Security Certifications Are Causing More Harm Than Good
Articles like this one frustrate me.<p>I&#x27;m 30, and am essentially starting life over after finishing my military enlistment a couple years ago.  all the experience of setting up shops and drafting reports meant nothing with out a degree.  So I start working on my degree, and I am absolutely miserable. My love of learning was sucked out of me because I wasn&#x27;t learning: I was working towards an extra line on my resume.<p>Right now, I am in a jr. sysadmin position making minimum wage, but I was selected for a SANS scholarship where they pay for your GSEC, GCIH, and one elective cert. My friend bought me a decent laptop, so I could experiment on virtual machines. Another registered me for the NCL so I could access their gyms to spread my legs a bit with more powerful tools. I READ SECURITY WHITEPAPERS FOR FUN NOW. I love trying to figure out how to best balance company workflow and security best practices.<p>I know at the end, that the three certs are not going to make me a SME, but at the very least I hope that this particular extra line on my resume can help get my foot in the door somewhere I can be mentored and develop my base.   A salary that can actually pay my bills would be nice too.<p>Then I read articles like this, and wonder if I&#x27;m going to be sidelined again.  I feel like at that point, my life is worthless.