@JoePete Totally.
“Certs don’t hire people, people do.”*
CC is entry level, but tests in the ISC2 are more often than not for people with a modicum more experience.
Cybersecurity roles pair better with existing IT knowledge experience, and with six months of doing you’ll swiftly move beyond what you learned from ISC2 or other sources in prep fro the CC.
Once you have 1-2 years of experience I don’t think CC has really got much pull beyond perhaps a tiebreaker and certainly can’t beat provable experience, or indeed the dominant predator of entry level certification CompTIA’s Security+. Two additional points here. 1) Google recognises the time in industry with it’s Google Certified Cybersecurity Professional certification offering a discount for Security+, ISC2 would be smart to do so as well as CC lacks simulations , which test skills much better than trying to test them through written questions. 2) Security+ has been around for donkies. Approaching the CISSPs timescale. This precedence effect(who got there first) really matters and we see this reversed in CISSP vs CASP+. Who knows maybe in one universe ISC2 replaces CompTIA as the entry level gold standard just as CISSP is forgotten enough to allow CASP+ to replace it at mid level?
So right now performance of CC is unproven - we’ll need to wait for data - Annecdotally some people are satisfied, some are not.
You seem to already be in a role so I suspect CC’s best use for you is a conversation starter at a chapter and CISSP or similar is more useful Joe covers this well:
I think to the later points:
“Despite my passion for the field, the job market is exceptionally competitive, and employers seem reluctant to provide the growth opportunities I seek. It's disheartening, considering the overarching goal of this project was to encourage more individuals to enter the field. Is there any lead as to how I will get a job in the mainstream information security field? I have sought assistance on LinkedIn, but looks like nobody wants to help. I am willing to be adopted by anyone who will guide me to grow in the field. I have a burning passion for it.“
Yes employment market isn’t easy right now I’ve got a friend who is super experienced and can’t get hired for the right role looking at top tier threat vendors.
To a certain extent if the project you’re speaking of is the Certified in Cybersecurity, well we have it’s publicly stated goals, however for your own situation you’re currently working in the industry so SSCP, CCSP etc may be good next steps, as CC wasn’t really aimed at you. I think that the marketing is confusing, and it’s got a lot of promise it the words it can’t leave up to, but they’re trying to sell AMF subscriptions at 50 USD PUPY and over the long term that’s a fair bit of money so it’s not easy.
Lastly no one will adopt you. There’s probably not enough paid foster parents let enough prospective adopters for all the children out there that need it, and while someone may mentor you, or give you a leg up on something specific you’ll really get a big fat pass from all sane people, and old school ISC2 members are as a group exceptionally rational(we’ll see what all the CCs are like when enough certify). When you network it’s important to be charming, have a plan but also don’t look like a project with no end full of unrealistic expectations about what sort of job/salary/role/progression you’d like. Bit of help/advice OK - you choose to take it or not. If you’re on a low income a Couple of hundred dollars to help you get to a test centre that ISC2 didn’t cater for? Why not seems like something that ends with tangible success failure. Introduce you to someone relevant in the industry? Seems fine as long as you don’t seem like you’re off.
Long term commitment to drive success in your chosen field? Now, that’s a professional career coach and out of scope for anyone.
Good luck!
*Many thanks to The GLC.
