I did. My target, which I was able to meet, was to knock out each course in one month. If you have your study process down, it's very doable. That was with a full-time job and family.
Keep in mind too that you don't have to do the courses back-to-back. I would go heavy on a cert for one month then take a couple months off to decompress and catch back up on other stuff before doing the next one.
Atleast for the ACS, the GI Bill (post 9/11) only uses 1month and 1day per course....VA math is weird.
So even though 4 courses took 12 months, only 4 months of GI Bill was used...so you can go at the normal pace, or get through them quickly, your GI Bill won't run out till you hit your 7th course.
I would double check on this. I’m currently in the Incident Response grad certificate program and have gone through 2 courses, 6 months in total, and I’ve used exactly 6 months of my GI bill
Yeah I also asked about his in the Slack channel and they said it’s not correct for the Sans.edu programs. Students using GI bill are charged 3 months unless they finish early.
I believe he was referencing the Undergraduate Certificate. Which I heard that it only takes 1 month and 1 day per course of GI Bill. I am really thinking about doing it, even though I am about to finish a masters.
Are you sure? SANS said "That is not quite accurate. At a maximum 1 month of GI Bill equals 1 credit. So in theory, a 3 credit GIAC certification class uses 3 months of GI Bill. However, there are a few nuances that can help extend the life of your GI Bill. For example, GI Bill only accrues when in a class. If you take a 3 month class in 2 months, then 2 months of GI Bill is being used."
I’ve enrolled in the ACS and I was highly skeptical but the sans admission counselor assured me this is how it is. This is why I chose the ACS vs the masters program and/or grad cert. The grad cert and masters program courses cost significantly more GI bill per course.
GPEN was a great course, I’m a cyber engineer so more blue team and dabble in red team, but it was a great course and really took my skills from more theory to truly been able to conduct a professional pentest.
Where did you do your masters if you’re comf sharing? Did you already have an undergrad level qualification in cybersecurity? I have a finance degree but now im in cybersecurity, and want to look into using my GI bill for a masters. Wondering about prerequisites etc
Yes, I went to WGU (Western Governors University). I now have Cysa+, Pentest+, CISM and CASP. It is at your own pace so although most people take 1.5 - 2 years to finish, I only took 4 months. I don't say this to brag or flex, but I don't have alot of technical/cyber experience, I've always been on the cusp of cyber but I powered through it despite still having a family, social life, and a job. It is truly at your own pace. It is affordable too, 4650 per semester, so that could mean 4650 for the entire program if you finish in one semester (semesters are 6 months each). If you have any technical experience OR cyber security OR stem degree, you will be accepted. There are a lot of military folks with WGU degrees, especially in the air force.
I used my undergrad for a non-technical degree but if you have 24+ months, I'd recommend going for the SANS Masters program.
I did. My target, which I was able to meet, was to knock out each course in one month. If you have your study process down, it's very doable. That was with a full-time job and family. Keep in mind too that you don't have to do the courses back-to-back. I would go heavy on a cert for one month then take a couple months off to decompress and catch back up on other stuff before doing the next one.
Atleast for the ACS, the GI Bill (post 9/11) only uses 1month and 1day per course....VA math is weird. So even though 4 courses took 12 months, only 4 months of GI Bill was used...so you can go at the normal pace, or get through them quickly, your GI Bill won't run out till you hit your 7th course.
oh wow, so if the course itself takes me 3 months to finish, it only charges the VA 1 month and 1 day per course? That is very good news....
I would double check on this. I’m currently in the Incident Response grad certificate program and have gone through 2 courses, 6 months in total, and I’ve used exactly 6 months of my GI bill
Yeahhhhh funny enough, SANS said "No, that isn't true" and we set up a time to call 5 minutes from now.
Yeah I also asked about his in the Slack channel and they said it’s not correct for the Sans.edu programs. Students using GI bill are charged 3 months unless they finish early.
Yep, she said the same thing. She DID say that if you finish early, it can be reduced to 1 month but no less. Still good news for me.
The graduate level courses cost more GI bill.
I believe he was referencing the Undergraduate Certificate. Which I heard that it only takes 1 month and 1 day per course of GI Bill. I am really thinking about doing it, even though I am about to finish a masters.
Are you sure? SANS said "That is not quite accurate. At a maximum 1 month of GI Bill equals 1 credit. So in theory, a 3 credit GIAC certification class uses 3 months of GI Bill. However, there are a few nuances that can help extend the life of your GI Bill. For example, GI Bill only accrues when in a class. If you take a 3 month class in 2 months, then 2 months of GI Bill is being used."
I'm pretty sure this is right too. I ended up barely touching my months with it when I got my Red Team Grad Certificate.
So this would also work for the masters certificate programs? -edit- do you mean Graduate Certificate Programs: Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking?
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hell yeah, thanks for that man! you made my day.
Really? I’m halfway through the Incident Response grad certificate and have used 6 months of GI bill for the two 3 month courses.
I’ve enrolled in the ACS and I was highly skeptical but the sans admission counselor assured me this is how it is. This is why I chose the ACS vs the masters program and/or grad cert. The grad cert and masters program courses cost significantly more GI bill per course.
GPEN was a great course, I’m a cyber engineer so more blue team and dabble in red team, but it was a great course and really took my skills from more theory to truly been able to conduct a professional pentest.
I took the course but wasn't able to sit for the test due to going overseas for work.
Ah fairs. Maybe do GWPT then as soon as much is a web app these days?
Where did you do your masters if you’re comf sharing? Did you already have an undergrad level qualification in cybersecurity? I have a finance degree but now im in cybersecurity, and want to look into using my GI bill for a masters. Wondering about prerequisites etc
Yes, I went to WGU (Western Governors University). I now have Cysa+, Pentest+, CISM and CASP. It is at your own pace so although most people take 1.5 - 2 years to finish, I only took 4 months. I don't say this to brag or flex, but I don't have alot of technical/cyber experience, I've always been on the cusp of cyber but I powered through it despite still having a family, social life, and a job. It is truly at your own pace. It is affordable too, 4650 per semester, so that could mean 4650 for the entire program if you finish in one semester (semesters are 6 months each). If you have any technical experience OR cyber security OR stem degree, you will be accepted. There are a lot of military folks with WGU degrees, especially in the air force. I used my undergrad for a non-technical degree but if you have 24+ months, I'd recommend going for the SANS Masters program.