Professional Profile: Cheryl Jackson, CISSP, CBCP

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Because her prep time was limited, Jackson focused on strengthening her weak areas. She says, “Due to assignments prior to the exam, I did not have as much time as I would have liked to prepare, so I concentrated on the CBK domains where I had the least experience and hoped for the best on the others. ISC2 has a suggested reading list for exam preparation, so I focused on studying materials related to what I considered my areas of weakness at the time, namely cryptography and telecommunications security.” The CBCP was even trickier. “Due to my workload prior to the CBCP exam, I was unable to do any preparation; however, I scored well enough to qualify for the MBCP (Master Business Continuity Planner) certification, and I plan to work toward that certification next. The MBCP, or Master level, requires a minimum of five years of experience as a business continuity/disaster recovery planner, and the candidate must either successfully complete a case-study examination or complete a directed research project and paper.” With four years of experience under her belt, Jackson continues to strive for the MBCP, her next certification target.

Jackson has no preferences for preparation. She uses whatever she can find, be it self-tests, study guides or classes. So far, her emphasis has been self-study because of the demands on the job and on the home front.

In a telephone conversation, Jackson pulled no punches about certification misconceptions. “Certification is not a magic bullet, nor did I expect it to be. An individual must still have practical experience in the profession to be of value to their employer,” she affirmed. She has no sympathy for youngsters new to the profession who are disappointed because they have lots of letters behind their names but do not earn a king’s ransom.

With her life and professional goals on track, Cheryl Jackson loves her work to an exhuberant degree. But don’t expect her to offer many details about what goes on behind the cloistered walls, especially around her talking parrots.