Last week I was a featured speaker at the Carolinas Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina presenting the topic "The IS Audit Career Explosion". I was surprised that on four separate occasions people came up to me privately and asked if I thought it was worth while sitting for the CISA exam. Each time I was startled that someone was asking that question. The answer is unequivocally "YES!"

Rule #1 of Career Strategies for the Upwardly Mobile IS Auditor is "definitely get certified". In this day and age it makes good sense to try to do everything in your power to improve the odds in your favor of securing the kind of career you want. Having a certification is like a blue ribbon of approval. Many companies refuse to interview any IS auditors who do not have at least one certification. Other companies express a strong preference for hiring only certified people. And I have never had a client company say, "Don't send me any candidates who have certifications!" It is also true that I have never heard of anyone who sat for the CISA exam, passed it, and later regretted it. It is only a career enhancing step; there is no downside to sitting for the exam.

The common reasons that people talk themselves out of taking the CISA are poor excuses. Some people whine and say, "I don't have time to study." Since we are talking career strategies here, what this person is really saying is, "I'm too busy with day-to-day things to take the time to plan my career or look ahead at what the future may bring." This kind of short-sighted attitude can easily lead a person's career into a dead-end. He or she is content to sit back and wait to see what happens next instead of proactively focusing on the future.

Another common excuse for not taking the CISA exam is, "The CISA certification is only impressive to other auditors, and I don't plan to stay in the audit profession. In my company getting a CISA could actually brand me as a career auditor." Balderdash! If that is truly the case for anyone, then why don't these same people go out and become certified in whatever professional field they plan to move into after audit? Data processing has several certifications available as does accounting and operations and just about every other professional area. The truth is ANY certification is better than none. Having a CISA demonstrates to the world that you care enough to want to be the best and that you went the extra mile to pass a voluntary test. Again, when I have helped IS auditors find new positions in technology areas, I have never had an MIS director or CIO chide the candidate for being a CISA. Sometimes these hiring authorities will ask me as a recruiter what the CISA stands for on a person's resume, and when I explain its significance, that additional information invariably pushes the decision maker towards hiring that person. Their response is almost always, "That's my kind of person! I want people on my team who care more about themselves and their work." In fact, many candidates in competition with a certified person get asked the embarrassing question during an interview, "Why aren't you certified?" This is obviously not a good position in which to find yourself.

The other excuse (and it's the worst!) is "My company didn't support education. They wouldn't pay for me to become certified, so I just never did." Most people have wised up to the fact that in the 1990s it is each person's responsibility to stay marketable and not depend on an employer to provide all educational and enrichment opportunities. A dynamic new department wants to hire people who are self-motivated to improve themselves.

Some senior IS auditors or managers pass up the opportunity to sit for the exam because of the fear of ridicule if they don't pass the test the first time. This fear is certainly understandable, but I think everyone applauds a person who at least makes a commitment to try his or her best rather than avoid a potential failure.

In addition to the external value of sitting for the exam, there are also many intrinsic benefits. People who pass the exam certainly experience a feeling of accomplishment. It feels good to learn new things and to measure yourself against the body of knowledge of your chosen profession. Especially if you are somewhat new to IS audit and you pass the test, it gives you more credibility.

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