About me
Hi, I’m Terry, a cybersecurity professional with a genuine passion for protecting digital environments and making a real difference in information security. My journey started in IT, but it didn’t take long to realize that cybersecurity was where I was meant to be. I’ve always been driven by a need to understand how systems work and, more importantly, how to defend them against those who want to exploit them.
That curiosity led me to pursue the CISSP certification, the gold standard in information security. The road wasn’t easy or straightforward. A disappointing boot camp experience early on taught me some hard lessons about due diligence, false promises, and the importance of vetting who you trust with your time and money. But that experience didn’t break me. It sharpened me. It pushed me to seek out better resources, ask harder questions, and ultimately share my story so others don’t have to learn the same lessons the hard way.
I’m committed to continuous learning, whether through formal training, hands-on experience, or staying current with the ever-evolving threat landscape. I care as much about the ethical and strategic side of this field as I do the technical. I believe in community, transparency, and integrity, and my goal has always been to help build a safer, more trustworthy digital world for everyone.
Thank you for following along on this journey. There were plenty of bumps along the way, but I’m proud to say it was all worth it.
Oh, and one more thing: I’m now both a CISSP and an ISSEP. Sometimes the hard road really does lead somewhere great.
My Story
My Story of why Infosec Institute Sucks
Disappointed Customers Online
Negative Reviews
Customer Struggles Found
Reported Issues
My name is Terry, and I’ve always been passionate about cybersecurity. As a young professional eager to build a solid foundation in the industry, I decided to pursue the CISSP certification—the gold standard for information security professionals. I knew this certification would open doors to better job opportunities and help me advance my career.
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
— Mark Twain
After some research, I came across a boot camp offered by Infosec Institute. They advertised themselves as an “official ISC2 training partner,” with promises of a comprehensive course that would thoroughly prepare us for the CISSP exam. The icing on the cake? An exam voucher included in the package, and ONSITE testing on the last day. It all sounded perfect, so I took the plunge, paid the high fees, and eagerly enrolled in their CISSP boot camp.
But from the moment I arrived, things started to feel off.
A Rough Start
From day one something felt off. The training materials looked outdated, and not in a minor way. I told myself it was probably just the introductory content and that we’d get into more current material as the week went on. We never did.
When I asked the instructor about it, he gave me the kind of non-answer that makes you feel worse for having asked. “The fundamentals don’t change.” That was it. I also noticed the courseware looked identical to the same book I had already bought on Amazon and wasn’t impressed by. When I brought that up, the response was just “it’s all the same.” The more I sat through it, the clearer it became that this course was not even close to what had been advertised.
The Deception Unfolds
The real wake-up call hit me midweek. I was reviewing a practice exam when one of the questions referenced ISC2’s official website for training resources. On a whim, I pulled it up and found their list of officially endorsed training partners. My stomach dropped. Infosec Institute wasn’t on it.
I asked the trainer directly. He told me he was an official ISC2 trainer. When someone else in the class pushed back on that, he quickly shifted his answer and said he was “retired” but that it didn’t matter. It very much did matter. When I confronted the Infosec rep on the next break, I got a vague, evasive non-answer that told me everything I needed to know. The rest of the week played out exactly how you’d expect. An unimpressive instructor who rushed through complex material, lingered on basics everyone already knew, and checked his phone mid-question. Whenever someone asked something challenging, the answer was always the same: “that’s beyond the scope of the exam.”
Then came the voucher situation.
One of the main reasons I chose Infosec Institute was their promise of an included exam voucher. The CISSP exam isn’t cheap, so that was a significant part of the decision. After the boot camp ended I waited. A few days passed. Then a week. Then another. Nothing.
I started emailing and calling, probably more than they appreciated, but I was getting anxious. After being bounced around and ignored, they finally came clean. Apparently the voucher was only valid if you had scheduled your exam during the class itself, with no retakes allowed. None of that was communicated beforehand, and it certainly wasn’t in any of the marketing materials I had seen. I was furious.
I wasn’t alone either. I reached out to others from the class and found everyone was dealing with the same thing. One person couldn’t use his voucher because he needed more time to study before booking the exam. Another woman was especially frustrated because she had specifically asked about the voucher policy before signing up and had been told something completely different. We ended up forming a group chat just to share resources and actually prepare for the exam together, which says everything about the value we got from the boot camp itself.
The whole experience felt like a calculated money grab from a company that had no real interest in helping anyone get certified.
Learning the Hard Way
This whole experience taught me something I won’t forget: do your homework before trusting anyone with your money. The combination of no official recognition, outdated materials, and shady exam voucher practices left me feeling completely burned and set back in ways that were hard to shake.
But I refused to let it be the end of the story. I treated it as a wake-up call instead. The second time around I was far more thorough, verifying everything in writing and leaving nothing to a handshake or a vague promise.
The part I’m most glad I did was reaching out directly to ISC2 to share what happened with Infosec Institute. I ended up connecting with someone named Sarah in their certification department, and she was exactly the kind of person you hope to find on the other end of that call. She listened to everything, asked for documentation, and then genuinely went to bat for me. She arranged for a completely free exam voucher, not because it was their mistake, but because they take their training partnerships seriously and wanted to make things right.
