I feel compelled to point out here that this is exactly what the American
style Liberal Arts degree is for. It is to create people who can
communicate. The associated skills include: research, reading, writing,
critical thought, and awareness of important historical and cultural ideas.

When I finished college in 1982, I had an awful time getting a job in the
computer industry. I finally gave up, and tried something else for a few
years. It took a lot of work to finally break into the computer business,
and it meant that I had to take some very junior level jobs.
But now I have firmly established myself in this business. And I write very
well.

I don't want to discourage anyone from developing themselves. I constantly
read on security topics, social sciences, history, and I'm still trying to
improve my German. I think the idea of going to night school and taking
courses in the humanities that involve critical thinking and writing
practice is excellent.

Sometimes we use a concept of 'hard skills' and 'soft skills'. That brings
some insight, but I also look at in terms of 'tactical' and 'strategic'
skills. Being able to configure a specific brand and version of firewall
is highly tactical, and the half-life of this skill is about 6 months.
Being able to write a good essay is a strategic skill that never expires.

Employers, when looking for junior level people, are looking for tactical
skills. Period. Well, the major military organizations do try to develop
leaders, through their academies, but most commercial employers want
strategic skills that they can apply immediately. But the farther you rise
within your profession, the more important these strategic skills become,
and those who lack them can be held back if they don't develop them.

So some of this goes back to your school days. I made the investment in my
strategic skills 20 years ago, and suffered greatly for this. But over
time, this investment in communications skills has paid off again and again.
Anyone can develop these skills at any time in their life, but in general,
the later they start working on them, the harder it will be.

I get an awful lot of questions from people who are looking for mid-life
career changes. Interestingly, the last time I went to one of my college
reunions, quite a number of my ex-classmates had made changes or were doing
them. (Again, a liberal arts background is the perfect preparation for a
lifetime of flexibility.) Infosec seems pretty hot today, but maybe 5
years from now, it will be something else that is hot, and we'll have an
oversupply of recently converted infosec experts. Be careful about chasing
fads. I cannot predict what will be hot 5 years from now, but undoubtedly,
some people are preparing themselves right now for what will be the next big
thing. They will do great when that big thing comes along, and the rest of
us will be looking on from the sidelines saying "Wow. How do I get a job
like that?"

I like Peter's answer a lot. Practice, practice, practice, and find people
who know things that you do not know, and ask for their help. That is
always a formula for success in any field. And no matter what the hot
thing is in 5 years, if you improve your writing and communications skills
between now and then, you will be better able to take advantage of that next
hot thing.

Jay Heiser, CISSP
Principal Consultant, Infosec Practice
Lucent Worldwide Services, Vienna, Austria
GSM: +43 664 548 24 32

> -----Original Message-----
> From: peter.kunz@eycom.ch [mailto:peter.kunz@eycom.ch]
> Sent: Friday, July 13, 2001 1:00 PM
> To: Dunn, Darian
> Cc: cisspstudy@securityfocus.com
> Subject: RE: Documentation skills
>
>
>
>
>
> Then I guess in college, you didn't write enough papers :-)) I'd guess
> suich a background helps a lot. But what about community
> colleges or some
> evening classes on literature/writing? Or perhaps there are
> programs/courses for technical writers?
>
> But yes, I guess practice really does make perfect. Peer
> reviews enhance
> progress significantly. And always remember to keep the
> balance between
> literary and technical style.
>
> cu
> -pete
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------------------------------
>
> Peter J. Kunz
>
> Ernst & Young
> eSecurity
> P.O. Box 5272
> 8022 Zurich
> Switzerland
>
> Phone +41 1 286 4292
> Fax      +41 1 286 4014
> |------------------------+------------------------+-----------
> -------------|
> | | "Dunn, Darian" |
> |
> | | <Darian_Dunn@stercomm|        
>    To: |
> | | .com> | "'Rudy
> Ruiz'" |
> | | 13.07.2001 02:18 |
> <rudy@thummy.com>, |
> | | |
> cisspstudy@securityfo|
> | | | cus.com
> |
> | | |        
>    cc: |
> | | |
> |
> | | |        
>    Subject: |
> | | | RE:
> Documentation |
> | | | skills
> |
> |------------------------+------------------------+-----------
> -------------|
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Funny you should mention it, but I was talking to someone who
> has very good
> documentation skills today.  They happen to be a CISSP.  They
> told me the
> only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice.  I
> hope to get
> them to review, review , review my work.  Funny how nothing I did in
> college
> prepared me for this job.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rudy Ruiz [mailto:rudy@thummy.com]
> Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 3:53 PM
> To: cisspstudy@securityfocus.com
> Subject: Documentation skills
>
>
> Forgive me if this is just a little off topic, but I can't
> help but notice
> how important documentation skills are for a CISSP. From
> white papers to
> advisories over to proposals, there is a lot to write about.
> Has anybody
> done anything ( books/school/etc ) to improve their
> documentation skills? I
> feel that mine could definitely use some improvement and this
> would have a
> tremendous impact to my success as a security professional.
>
> Thanks,
> --
> rudy-at-thummy-dot-com
> www.thummy.com
>
>
>

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