Great Books To Help You Get Certified

A college education has many benefits, but for many trying to get started in information security a college degree won't open the door. To validate knowledge specific to information security, many employers look for potential employees to have an industry certification such as Security+ or CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional). There is no shortage of boot camps and seminars available to try and cram as much information into your head in as few days as possible, but they often cost a ridiculous amount of money. The best teacher is experience, but if you don't already work in the industry, experience in information security may be hard to come by. Regardless of how you acquire your initial information security knowledge, I highly recommend using a study guide of some sort to prepare for your exam of choice. I relied on Shon Harris' CISSP All-In-One Exam Guide to prepare me for the CISSP exam and I credit it with my passing. Below are a couple other selections you can use if you are pursuing different certifications:

• Mike Meyers' Certification Passport - Security+
• Security+ Certification For Dummies
• Security+ Prep Guide
• SSCP Prep Guide
• TICSA Training Guide
• CCIE Security Practice Labs