Cracking the SANS GSEC Certification
My experience and tips on the SANS GSEC certification exam and the SEC401 course.
Introduction
The SANS GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) certification is for anyone working in the field of Information Security, whether you are a Software Engineer, an Information Security Engineer, or a Product Manager.
In this article, I share my experience of taking an online on-demand SANS SEC401 course, my preparation and tips for the certification exam, and why the course and exam could be useful for you.
General Info
Before the certification exam, I took the SANS course — SEC401: Security Essentials: Network, Endpoint, and Cloud. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course was offered live online or online on-demand. I took the on-demand version, where I had access to pre-recorded training videos for 4 months. I started the course on February 6th, 2021. SANS mailed me the printed course materials before the start of my course. The printed materials included 6 course books and a workbook. When writing this article, SANS gives an option to attend the course in-person, live online, or online on-demand.
As a Software Engineer in a Cloud Security team, my objective in taking the course was to:
