career in security

I'm in a fairly similar situation. Im going for the Security+ first though. Its a lot simpler and at least you can have some qualification along the long road to CISSP, which I've heard is a gauntlet. And there are tons of books to prepare you for the CISSP (amazon.com). I plan to pace myself. Good luck.

CISSP is probably THE premier security certificaton at present.

There are a couple of reasons for this:
1. The test is no pushover. It's 250 questions and can take up to six hours. So you really need to KNOW the subject.
2. This is one of the few certifications that require documented experience before you even see the test. The experience requirement is as follows: 4 years of direct full-time security professional work experience; OR three years of direct full-time security professional work experience with a college degree; OR two years of direct full-time security professional work experience with a Masters Degree in Information Security.

The best place to start is the the website for ISC2 (the organization that controls this certification) - www.isc2.org. On this site you can find out more about the prerequisites for the certification, the subject areas covered by the exam, and the core areas of knowledge for which you must show documented work experience. You willalso find links to online study guides, recommendations for other reference material, and training seminar schedules.

Good luck.