The SANS Women’s Immersion Academy kicked off on June 21st with an introductory call and, since then, I’ve been in study-study-study mode, as I prepare for the GSEC exam and go through SEC401 study material.
After completing the enrollment process, which took less than a day, I received access to the online material, which includes:
- SANS OnDemand: Audio and slides of all the material, quizzes, and book content.
- Labs material: Virtual machines and related instructions.
- Downloadable material: PDFs of the books, the workbook, and MP3 files of the classes.
- Access to the SANS App, which is a mobile version of the OnDemand offering.
The printed books were shipped to me right away but it took a few days to receive them. So, in the meantime, I used the PDF files to complement the online classes and start learning.
Almost a couple of weeks in, I can already feel how much this content is, especially since I’m planning to anticipate this exam so I can have more time to dedicate to preparing for the GCIH and, hopefully, build free time to visit my family at the end of August.
In order to do that, I created a highly detailed study plan, with the rough amount of material I will go through each day. It might seem a bit too much, but doing this within two months and on top of a full-time job requires quite a bit of preparedness.
Thankfully, I have the upcoming week off, so I plan to finish the first round of reading/listening to the material by the end of the week. My hope is to be able to finish a second round soon and do the first practice test by July 30th at the latest.
Wish me luck!