Getting Certified and Just a Bit Certifiable

Computerworld - I recently attended CCSP boot camp. I was there for a very specific purpose. No, two very specific purposes. Like most people in attendance, I wanted to achieve the Cisco Certified Security Professional certification, but I also wanted in-depth training on the technologies that my staff deploy and I manage.

Technical boot camps are grueling. Classes normally begin at 8 a.m. and end at 8 p.m. We started at 7:30 a.m., worked through lunch and finished after 8 p.m. At the end of the training, I was physically exhausted, but my mind felt invigorated. One thing that kept me going was thinking about how privileged I am to have had the opportunity to receive this level of training. Usually, technical managers aren’t sent to technical training. But as I have said before, I believe that the best technical managers are both people-savvy and technically proficient enough to keep things on track. And I am very fortunate to work for someone who understands and supports that idea.

I hold several certifications in addition to my formal education, but in the past, I chose the self-study route. Boot camp was all new for me.

Almost Derailed

On the long flight home, I had time to think about boot camp vs. self-study using textbooks or online programs. I have always preferred self-study, which suits my particular learning style very well. I have an almost photographic memory, read very fast and grasp concepts quickly. I don’t necessarily need interaction with other students or an instructor — in fact, I find it distracting.

But just before I went to boot camp, I completed an online training program to master the prerequisites for the CCSP, and distractions nearly derailed the process. I have no complaint about the quality of the online program. It included information presentations, online “step into the lab” demonstrations, flash cards and several variations of what the real test would be like. My life is crazy busy, so even though I took several full days to do the online training from home, I still found myself constantly interrupted.

For most people, blocking off the time you need for online training is the biggest obstacle. You have to open up your schedule and set aside the time for training; trying to do it piecemeal as time allows just won’t work. If this means closing your office door, do it. If it means working from home, do it. If it means going to the public library to get away from phones and pagers, do it. You have to manage the interruptions.