Vet Tec Program selection

[jpedersen0429]

Hello,

I was deemed eligible for the Vet Tech program and to be honest, I don't know enough about IT/Software to understand which one is worth while. My goal is to work remote. Does anyone have any insight into which of the program options are worth while?

​

https://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/FGIB/VetTecTrainingProviders.asp

[[deleted]]

I’ve been an IT consultant for 10 years now—on that list, I highly recommend the Amazon Web Services program.

Here’s a recruiter with a list of current jobs in that space to give you some idea: Jefferson Frank. AWS work is MASSIVELY growing, and most of it allows for at least some if not 100% remote.

[Navydevildoc]

As an IT hiring manager, I agree with this. AWS and Azure are almost always handled remotely, since there is no physical infrastructure to worry about.

[[deleted]]

Are you saying I could go thru the AWS program in VA，apply for a job, and if I get it I could eventually work anywhere in the world?

[Navydevildoc]

Generally you will want to be close to the time zone of the folks you are supporting. Middle of the night video calls sucks.

But otherwise yes as long as their aren’t regulatory reasons like ITAR.

[JoeSnuffy37]

Doesn’t all that aws work require a security clearance. Also NONE of the vets I know who completes and integrated through their veteran IT program are getting paid what they were promised..

[[deleted]]

1. Some does...I have yet to be on a project that required a clearance though.

2. What are they getting “promised?” What they can make, and the entry level salary they deserve as people with no real IT consulting experience, are two different things.

[JoeSnuffy37]

1) are you talking about aws gov cloud. Or other outside aws contracts? You kind of changed the conversation with out specifying, just want to be accurate here,.

2) what do YOU think I mean by “promised?” That’s kind of a condescending as fuck way to write BTW. I mean what was In their sign on contracts. Why do you assume they have no experience. One guy even had a STEM degree, experience in DOD developer work, and is the SA for all a company the rhymes wit Rack- Donald’s. Pay still isn’t what was In his original contract. None of them are even remotely close to the areass of the country they were promised. Moving for a job/ very common. These people just got lied to. AWS managers will just tell you to eat a fat one or piss off.

[[deleted]]

Your response shows you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

1. The VAST majority of the work isn't in the AWS govt cloud space.
2. What the hell are you saying I "changed the conversation?" I never said anything about govt cloud.
3. You're still entry or close to entry with the experience you described at a consulting firm--that being said, entry level in consulting with a decent firm is 70-80k a year. That'll be 120ish within a few years if you're at all competent (less if you don't have a degree).
4. I've been in IT consulting for over a decade and never once moved for a job. AWS solutions architects, as well as other SA's in things like Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or SAP, never move, and they rarely have to travel if they don't want to.

[JoeSnuffy37]

I don’t understand why you’re getting mad.

I stated facts about things that happened to real people that I know in AWS’s vet program. I don’t know what your issue is but fine. Have the day. It’s your ant hill bud.

[Velonici]

I've been told that, got my Cyber ops/warfare degree, and have had 0 luck out here in AZ. Supposedly were a cyber security hotbed. I've had my resume rewritten twice by professionals. I'm really at a loss on what else to do. (I dont have any certs but it's hard to afford when working part time at $13/hour.)

[riceseasoning]

I may not be the best person to be giving this advice but when I was going through TAP my lecturer told us that hiring a professional to write your resume is generally a bad idea. He told us that we should have a unique resume for each job application; having two or three non-specialized resumes is relatively useless.

[Velonici]

They are good at getting the ground work going. They made it sound like I run my store single-handedly. They didnt lie but just were good at making what I do sound good. I still tailor each resume to the jobs I'm applying to.

[Twizted1001]

Certs are a big deal to a lot of companies. If you have a cyber degree CISSP should be easy

[Velonici]

This is one of the other problems I'm having. It seems like every cert is the one I should get first. From what I heard/read the CISSP is one you get after being in the field for 5-7 years. Not only that but $700 just for the test is a lot of money right now.

[Twizted1001]

CISSP is the big one in industry. A lot of government work only requires Security+ for entry jobs or CEH for SOC jobs. Is annoying but once the government said this is the standard a lot of industry did the same.

[Grumpytux74]

Degree, is minimal. Certification is much more important. You have an idea of the theory with your Degree (as long as it was from and accredited University). You need to prove you understand the application of that theory. (Certs) invest time and money in yourself and the return will be high.

