There was a great post over at the nCircle Sync blog entitled “Do you still value your CISSP?” by Andrew Storms. I have yet to attain this certification but I plan on sitting for the exam in the coming months because I believe it to be a valuable asset in my personal development plan. The reason this post stood out is due to the comments the author received while at his both at RSA:

At RSA, I got one of those badge flags saying “ISC2 Member”. More than a few people asked “How did you get that?” Then before I could answer they would retort in a disgruntled tone “Oh you must have put your CISSP number in at registration. The CISSP doesn’t matter anymore anyway”

The authors response was “Well, OK, thanks for your kind words, I guess?” which was a subdued response compared to what I would have given.

Why do people feel the need to make snide remarks to belittle individual’s personal achievements? If I took the time to learn the subject matter required to both better myself AND pass a difficult exam, who are you to tell me it’s worthless.

Does it make you feel better about yourself to tell me my accomplishments are worthless? Are you a better person because you didn’t put the time into learning what I learned?

If a friend or colleague had a baby, after years and years of trying, would you immediately comment on how long it took them, how they’re time was wasted, and tell them the way that you think they should have approached it? The answer, unless you’re a jerk, is NO! You’d be happy for them, offer some congratulatory remarks, and maybe even provide a meaningful gift to show them how much you care.

When people tell me that one of my certifications are worthless I often think back to my favorite Jack Nicholson quote from the movie A Few Good Men:

We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

I am very proud of the 13 certifications that I hold because I know how much time and effort, as does my family, was put into acquiring the knowledge needed to pass those exams.

Mike Murray has posted a really good presentation on Building a Sustainable Security Career. I encourage you to give it a read if you’re unhappy with your current job or want to reevaluate your career plan.

Cheesy reference to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy aside, I’ve finally decided that my new corporate laptop is going to be a MacBook. The decision was not easy to come by but I had a little help from my friend Brian and my colleagues in the Security Catalyst Community Forums (registration required).

The main reason behind the switch is that my Compaq X1300 laptop of 2 years shuts off, not down, at random. I believe there may be an electrical problem with the motherboard as I sometimes hear electric crackling and the fan usually doesn’t spin. Unfortunately, these days it’s less expensive to purchase a new laptop then to invest in a major replacement part which costs the same.

I’ve decided on the standard MacBook as opposed to the MacBook Pro because I like the portability of and price of the MacBook. Since I’m not a gamer I don’t require the large screen and dedicated video card that comes with the MacBook Pro.

Here are the specs of the system that I’m going with:

• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM – 2x1GB
• 160GB Serial ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
• Superdrive 6x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Apple Mini-DVI to VGA Adapter
• Keyboard/Mac OS – U.S. English
• AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth

I can’t wait! 🙂