@kpoole_isc2 wrote:
I am concerning taking the CISSP-ISSEP exam.
Has anyone taken the exam?
If so, have you found it to be worth the effort?
Years ago I studied furiously to prepare for the CISSP-ISSEP exam, because it looked like DoD and NSA were actually going to enforce the DoD Manual 8570 requirement for the ISSEP for certain jobs I was doing (and expected to do) as a federal contractor.
The study effort was well worth it, honing my knowledge and skill as a system security engineer (see NIST SP 800-160).
I never took the exam because no one ever made it a required hand-stamp to get past HR for a job.I suspect the civil servants discovered not enough of their mid- and senior- system managers could earn a CISSP (thus the 8570 fallback to Associate of (ISC)2), much less pass the much tougher ISSEP exam.
So, I'd suggest it may be worth it to take the exam if you like getting the merit badge, but it will not be worth it if you are hoping to leverage more or better jobs with the certification. That said, I reiterate it is most definitely worth it to prepare for the exam, as a build of your true professional capabilities.
