full image - Repost: Some motivation if you need it (from Reddit.com, Some motivation if you need it)
Mining:
Exchanges:
Donations:
If you need some motivation to keep going and pushing forward, this story might be worth the read.Background: 3 short years ago, I had no degree or certifications and I was working as in house IT(Network Administrator and Identity Access Admin) simply doing “jack of all trades” work. I decided to get my Security+ cert to move into a strict security discipline. After that I studied hard and earned my CISSP, but still felt held back by the missing degree. Then I found WGU. I had already tried a semester at Park University and Thomas Edison State University with some success but feeling overwhelmed that at that pace it would take more than 3 years to complete.After earning my BSCIA, I received a 10% raise from my employer at the time. Instant payoff since I completed the degree within term 1. But I was looking for more responsibility and business impact, so I decided to do my MSCIA. Before completing that, I secured new employment(Senior Security Manager) with a 30% pay increase and more responsibility, completing the MSCIA shortly after the transition.I worked hard for about 1.5 years and did a good job within my region. With the career goal of CISO, I then chose to apply to an online MBA program from Boston University, paid for by said employer. Shortly after being accepted to the program, I received word that the current CISO at my company was leaving and they wanted me to take up the position. There it was for me, CISO of a 4 Billion/yr global company at the age of 33. I owe so much to WGU. Yes I have a lot of experience and am a quick study, but without the piece of paper, none of this is possible.The point of the story isn’t “get the degree to become CISO” but take away everyone’s reason to pass you over. I never imagined during my BCSIA studies that I could accomplish this so quickly but I did my part to remove all reasons to pass me over. There is a lot of luck involved but you have no idea where you will be if you just keep pushing through this.Also noteworthy, I spent a lot of time researching “Career Path to CISO” when the truth was that people get to the same point via very different paths and there is no “right way”. Every company’s need is different.If you’ve made it to the end of this very long story, then best of luck in your studies and career. You can do this and it WILL be worth it at some point!
Social Media Icons