3 Ways to get SANS GIAC certified CHEAPER
Summary
TLDRThis video offers cost-effective strategies for obtaining popular certifications like SANS GIAC and GCFA, which typically cost around $8,800 USD or 13,000 AUD. The presenter suggests challenging the exam for $950 USD, negotiating with employers to cover training costs, and utilizing the SANS Work Study Program for a significantly reduced fee of approximately $2,500 USD. The Work Study Program allows participants to attend in-person or online training, assisting with setup and feedback collection, offering valuable networking opportunities and high-quality instruction.
Takeaways
- 💼 SANS certifications like GCIH and GCFA are highly valued but can be costly, with training and certification fees reaching up to $8,800 USD or approximately 13,000 AUD.
- 📚 One way to obtain SANS certification is by challenging the exam, which is less expensive at $950 USD or around 1,400 AUD, but requires self-study without official training materials.
- 🎓 The exam route can be difficult as the SANS GI-AC exam is closely tied to the material provided in their training courses, which are not legally available without payment.
- 🤝 A second strategy is to ask your employer to cover the cost of SANS training, which many companies are willing to do, especially for employees who have proven their value.
- 💼 Employers may see the value in SANS certifications and offer to pay for them as a benefit or as part of a salary negotiation for senior roles.
- 📈 The third and most favored method by the speaker is the SANS Work Study Program, which significantly reduces the cost of training and certification to about $2,500 USD or 3,700 AUD.
- 🏫 The Work Study Program allows participants to attend training in person or online, with responsibilities such as setting up the training room and collecting feedback forms.
- 👥 Participation in the Work Study Program offers networking opportunities with SANS instructors and team, which can be a valuable experience.
- 🔍 Selection for the Work Study Program is selective and not guaranteed, with preferences given to those who have not participated in previous years or who work for companies that typically do not cover training costs.
- 🚀 The speaker highly recommends the SANS training and certification due to its high quality and the benefits it brings to one's professional development.
- 💡 Proactivity is key when seeking to obtain SANS certifications, whether through challenging exams, employer sponsorship, or the Work Study Program.
Q & A
What are the most popular SANS certifications mentioned in the transcript?
-The most popular SANS certifications mentioned are SANS GCIH and SANS GCFA.
Why are the costs of SANS certifications considered high?
-The costs are considered high because each training and certification can cost about 8,800 USD, which is equivalent to approximately 13,000 Australian dollars.
What is the first method suggested to obtain SANS certifications at a lower cost?
-The first method suggested is to challenge the exam, which allows you to get the certification without doing the SANS training by paying for the exam fee of about 950 USD.
What is the challenge associated with challenging the SANS exam?
-The challenge is that the SANS exam is closely tied to the material provided in the training, and there is no legal way to obtain the training material without paying for it.
What is the second method to obtain SANS certifications affordably?
-The second method is to ask your employer to pay for the training, especially if you have been performing well and delivering value to the company.
How can employees negotiate with their employers for SANS training?
-Employees can negotiate by showing how obtaining the certification will improve their day-to-day job and add value to their role within the company.
What is the third and most favored method mentioned for obtaining SANS certifications?
-The third method is the SANS Work Study Program, which allows participants to do the training and certification for about 2,500 USD.
What does the SANS Work Study Program involve?
-The Work Study Program involves helping with the setup and organization of the training sessions, either in person or online, and attending the training to learn from the instructors.
What are the benefits of participating in the SANS Work Study Program?
-The benefits include the opportunity to attend high-quality training, learn from experienced instructors, and network with the SANS team and other participants.
How selective is the SANS Work Study Program in choosing participants?
-The program is selective and does not choose the same person for two or three years in a row to give others a chance. They also tend not to select individuals from large companies that usually pay for the training.
Outlines
💼 Cost-effective Certification Alternatives
The speaker discusses the high costs associated with popular cybersecurity certifications like SANS GIAC (Global Information Assurance Certification) and SANS GCFA (Certified Forensics Analyst), which can reach up to $8,800 USD or 13,000 AUD. To address this, they offer three cost-effective alternatives: 1) Challenging the exam without the training, which reduces the cost to $950 USD or 1,400 AUD, although this is challenging due to the exam's close ties to the training material. 2) Asking employers to sponsor the training, which is a common practice for companies to retain valuable employees and can be negotiated as part of a job offer. 3) The SANS Work Study Program, which allows participants to receive training and certification for a reduced fee of around $2,500 USD or 3,700 AUD. This program is highly recommended for its quality and the opportunity to learn from expert instructors.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡SANS certifications
💡Cost
💡Challenge the exam
💡Employer sponsorship
💡Work study program
💡GCIH
💡GCFA
💡GPIN
💡OSCP
💡Networking
💡Feedback
Highlights
Popular certifications like SANS GCIH and SANS GCFA are expensive, costing around $8,800 USD or 13,000 AUD.
