Interesting points. Does this apply to distance education or the infamous
UofP degree programs?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay Heiser" <jheiser@lucent.com>
To: "'Jerald Zargarian'" <jeraldz@hotmail.com>;
<cisspstudy@securityfocus.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2001 1:19 AM
Subject: RE: Do i need to go to university ?

> I think I just answered that question, but this is an important topic, so
> I'm going to respond to your mail also.
>
> In my experience, employers looking for computer and infosec people have
> absolutely no interest whatsoever in a BA or MA. HOWEVER, the strategic
> communications and thinking skills that you learn in a liberal arts
program
> are crucial for anyone who wants to rise to the top of their career.
>
> We can blame the employers for being short sighted, but an analysis of the
> dynamics is more than I am willing to tackle right now. What it amounts
to
> is that the so-called 'hard skills' are always highly in demand, but those
> who lack 'soft skills' are generally less flexible, and are always going
to
> be limited in their career options.
>
> There is a big difference between getting a CS degree at a small liberal
> arts college, or at a large university, although I do believe that the
> overall lack of communications skills within the technical world is
> encouraging universities to broaden the course requirements of their CS
> students.
>
> Summary: A college degree of any kind will normally improve your ability
to
> find work. A BA or MA is not highly interesting to most technical
> employers. However, many of the skills that are needed to become a leader
> in the infosec world are skills that are taught and developed in a liberal
> arts education. You can learn these skills elsewhere, but in my
> experience, those who have those kinds of liberal arts backgrounds are
most
> likely to be well prepared for making strategic decisions and for doing
> effective writing.
>
> Or as my editor puts it "Most computer security people are lousy writers."
> Well, it takes years and years of work to perfect a craft, and writing is
a
> craft. If you want to get better at it, now is the best time to start.
>
> Jay Heiser, CISSP
> Principal Consultant, Infosec Practice
> Lucent Worldwide Services, Vienna, Austria
> GSM: +43 664 548 24 32
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jerald Zargarian [mailto:jeraldz@hotmail.com]
> > Sent: Friday, July 13, 2001 6:36 AM
> > To: cisspstudy@securityfocus.com
> > Subject: Do i need to go to university ?
> >
> >
> > Greetings,
> >
> > I am preparing for CISSP exam soon and want to get advice
> > from you my dear
> > professionals. I would like to know if employers pay
> > attention to BA or MA.
> > Should one go to university to get his BA or MA ? I have
> > experience in
> > computer field for 5 years and would like to know if i really need
> > university diploma in computer science where they dont teach
> > you much about
> > computer's security. Thanks for your help in advance
> >
> > Regards,
> > Jerald Zargarian.
> > A+, MCSE, CCNA
> >
> >
> > "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have
> > greatness thrust
> > upon them"
> > Twelfth N, Act ii, Sc.5
> > William Shakespeare
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
>
>

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