Philip Lantz ⋅ Kansas City, MO U.S. Army, Master Sergeant ⋅ 20 years served

William,

This is going to be highly dependent on the organization. Some give great weight to them, while others look for other qualifications as they can pay for you to become certified.

Think of Certifications such as CPP (ASIS) or CISSP as method for HR professionals to have an idea of as a starting place. IE it allows the HR pro to assume you have a certain knowledge, skill, and ability baseline.

I am in the Corporate Security Field and have my CPP. It may be somewhat difficult without significant networking to obtain a CSO position as a first position after retirement. In my opinion and depending on your back ground you may be setting yourself up for failure with a CSO position as your first in the private sector. This is because the difference between corporate and public sectors is large. You will likely not speak the same "language". Taking a few years in a lesser position will give you the time to acclimate and learn.

Feel free to reach out if you would like to discuss more or if there is anything else I can do to provide assistance.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-lantz

Phil Lantz

Karen Galecki ⋅ Chicago, IL Aligned Search ⋅ 18 years experience

My clients hiring security professionals either look for or prefer people with certifications such as CISSP or CISM, so I would say either one would be at your advantage to get.

Karen Galecki ⋅ Chicago, IL Aligned Search ⋅ 18 years experience

My clients hiring security professionals either look for or prefer people with certifications such as CISSP or CISM, so I would say either one would be at your advantage to get.

Gabriel Hoffman ⋅ Dayton, OH Northrop Grumman ⋅ 40 years experience

Certifications are vital: Security+, CISSP, CISSM, Certified Ethical Hacker, and then there are vendor specific ones if you are looking to be a specialist. You might also want to consider getting a cloud certification, such as one from AWS, as many companies are moving to the cloud.

James Yaple ⋅ Austin, TX Department of Veterans Affairs ⋅ 25 years experience

Certifications are really popular for IT work, especially in security. For comparison, I earned my BS degree in 1998. I earned my most recent security certification this year. Especially in a field that is constantly changing, certifications are a great add-on to experience and college. I don't know ANY CSO, CISO or similar that hasn't earned a CISSP. Most certification require resting or continuing education to stay valid. This is a good list for reference: https://www.prepaway.com/certification/top-7-cybersecurity-certifications-consider-2019/. Good luck and thank you for your service.

Dennis Crumb ⋅ Lafayette, CO Crumb & Associates, LLC ⋅ 14 years experience

Hi William,

I am not a security professional but can speak from a business standpoint. Certifications are one way consulting and professional services businesses market their business. If their employees have all the certifications that demonstrate their expertise, the business uses that to show how they are better qualified then their competitor. We call that competitive advantage. A smart business works to create and leverage that competitive advantage.

That said if you have those certifications you are more marketable to the employer for two reasons. He won't have to pay to get you certified and he doesn't have the risk that you won't pass the certifications if he pays for it.

Dennis Crumb ⋅ Lafayette, CO Crumb & Associates, LLC ⋅ 14 years experience

Hi William,

I am not a security professional but can speak from a business standpoint. Certifications are one way consulting and professional services businesses market their business. If their employees have all the certifications that demonstrate their expertise, the business uses that to show how they are better qualified then their competitor. We call that competitive advantage. A smart business works to create and leverage that competitive advantage.

That said if you have those certifications you are more marketable to the employer for two reasons. He won't have to pay to get you certified and he doesn't have the risk that you won't pass the certifications if he pays for it.