IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

[↓R↑LYB]

If your going to get into IT Security just stay away from doing mainly desktop endpoint security and you'll be OK.

That doesn't even make sense breh...I've had contracts paying 120k plus where all I've done is configure and rollout SEP to desktops. Desktop security is a big part of securing any organization. Whether it's antivirus, DLP, managed firewall, or patch management. Endpoint security is a big part of the security landscape.

 

[JT-Money]

To each is own but I wouldn't ever want to do such repetitive boring work again. The vast majority of those types of jobs suck in my opinion. In fact any IT job directly dealing with end users or their systems sucks. Working in network or server security you won't have to deal with idiot end users as much.

 

[BamdaDon]

so let me ask you brehs this....basically I can take these classes in january through this jp morgan non profit program, to get a+ certified. I guess they offer some sort of temporary employment placement at like 15 an hour with chase or some other company. Would you dudes who already deep in this consider this a good deal? why or why not? Im looking at it for more a long term career kind of thing, been doing sales for years and looking to get into something more financially stable. The reason Im asking is because the classes are like m-f /8-5 for two months so my money is going to be fukked up for a couple of months behind this. Also what would be a good next step to take if I go through with it?

 

[↓R↑LYB]

To each is own but I wouldn't ever want to do such repetitive boring work again. The vast majority of those types of jobs suck in my opinion. In fact any IT job directly dealing with end users or their systems sucks. Working in network or server security you won't have to deal with idiot end users as much.

Breh, if you work in security you're gonna have to deal with end users in some capacity. Whether its a training program, CBT, or letting them understand the impact of the DLP agent on their machine. It sounds like you're confusing a help desk role where you gotta check to make sure someone in HR aint gotta virus with a security role.

And security is 100% repetitive. Check logs, run reports, conduct audits and assessments, and argue with the rest of the organization about how shytty the company's security posture is.

so let me ask you brehs this....basically I can take these classes in january through this jp morgan non profit program, to get a+ certified. I guess they offer some sort of temporary employment placement at like 15 an hour with chase or some other company. Would you dudes who already deep in this consider this a good deal? why or why not? Im looking at it for more a long term career kind of thing, been doing sales for years and looking to get into something more financially stable. The reason Im asking is because the classes are like m-f /8-5 for two months so my money is going to be fukked up for a couple of months behind this. Also what would be a good next step to take if I go through with it?

Do you have to pay for this class? If so, don't do it breh. You can buy the A+ book and pass the exam. I took my A+ like 8 years ago, but back then this book with the shyt

Read the book cover to cover, use the practice exams on the CD, take the test. That's what I did when I took it.

The hardest part is getting that 1st gig. Once you get that first job then the next hardest part is getting outta help desk. Pay depends on the company. It can range from 10/hr - 25/hr. When I got my 1st gig I was an intern making 8.98 (fukk nikkas wouldn't even round up and give the kid an even 9 ). After I went full time I was at like 20/hr. By the time I left the company I was making 22/hr (this was in about 2 or so years). IT can be a great career and you can make wild bread if you a hustler. As a top consultant you can clear 200k, but you have to be the top of your field with a lot of experience, the right certs, and willing to travel. Or you can be content, make 35k, and be like the rest of the nikkas on the coli talkin bout bytches see you ballin and trying to break you for half your check.

Check what I wrote to FastEddie in this thread about the same topic.

 

[Jayson_bourn]

That doesn't even make sense breh...I've had contracts paying 120k plus where all I've done is configure and rollout SEP to desktops. Desktop security is a big part of securing any organization. Whether it's antivirus, DLP, managed firewall, or patch management. Endpoint security is a big part of the security landscape.

Its funny that JT says that you wont need to deal with idiots when you're not user facing, but as long as you're dealing with people that don't have a technical background you're still going to everyday at some of the calls and emails you'll receive

In my short experience (compared to most) I have found that people that aren't in the trenches with you will have an unrealistic expectations.

With that said I agree with him i'll never go back to desktop support. (unless sh)t gets real, then you gotta do what you gotta do)

 

[BamdaDon]

Breh, if you work in security you're gonna have to deal with end users in some capacity. Whether its a training program, CBT, or letting them understand the impact of the DLP agent on their machine. It sounds like you're confusing a help desk role where you gotta check to make sure someone in HR aint gotta virus with a security role.

