Re: The future, what employers look for, and degrees

[Andrew Anderson <andycapp92 () gmail com>]

I concur with Phillip and Mike's take on things.  When I completed my degree
it was with some individuals whom I thought had worked hard, grown as
individuals as well as grown their skill sets; and then there were
individuals whom in my opinion had bitched, complained and basically
floated/faked (take your pick) through most of the degree.  You don't get
what you pay for, moreover you get out a reflection of what you are willing
to put into it.  The same applies to Certs.

One important thing that I think hasn't been mentioned yet is that a
full-time program for many people will teach (provided they are serious
about it) individuals how to effectively learn the material.  This may be
especially true for our younger peers.  If you are attending a decent school
this should apply to group and individual learning situations.

I think that my certs, degree, and work experience are all important items
on my resume.  I also think that I leverage all of the soft skills, theory
and specific skills that I honed/learned in school and on Cert courses on a
regular basis.

Jeremy's point about those who are making the decisions is definitely not
lost on me either.


Andrew Anderson




On Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 11:18 AM, Phillip Bristow <pbristow () siu edu> wrote:

> Hello all, I just graduated from a school that had a security program, the
> great thing about it was that we were encouraged to work on our own projects
> and integrate them into the curriculum. This is what I think that makes a
> good program is when you are encouraged to find alternative means to
> accomplish a task and allowed to implement the solution. I guess I am mostly
> seconding Mike Patterson's point that you will only get what you put into
> your education, also it is an expensive approach to gaining knowledge.
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 11:04 AM, Jeremy Pommerening <theaudioman () yahoo com
> > wrote:
>
> > I agree with your point.  However I have considered getting a masters or
> > even an MBA for the same reason he mentioned.  The people that matter (the
> > ones that will pay me the big bucks) seem to respect the paper more than the
> > knowledge or abilities.
> >
> > Jeremy Pommerening
> > CISSP,GCFA,GPEN,GAWN,GCFW,
> > MCSE Win2K, MCSE NT4
> >
> >
> > --- On *Tue, 2/1/11, Adrian Crenshaw <irongeek () irongeek com>* wrote:
> >
> >
> > From: Adrian Crenshaw <irongeek () irongeek com>
> > Subject: [Pauldotcom] The future, what employers look for, and degrees
> > To: "PaulDotCom Security Weekly Mailing List" <
> > pauldotcom () mail pauldotcom com>
> > Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 4:50 PM
> >
> >
> >     Ok, I was speaking with someone today from a different field today
> > that has a masters. I alluded to the fact that I'm loosing interest in the
> > "Security Informatics" masters program I'm in because of lack of perceived
> > applicability, time taken that I could use learning other things, and it
> > seems like there is a huge disconnect between academia vs. what I see in the
> > industry (through my admittedly limited experience listening to podcast,
> > reading forums/mailing list, going to conferences, etc). His take was that
> > I'd be competing with people in the future, and the masters degree could
> > likely be the deciding factor. Do you think that is really true? Or do you
> > think employers will start to see academia as it has become to be a largely
> > wasteful exercise vs. getting your name out there and learning/getting
> > experience on your own? When I hear about people going into great debt to
> > get something that amounts to a union card in many cases (a degree), it kind
> > of makes be hope the whole system can be reformed. For what I've seen in the
> > industry, it seems to mater more what people know you for than any degree
> > you have. Am I wrong? Anyone got a different way to look at it?
> >
> > Adrian
> >
> > -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
> >
> >
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