CISSP CAT Exam Deep Dive: Study Tips from InfoSec Institute Alum Joe Wauson

Joe Wauson is a Cyber Operations Planner at the United States Air Force. Currently based out of Germany, Joe enrolled in InfoSec Institute’s live online Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Boot Camp to help him prepare for the new CISSP CAT exam.

Time zone differences meant Joe’s class started in the afternoon and ended at midnight. We sat down with Joe to learn how InfoSec Institute’s fast-paced class kept him awake late into the night and got him ready to pass his CISSP exam on the first attempt.

Why Did You Decide to Earn Your CISSP?

My colleagues recommended I get CISSP certified. I work as a Cyber Operations Planner, where I work at the operational level, bridging the gap between strategic and tactical levels. I take strategic goals from leadership and translate them so staff at the tactical level — those who actually configure the servers — understand them. On the flipside, I also translate technical jargon from the tactical teams and communicate needs back to senior leadership.

Sitting the CISSP class and taking the exam helped me understand the managerial side of security much better. It showed me the best ways to communicate security best practices with leadership and express the importance of security from an operational perspective. Prior to class, I hadn’t thought about security much from a managerial standpoint. The course was both a good refresher on things I already knew, and also introduced security managerial topics I wasn’t familiar with.

Why Did You Pick InfoSec Institute as Your Training Provider?

InfoSec Institute was recommended to me by my coworkers. Two of them had taken the CISSP course with InfoSec in the past. That was enough for me. Getting military tuition assistance to pay for the course was also really simple.

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