Episode 23

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Published on:

19th Nov 2023

Ep23: Updated Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate

Decoding Google Cybersecurity Certificate Program

The speaker discusses the Google Cybersecurity Certificate Program and its benefits for both experienced and new cybersecurity enthusiasts. The speaker discusses how you can get the program for free through libraries that offer Coursera, like the California state public library. No matter if you're already in the field and looking for a refresher course or entirely new to cybersecurity, the speaker finds the program commendable. They add that while it won't guarantee you a job, it does provide a structured learning path and a certificate that you can mention on your resume.

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction to Google Cybersecurity Certificate Program

00:16 Who Should Consider the Program

00:51 Benefits of the Program

01:12 Comparing with Other Certifications

02:32 How to Access the Program for Free

03:11 Personal Experience with the Program

03:26 Benefits for Existing Certification Holders

05:31 Value of the Certificate for Job Seekers

07:02 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

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Transcript
Marc:

This is an update to the Google Cybersecurity Certificate Program.

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Now, previously I talked about it.

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And I was sort of on the fence, like

if you're just going to study for

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something, do the CISP or security plus.

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However, if you are new to cyber

security, brand new, you want

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to make a job transfer lateral.

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Or if you're in it and you want to

somehow get into cyber security, but

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you're not really sure how and needed

some kind of structured learning.

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I would actually recommend.

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This program at this point.

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I know it seems weird,

but here's the thing.

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There's a way to get it free and

I'm going to mention it again

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.

And I've mentioned on the podcast as well, but if you are looking to go into.

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Cyber security in any capacity.

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Even if you're not in a, it related field.

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Actually, I think this

program is quite well done.

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There's some things it could do better.

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Of course.

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But on a very high level.

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It does a great job of giving you an

overview of all the different fields and

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domains and aspects of cybersecurity,

so that maybe you can pick one of those.

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And that's sort of what

you would focus on.

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But it's better than the CISSP in that.

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That one really is a very difficult.

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Course and class to study for can be done.

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I did it.

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But I also had an it background.

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And that's the route that I took.

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And the comp Tia certifications.

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Are more popular.

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But they're harder than this as well.

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So if you're looking for something

sort of as an entry level,

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I think this is actually a.

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Brilliant.

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Class to go forward out.

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It's Encore, Sarah.

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And the ability is $49 a month.

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Depends on your level of skill.

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Now, like I said, I have a CISSP, so

I'm going through this at a pretty good

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pace because it's not foreign to me.

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I understand the concepts.

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It's a refresher.

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It's easy.

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But if I was brand new, Hmm, I think it

would be a little bit more difficult.

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It would take a little bit more time to

understand these contests concepts, but

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I've also been working in the field.

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For five years as a security engineer.

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So this isn't foreign to me, but I

would recommend that if you're looking

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to transfer laterally transfer or

you're already in it, This is actually

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a little bit better, laid out and

easier than the other programs.

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That are out there and it is

on Coursera, which means you

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can do it on a mobile device.

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And obviously the website.

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Now I mentioned you could get it for free.

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So, how do you do that?

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Okay.

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If you get a public library card and you

may have heard that on other podcasts.

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Then.

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If that library.

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Offers Coursera.

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And they've made a deal with

Coursera, which the California

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state public library has done.

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Some of them, not all of them.

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Then you'll find that in the

e-learning or digital section.

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And they probably have a

select number of seats.

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So in my case, There's a select

number of seats at the state.

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And every 90 days they purge

people who haven't used it.

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So I just kept clicking every day until

one day it said welcome to the program.

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So I'm actually doing.

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I'm on module six right

now, as I'm recording this.

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I have the Google cyber

security certificate program.

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And I'm getting that

through the public library.

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And I'm getting all these

certificates with my name on it,

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and it's quite a lot of hours.

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So here's the other aspect

that you may not think if you

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already have a certification.

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And it requires you to get

CPE credits like the CISSP.

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Bias.

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See square does require that.

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These are actually accepted.

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And there are a lot of hours and

it's a great refresher course.

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So even for me, if you look at it like,

oh, are you really learning anything?

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And the answer is, yes, there's always

something to be learned in this.

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I'm getting a lot of credits and I'm

pretty much squared up for the next year.

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So that's a huge benefit to me.

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It's a really nice way to get a

refresher course and a bunch of credits.

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And go through this and then be

able to tell other people about it.

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Now I, you could use this for

other, you know, jump jumping points

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for other learning activities.

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And I've seen that as well.

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And that's totally true.

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I'm.

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I'm into learning.

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So I think this is a, a great thing to do.

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So it really depends.