And security is 100% repetitive. Check logs, run reports, conduct audits and assessments, and argue with the rest of the organization about how shytty the company's security posture is.



Do you have to pay for this class? If so, don't do it breh. You can buy the A+ book and pass the exam. I took my A+ like 8 years ago, but back then this book with the shyt

The hardest part is getting that 1st gig. Once you get that first job then the next hardest part is getting outta help desk. Pay depends on the company. It can range from 10/hr - 25/hr. When I got my 1st gig I was an intern making 8.98. After I went full time I was 20/hr. By the time I left the company I was making 22/hr. IT can be a great career and you can make wild bread if you a hustler. As a top consultant you can clear 200k, but you have to be the top of your field with a lot of experience, the right certs, and willing to travel. Check what I wrote to FastEddie in this thread.

Well the classes are free and they offer job placement up to 2 years. But since the program is through chase, you can work for chase for like 6 months at 15hr to get some experience. I'm assuming they only have so many slots though. So do you think thats a decent deal or is having the cert enough to get interviews?

 

[↓R↑LYB]

Its funny that JT says that you wont need to deal with idiots when you're not user facing, but as long as you're dealing with people that don't have a technical background you're still going to everyday at some of the calls and emails you'll receive

In my short experience (compared to most) I have found that people that aren't in the trenches with you will have an unrealistic expectations.

With that said I agree with him i'll never go back to desktop support. (unless sh)t gets real, then you gotta do what you gotta do)

I'm saying, I've been in meetings with directors and CTO's and I'm looking at them nikkas like " you gotta be trolling me right now"

But I think me and JT were talkin bout 2 different things though. I think he was referring to a help desk job where you do some security related shyt like make sure AV run. I was referring to a security job rolling out protection to end point devices.

At my last job them nikkas brought me in to secure their environment, so I was going around trying to get a sample group of people to roll the DLP agent out to. Damn near every person, including a lot of the IT staff was like "nikka you ain't puttin that shyt on my machine." Once you start doing security work, it's a wrap b. You're gonna have to deal with end users. The only difference is a lot of the time the end users will either be the people in your IT department telling you you ain't shyt cause he been there 5 years and he knows their secure, a dumb ass 3rd party company telling you they don't need a secure tunnel when sending credit card information over the internet, or a fukk nikka CTO trying to put shyt in the DMZ that has no damn business there.

In some ways security is nothing more than a high paid help desk job. I be looking at some of these nikkas like

 

[JT-Money]

Breh, if you work in security you're gonna have to deal with end users in some capacity. Whether its a training program, CBT, or letting them understand the impact of the DLP agent on their machine. It sounds like you're confusing a help desk role where you gotta check to make sure someone in HR aint gotta virus with a security role.

And security is 100% repetitive. Check logs, run reports, conduct audits and assessments, and argue with the rest of the organization about how shytty the company's security posture is.

I'm talking about any role supporting involving DLP, HIPS, RSD or antivirus point products on client machines. It's all basically one step above doing desktop support. Network security is much less tedious and you rarely deal with idiotic end users face to face. The minute something goes wrong on a server or client machines everyone blames the Host Based Security System until you prove otherwise.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

Well the classes are free and they offer job placement up to 2 years. But since the program is through chase, you can work for chase for like 6 months at 15hr to get some experience. I'm assuming they only have so many slots though. So do you think thats a decent deal or is having the cert enough to get interviews?

If they're giving you the course for free and a guaranteed gig, hell year take it breh . 6 months experience and an A+, you'll be better than most college grads with an IT degree. Just make sure while you're on the job you learn as much as possible. Being in help desk, you'll meet a lot of people. Even the damn CEO of the company possibly. Shake hands, kiss babies, and just network. You'll make some incredible contacts, and you can figure out where in IT you ultimately wanna go. When I was doing help desk I was cool with every damn body. I was working for the gov't and even ended up chilling with the mayor and his wife. I knew the police chief, fire chief, and all the directors on a first name basis.

I also chilled with the programmers, web developers, network guys, and DB guys. It gave me an insight into what it would take to do their job, plus they put me onto some game about which direction I should take my career.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

I'm talking about any role supporting involving DLP, HIPS, RSD or antivirus point products on client machines. It's all basically one step above doing desktop support. Network security is much less tedious and you rarely deal with idiotic end users face to face. The minute something goes wrong on a server or client machines everyone blames the Host Based Security System until you prove otherwise.