That one act of kindness honestly restored my faith in the entire certification process. Sometimes speaking up actually works, and this was one of those times.
A Warning to Others
I’m sharing my story because I genuinely don’t want anyone else to go through what I did. If you’re considering a CISSP boot camp, take the time to verify that the provider is officially endorsed by ISC2. Don’t just take their word for it. Look it up, ask questions, and make sure you know exactly what you’re paying for before you hand over your money.
Your time, your money, and your energy are worth protecting. Misleading marketing and empty promises have derailed more than a few people on this journey, and it’s frustrating because it doesn’t have to happen. Do your homework, invest wisely, and trust the process. You’ll get there.
My Suggestions for Exam Success
After a rough boot camp experience with Infosec Institute, I had to go back to square one and rethink how I was approaching this exam entirely. What ended up working was simpler than I expected, just a more methodical, domain-by-domain study plan paired with the right resources.
My Study Strategy
One domain per week. That was the foundation of everything. The CISSP is genuinely overwhelming in scope, and trying to study it all at once just doesn’t work. Slowing down and giving each domain its own dedicated week made the material actually stick instead of blurring together.
The Resources I Used
Official ISC² CISSP Study Guide by Mike Chapple was my anchor, even though I won’t pretend it was a joy to read. Dense, dry, and occasionally exhausting, but thorough. If you can push through the slow sections, it covers what you need.
Eleventh Hour CISSP by Eric Conrad was something I picked up closer to exam day, and I’m glad I did. It’s slim and to the point, perfect for a final review pass when you don’t have time to re-read hundreds of pages.
ITProTV CISSP Course gave me free access to their platform, and I want to be upfront about that, but it didn’t change my honest take. I wanted to like it and I genuinely tried. The explanations felt meandering and I often came away more confused than when I started. Decent production, but the content delivery just didn’t work for me.
Destination Certification CISSP MindMap Videos were actually pretty helpful for visualizing how concepts tie together, something the textbooks don’t always make obvious. My only complaint is that the delivery occasionally felt a bit self-congratulatory, which made it harder to stay focused.
Quantum Exams was the real surprise. I usually find practice questions tedious, but these were genuinely good. Scenario-based, challenging, and built around the management mindset the exam actually tests. Easily my favorite resource.
Boson CISSP Practice Exams came through a coworker who gave me access for a couple of weeks, and I was impressed. The questions are well-written and the explanations are detailed enough to actually teach you something, not just confirm you got it right.
Training Camp’s CISSP Mentoring Session was a late addition to my prep and one of the most valuable things I did, and it was completely free. It was a focused 8-hour session with about ten other people also working toward the exam, and the real-world insight from the instructor and the group was something you just can’t get from a book. Their flashcard tracker was also excellent for the final stretch, exactly the kind of rapid-fire reinforcement you need in the days right before you sit down to test.
LearnZapp Official App was my go-to for filling dead time, commutes, lunch breaks, waiting rooms. The questions are on the easier side, but that’s fine. It keeps the terminology fresh and the concepts top of mind without feeling like a grind.
Reddit r/cissp honestly kept me going on the hard days. Reading about other people’s experiences, picking up study tips, and just knowing others were grinding through the same material made a real difference.
A Note of Gratitude
I also want to take a moment to thank Training Camp, ITProTV, and Boson for being genuinely supportive when I reached out about some prior frustrations. It says a lot about a company when they actually listen and respond with care rather than brushing you off. That kind of support matters, especially when you’re deep in a stressful certification journey.
What Actually Made It Click
The biggest mindset shift for me was accepting that the CISSP isn’t a memorization test. It’s testing whether you think like a security manager. The moment I stopped asking “what’s the right answer?” and started asking “what would be the best call for the organization?” my practice scores improved and the material started making more intuitive sense.
I’d also say don’t obsess over your practice test percentages. They matter, but understanding the why behind each concept matters more. If you can explain something clearly without looking at your notes, you’ve got it. If you can’t, that’s where your time should go.
Your background is going to shape which domains feel natural and which feel brutal, that’s just the reality of this exam. Lean into the easy ones to build momentum, and be patient with the hard ones. It all comes together eventually.
Categories
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Recent Finds
- Boson CISSP
- WARNING INFOSEC
- 94% Pass rate? I cry BS on InfoSec
- Go to approved institutions
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- Quantum Exams Review
- ITProTV CISSP Course Review
- Bad Course with Infosec Institute
- CISSP Practice Questions: Why They Matter and How to Use Them
- Infosec’s “Guarantee” Feels Like a Setup
Reviews
What others says about infosec
Infosec’s CISSP course was a huge letdown. The material was outdated, poorly structured, and lacked alignment with ISC2 exam objectives. The practice questions were inaccurate, and the instructors simply read from slides without adding value.
Found on reddit.com
I feel that InfoSec has failed to deliver what was sold to me when I registered for the course and took no steps to remediate the situation. This failure has left me with no confidence that they can or will be able to provide me with an adequate solution. So at this time I seeking a refund of $6,400 for the class and reimbursement for my Hotel/Travel expense totaling another $2,300.
Found on yelp.com
I took a bootcamp course with them and I would avoid them at all costs. Bad experience all around with them. If there are any specific questions I will answer, but suffice it to say once they had my money they did not care about anything else.