The video offers three cost-effective methods to obtain these certifications.
Method 1: Challenge the exam without training, which costs $950 USD or 1,400 AUD.
Challenge exams are difficult as they are tied to the training material.
Method 2: Ask your employer to cover the certification costs.
Companies often pay for training to retain valuable employees.
Show employers how the certification will improve your job performance.
Some companies offer to pay for SANS training as a negotiation perk.
Method 3: Apply for the SANS Work Study Program.
The Work Study Program reduces certification costs to $2,500 USD or 3,700 AUD.
Participants in the Work Study Program receive high-quality training.
The program includes both in-person and online training options.
Work Study participants assist with setup and feedback collection.
Networking with SANS team and instructors is a valuable aspect of the program.
SANS is selective about who they accept into the Work Study Program.
Large companies that typically pay for training may not be selected.
Applying for the program is encouraged for those interested in SANS training.
Transcripts
you have probably seen sand
certification listed as job requirements
the most popular ones are sans gcih and
sans gcfa the problem is the cost is
really high so each training and
certifications cost about 8 800 usd
which comes to about 13 000 australian
dollars now that's insane in this video
i'll give you three ways how you can do
these certifications for a fraction of
the cost think with my least favorite
one which is to challenge the exam so
you can actually get the jx
certifications without doing the sense
training to do that you need to pay for
the exam which is about 950 us dollars
which comes to about a thousand four
hundred aud it's still an expensive
certificate however it's nothing
compared to thirteen thousand dollars
now there is a problem with this is the
jayak exam is very much tied to the
material that comes with the training
and there is no legal way for you to get
the sense training material without
actually paying for the training you
still can do it so i know people who
have challenged that sans g-pin which is
the penetration testing exams after
they've done their oscp so they were
already familiar with the material they
had to still study and they had to
create an index because they didn't just
memorize everything it is possible it is
difficult to be honest i've done three
cents certifications and i haven't
challenged the exam on so i've always
done the training which takes me to the
next point the second way you can do
this training on the cheap is to
actually ask your employer to pay for it
i know you may think that 13 000 is a
lot of money to ask your employer but
trust me companies do pay for training
especially if they want to keep you if
you've been good if you've been
delivering for your employer you can let
them know that you're interested in a
particular certificate but be smart
about it let them know how doing this
certificate will actually improve your
day-to-day job let them know how doing
the certificate will add value to your
job i also know some companies when
they're interviewing candidates
especially for senior roles they tell
them up front that they're willing to
pay for sans training so it's used as
something employers do to negotiate with
the candidates tell them okay if you
accept this amount of salary will
actually be paying for sam's training
it's one of the perks so it happens you
just need to be proactive in seeking
those employers and also asking for it
it's not going to happen if you don't
ask okay the third method which is my
absolute favorite method and this is how
i got three cent certifications so far
is the work study program so go to the
sans.org work study program and apply
there so the work study program lets you
do the certificate the training and the
certifications for about 2500 usd which
is about
3700 aud still a significant amount
however i believe it's really worth it
i've done the sense training and sense
certification and i can tell you up
front it's one of the best quality
trainings that i've attended so you will
not regret doing a sense training and a
certification which is why i really like
this third way because you actually get
to be in the classroom you get to attend
the training and you get to learn from
the instructors who are all by the way
amazing so what's the sand study work
study program essentially there's two
ways of doing it so you can either do it
in person or online if the training is
running in person so you need to arrive
to the training early you need to help
the sands team in setting up the room so
sometimes you need to do cabling set up
the projector make sure everything's
fine unbox the books boxes make things
ready just a day in advance so after
that for my gcfa you also need to stay
an hour after the training to collect
the feedback forms which is very
important to the sans training because
they take feedback quite seriously it's
really an interesting experience because
you also get to know the instructors you
get to network with the sans team which
was my favorite thing to do so i really
enjoyed it they are very selective about
who they select to attend the training
courses there is no rhyme or reason one
of the things they told me is they will
not select you two or three years in a
row they'd like to give other people a
chance if you work for a big company
where your company usually pays for the
training they probably won't select you
but you never know i think if you're
interested in certain training just
apply and see what you can get
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