Breh a security role involving end user machines is like 80% of most security jobs. Even if you do network security and all you're working with is firewall, vpn's, and web content filters, you're still gonna have to deal with end users. You mean to tell me on those jobs you didn't have a ticketing system where you had to work on issues that arose? All help desk will do is say "Do you have an IP address? Is your computer on? Can you get to Google? Word? Lemme fwd your ticket to security "

Now it's your job to troubleshoot why Websense is stopping big booty Brenda in Marketing from getting to her Facebook page.

 

[BamdaDon]

If they're giving you the course for free and a guaranteed gig, hell year take it breh . 6 months experience and an A+, you'll be better than most college grads with an IT degree. Just make sure while you're on the job you learn as much as possible. Being in help desk, you'll meet a lot of people. Even the damn CEO of the company possibly. Shake hands, kiss babies, and just network. You'll make some incredible contacts, and you can figure out where in IT you ultimately wanna go. When I was doing help desk I was cool with every damn body. I was working for the gov't and even ended up chilling with the mayor and his wife. I knew the police chief, fire chief, and all the directors on a first name basis.

I also chilled with the programmers, web developers, network guys, and DB guys. It gave me an insight into what it would take to do their job, plus they put me onto some game about which direction I should take my career.

thats what I was thinking, this thread gave me the idea to go for it honestly. see yall brehs at the top

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

I bought the latest exam cram for the A+. for those who got the michael meyers shyt and find yourself losing focus I think this book much better and to the point. the michael meyers shyt is a great book but it has so much information you don't know exactly what to put your main focus on. exam cram gives you shyt to pass the exam plain and simple. I feel like i'm retaining the information a lot better with the exam cram. hopefully i'll be ready to take the test in november and finally get my new career started.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

thats what I thinking, this thread gave me the idea to go for it honestly. see yall brehs at the top

Just don't get complacent breh. When I first hit 20/hr I was walkin round like " y'all nikkas can't tell me shyt."

My current gig got me like . I'm not gonna say how much I make cause of course y'all nikkas is gonna scream but let's just say I'm puttin skrimps in my ramen noodles now

I bought the latest exam cram for the A+. for those who got the michael meyers shyt and find yourself losing focus I think this book much better and to the point. the michael meyers shyt is a great book but it has so much information you don't know exactly what to put your main focus on. exam cram gives you shyt to pass the exam plain and simple. I feel like i'm retaining the information a lot better with the exam cram. hopefully i'll be ready to take the test in november and finally get my new career started.

Good luck breh, just get used to studying. A+ is just the beginning. Cause the time is gonna come when a offer comes across your inbox needing some random ass cert with a starting pay of 150k plus bonus and you gonna be like " another damn test?"

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

Just don't get complacent breh. When I first hit 20/hr I was walkin round like " y'all nikkas can't tell me shyt."

My current gig got me like . I'm not gonna say how much I make cause of course y'all nikkas is gonna scream but let's just say I'm puttin skrimps in my ramen noodles now



Good luck breh, just get used to studying. A+ is just the beginning. Cause the time is gonna come when a offer comes across your inbox needing some random ass cert with a starting pay of 150k plus bonus and you gonna be like " another damn test?"

lol yea I figure i'ma have to start at help desk like everybody else. hopefully i'll be able to at least make 12 starting off, but 15 would be great. worked warehouse my whole life so i know it's gonna be tough for me to break into the field at first. but I just wanna get to a point where i actually like my job and I dont become some zombie and shyt. I heard help desk can make you like that, but i'm willin to go through the bullshyt to get where I need to go. wish i woulda started sooner like the rest of yall. but fukk it. it's on me now.

 

[Jayson_bourn]

Just don't get complacent breh. When I first hit 20/hr I was walkin round like " y'all nikkas can't tell me shyt."

My current gig got me like . I'm not gonna say how much I make cause of course y'all nikkas is gonna scream but let's just say I'm puttin skrimps in my ramen noodles now



Good luck breh, just get used to studying. A+ is just the beginning. Cause the time is gonna come when a offer comes across your inbox needing some random ass cert with a starting pay of 150k plus bonus and you gonna be like " another damn test?"

Speak on that salary brethren. I'll say I came into the DBA game with 70k not including bonuses. That might be light for some of ya'll that been in the game


I'm sure I can get more because i'm out here in Silicon Valley... the wages are but the cost of living is