications was about $58,000 a year, while those with certifications earned more than $91,000 a year on average. That's a tremendous difference. So which certification is right for you? If you're new to information security, the CompTIA Security+ certification is the premier entry level certification for information security professionals. If you have less than five years of experience in the field, it's definitely the right way to start. There's no experience requirement for the Security+ certification, and you'll get a broad exposure to the entire information security career field. If you're interested in pursuing the Security+ certification, I have a whole series of courses available to assist you with that process. As you gain technical skills in the cybersecurity field, you may wish to move a step further and earn the Cybersecurity Analyst+ certification from CompTIA. This certification is designed for analysts who have about four years of experience in the field. You don't need to have a Security+ certification to take the CySA+ exam, but the background knowledge that you gain from the Security+ exam will be very helpful when you're taking CySA+. If you have a solid base of information security experience, the CISSP certification is the right credential for you. The CISSP credential is considered the gold standard of security certifications and is often a requirement for senior level security positions, including becoming a firm's chief information security officer.

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