GSEC Update

I finished my initial run-through of the SANS GSEC coursework tonight. I have been feeling a bit pressured, because there are 6 volumes in the course, each of which included about350 pages plus a couple hundred pages in lab work. I've been pressing on, using the 20+5 method for discipline and focus (20 minutes of hyper-focus study, 5 minutes of "blowing off steam" doing whatever I felt like doing).

Tonight I finished the coursework, and I left the labs until later. The reason being many of the labs are using tools I am very familiar with and use daily - tcpdump, hping, John the Ripper, Microsoft Security Baseline Analyzer, PGP, etc. With the reading portions finished tonight I have the following things left to do:

1) Lab work. I intend to go through each lab and refamiliarize myself with the tools, hopefully picking up a few new ideas for vulnerability and penetration testing.
2) 2 Practice exams. These are 3-hour exams, so I'll have to do them on the weekends. I'll utilize them like I did the CCNA practice exams, recording any question I'm not 100% sure of off the bat and restudying the weak areas. The GSEC exam itself is open book, open paper. In essence, I can bring in anything I want as long as it is not electronic. That brings me to the next task:
3) Cram sheet compiled of the post-it notes I've filled the books with.

So I scheduled my exam for November 16th, but in light of the fact that I have finished the courseware a little early I may just schedule that up a week. I'd like to get this over with so I don't have to worry about any certification exams for a while. I'd like to get back to playing guitar daily, building boutique effects pedals and enjoying my family again.

But of course, today I was offered a 2-day course on Watchguard Firewalls that will prep for Watchguard certification. Sheesh! This may never end!