The CISSP Cyber Training Challenge Coin

Why we give one to every student who earns it.

For years, I commanded the 177th Information Aggressor Squadron — a U.S. Air Force Red Team. When someone completed our foundational training and earned the right to call themselves a team member, they received a challenge coin directly from their commander.

That coin meant something. No one outside the team had one. It couldn't be bought, borrowed, or faked — only earned. We gave out specialized coins too: for achievement, for successful missions, for going above and beyond to help the broader cybersecurity community. We even gave them to outside members of the military who showed real promise and did outstanding work in service of that same mission.

The rule was simple: you carried your coin with you, always. If someone challenged you and you didn't have it on you, you owed them a drink of their choice. It sounds small. It wasn't. That tradition built something real — camaraderie, accountability, esprit de corps. A quiet reminder, every day, of what you'd earned and who you'd earned it with.

I built the CISSP Cyber Training coin on that same principle: it is earned, not given.

What's on the coin

The hooded figure is deliberate. I spent my career as a Red Teamer — a hacker, by training and by trade — working to think like an attacker so I could help organizations stop them. That figure represents the adversary you're learning to understand, outthink, and defend against every time you study a CISSP domain.

The compass on the back represents direction — staying oriented through eight domains of material, and beyond the exam, learning to navigate risk decisions the way a manager does, not just a technician. That's the whole philosophy behind how I teach: Think Like a Manager.

"Earned, Not Given" is the standard the coin — and the certification — is built on. Below it, you'll notice a small reference: Colossians 3:23. My faith has been a constant through my entire life, and while that's not what this site is about, it's part of who I am — and I wanted a quiet piece of that woven into something my students carry with them.

How to earn yours

If you're in a CISSP Cohort, this one's automatic: complete the program and pass your exam, and your coin ships to you — no extra steps.

Studying on your own through Accelerator or Pro? You earn it the same way — by passing. Once you're certified, send proof of your passing result (your ISC2 confirmation or score report) to [email protected] and we'll get your coin in the mail.

The coin is reserved for students who've invested in the program — Cohort, Accelerator, and Pro. If you're on the free Essentials tier, it's not part of that track, but upgrading to Accelerator or Pro puts you on the same path to earning one.

Either path, the standard is the same: earned, not given.