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It's it's got a little bit

something for everyone, right?

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If you laterally transferring, or you

have absolutely no experience, what

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a great way to get into the field.

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If you have a lot of experience.

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What a great way to get a bunch of

credits so you can, you know, keep

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your current certifications going.

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So I don't really think you lose.

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And if you get a public library card and.

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I don't know if this applies to

international, but if you, our library

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does offer Coursera as an option.

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What a great way to save money,

because it depends on how

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long it's going to take you.

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Right.

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At the fastest pace that

I could possibly go.

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It's still going to take me.

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About three weeks to go through this,

just because it's a lot of time and a

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lot of videos and a lot of things to do.

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And okay.

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That's $49 to me.

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Great.

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But if you don't have that

experience already, and this is a

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little bit more difficult for you

and you do want to take your time.

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Maybe it'll take you four

months or six months.

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So you might be saving 249 to $300.

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If your library offers it.

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Either way, even if your

library didn't offer it.

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It's still a really good

class to go through.

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Initially, if you have an interest

in getting into cybersecurity, now

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I'll put on something else out there.

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Having this means that an employer

is just going to be like, oh my gosh,

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this person has this certificate.

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So I w I T totally should hire them.

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No.

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I don't really think so.

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I.

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You'll get two ways

from everything, right?

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Some people say, you know,

having a certification.

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Is really great.

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It's like employers are

really looking for that.

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And the other hand, there are

plenty of qualified people out

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there in jobs right now that are

doing awesome and have no certs.

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So, no, I don't think assert.

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Does that, what it does do is give

you a structured learning path.

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And it gives you a targeted goal and

it's something you can put on your resume

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and it's something you can talk about.

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And maybe employers are

looking for that and great.

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It's a bullet point on a resume

and it gets you another keyword.

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And maybe there'll not looking for that.

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It really doesn't matter.

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So is this certificate going to

get me anything from my employer?

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No, no.

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One's going to care, but it's going

to get me those credits, which I do

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care about so that I can keep my C

I S S P, which they do care about.

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So it's a win-win I don't.

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See any of the way to this other than.

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It's just a win.

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And it isn't to say that you couldn't get

all the same technical information off of

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Udemy or YouTube or somewhere else, but

it would take me more time to find that.

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And this is more organized and

there's really good downloads.

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Uh, some of the documents and

templates that you get to get

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actually are really decent.

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And if you're into building

chatbots, you can use some of those

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documents to build your chat bot.

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That's a security engineer just saying.

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But there is benefits to this.

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So.

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To wrap it all up.

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You can get it for free potentially.

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I do think that it's worth taking,

regardless of if you've been in

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the industry or not just as a

refresher course and for credits.

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And if you have an interest in

cybersecurity and you have no experience,

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this is a great way to get into it.

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I think that's easier than other pathways.

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And if you want to make a

lateral move in cybersecurity.

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You'll have a lot of knowledge already

that makes us easier, but we'll

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introduce you to cyber security.

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And you get a certificate at the end.

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And you can put that on LinkedIn and put

in your resume and maybe no one will care.

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It doesn't really matter.

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You're going, this is going to

propel you to get you to the next

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level, to start creating that

portfolio to start showcasing.

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What you have done and give you some.

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Documentation and some templates that

you can use in order to practice that so

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that you can have real world experience.

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So with that, I actually would

encourage you to go check it out,

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see if you can get it for free.

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And if not, it's $49 and

there's other benefits to that.

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But I think it's, it's interesting.

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I'm just going to leave it at that.

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At first, I was a little

bit jaded thinking.

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I don't know if this is

something I really want to do.

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Until I realized I could

get credits for it.

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And it's just been to learn anyway and

picking up a couple things here and there.

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But, uh, yeah.

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So if you get a chance to take a

look at it, it's not a bad idea.

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So, if you have any questions for

this podcast, check the show notes.

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My contact information is in there.

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Be safe.

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And stay safe.

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Marc David

Marc David is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and the host of the cybersecurity podcast, Byte-Sized Security. He has over 15 years of experience in the information security field, specializing in network security, cloud security, and security awareness training. Marc is an engaging speaker and teacher with a passion for demystifying complex security topics. He got his start in security as a software developer for encrypted messaging platforms. Over his career, Marc has held security leadership roles at tech companies like Radius Networks and Vanco Payment Solutions. He now runs his own cybersecurity consulting and training firm helping businesses and individuals implement practical security controls. When he’s not hosting his popular security podcast, you can find Marc speaking at industry conferences or volunteering to teach kids cyber safety. Marc lives with his family outside of Boston where he also enjoys running, reading, and hiking.