I've got my Solutions Architect Professional certification, but I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels in my role as a generalist. I'm interested in picking up more certifications and was wondering if the Security Specialty certification would be beneficial.
4 Answers
Certifications alone aren't usually worth much, but the knowledge you gain while preparing for them can be valuable. Have you considered other ways to gain expertise or experience outside of certs? I feel like practical, hands-on work can often teach you more than a certificate ever could.
If you're looking to move into security, snagging the Security Specialty can either be the final piece of your roadmap or the first step once you find a team that lets you work on security projects, even if you're coming in as a beginner.
What types of tasks would you consider 'beginner' security work? I handle basic security measures at work, like CSP and rate-limiting, but nothing too complex.
I actually think the Security Specialty certification is a great way to differentiate yourself, especially since you already have the Professional cert. It helped me dive deeper into specific topics like key management and envelope encryption, which I found directly applicable in my job.
Having both professional and specialty certs myself, I can confidently say that by themselves, they don’t mean much. I've worked with really talented people who have no certs at all. What's really valuable is the hands-on experience and continuous learning in the field.
That’s a fair point! I’ll try to prioritize actual infrastructure work instead.
I totally get that. I'm in a similar boat with my SA Pro. I could definitely gain more experience, but I need to focus and stop being a firefighter for other people's issues.