If I were coaching my younger self, I'd pay more attention to listening than speaking. Often times as young professionals, there's this tendency to show case what you know as opposed to taking in the experience from others. Every environment you go to will be a near-total different experience, which means that you'll likely be retraining at every job you transition to.
This is the difference between IT professionals and Security professionals... IT is very linear, while IS/IA is an every evolving work in progress. Education is continuous in IS/IA. I wouldn't hang my CISSP, CISA, CISM credentials on the wall in that they only validate my performance on a test at a given day. Rest your laurels a couple of months and the base knowledge of these certifications will go out the window.
Remain humble. If you have NEVER been humbled before in your life, this field of expertise is certain to get you there. However, there's no need for despair because all of us IS/IA professionals with any real experience at all knows what comes with the territory. However, the buck often times stops with you.
Make alliance at the job. This is probably more beneficial than anything else. Those working professionals who have not earned their CISSP or any other certification are nonetheless have amassed very valuable knowledge of the business. They possess enterprise / business knowledge that you don't. Use these resources to your benefits. There's that old adage, "Don't offend the critics" is very applicable in the security profession!
Lamont
Lamont Robertson
M.S., M.A., CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC, CDPSE, MCSE