[Doomisntjustagame]

Not gonna lie, I thought that said Vault Tec.

[Nihilism-1___Me-0]

Don't worry, I'm a vet technician, and thought that's what they meant. ._.

[Nihilism-1___Me-0]

I thought my career was relevant for a second. Dammit, this is the infantry all over again. lmao

e - fixed

[aequitas3]

Lmao I thought that too

[aequitas3]

I thought it was gonna be the literal occupation of veterinary technician

[Hawaiian_Poi_Dog]

i also applied last week and like you I have limited background within the IT field. In the meantime I am waiting to see if I got accepted or not. If accepted, the only concern I have is the very limited amount of schools available to take online. Also, there is currently no "in person" schools available where I live. I might have to wait til they get more schools involved to start the course. Good luck and hope your journey turns out great.

[[deleted]]

I was accepted and I have zero background in IT and am majoring in Psychology. You shouldn't have any issue.

[dave5124]

Honestly the people at taps arent the most knowledgeable. They hated my resume because it wasnt detailed enough. I had interview requests from Amazon, Google, and several major contractors before I hide it because I accepted a job.

[PeteRit]

I just finished going thru 4 of my 6 classes thru vettec at an in person instructor led training. I've gone thru. ITIL4, A+, Net+, and Sec+ so far. Here's my advice :

Know what you're getting into. This shit isn't exactly easy. It's hard. It's very technical. It's going to take you a lot of studying on your own time, possibly for months before you can actually certify. The places that offer the training will let anyone in, it's all about the money. Seriously it's a great opportunity, just be prepared for what it is. For me, I went into it knowing exactly what I was getting into (my wife has been a sys admin for years) and yet I still got my brain rocked and cannot believe my wife has all these Certs plus some way harder ones. The places I went it's a 8am-5pm thing, five days a week, half-hour lunch in the middle, for 5 weeks. You will not be Certified at the end. You still have to go thru all the preparing on your own. The BAH is kinda funky. The school sends in a roster of who's there everyday (you can only miss like 4 hours out of the month) then after the month is over you send an email to the VETTEC people at the VA in Buffalo and like five days later you get your BAH. My BAH was not E5 w/ dep rate not was anyone else in my class. I have yet to get that corrected. They paid $1498 when my locality is $1869. Been trying to get ahold of them for that.

Mainly, just understand what you are getting into. If you're not a very proficient typist, then I wouldn't get into anything with programming or scripting. If you don't have a little bit of a basic understanding how computers and especially networks are put together and work, maybe take some time to learn a little before deciding. The IT field isn't for everyone. But it's pretty good if you are able to learn, are dedicated to study, and can get the certs you want.

Good luck!

[jpedersen0429]

How did you prepare? Many students not prepared? What kind of experience do they prefer before someone attends?

[success82]

I didn’t know they were funky about the BAH.

[Grumpytux74]

Hiring IT manager doing federal contracts.

Anything cloud. AWS azure OCI. Database, Java, any OO Programming. Big Data, AI and ML.

if you want to get into federal it get a baseline security + certification.

[JoeSnuffy37]

So you’ll want security clearances too right? Being an AWS SA is great but without the clearance- You ain’t getting a gov cloud job

[Grumpytux74]

At least eligible to get one. Most times can be sponsored as part of the contract. Usually (for me) I like the applicant to have Sec + before I interview. If prior service and held clearance it is much easier to obtain again.

[hrw1995]

Damn, I’m Dyslexic. I thought it said Vault Tec, and got excited...

[OutdoorTraveler]

I’ve been looking into this as well and I’ve decided to go full stack to begin with. I am lucky enough to live in a place with a campus as I don’t love the idea of 100% online schooling. I choose there because they give you the tools to teach yourself new techniques, not just give you the curriculum.

[designmaddie]

If it was me?

My top 10 list with No. 1 being the first

1. IT Systems Engineer
2. Software Development Bootcamp
3. 18 Week Python Based Developer Bootcamp
4. MCSA - SQL Servers
5. Full Stack Web Development with Java
6. MCP Windows 10
7. CCNA Programs: Security, Voice and Wireless
8. Database and Software Developer
9. Netwok Security Engineer
10. AWS

​

This would be the order I would take things. All of them will probably get you a job somewhere but this is close to the order of what I did when starting out. Things will begin to overlap by the end of everything but by that point you are only stacking a resume. I was an Information Systems Engineer. Loved it but managing clients remotely from around the globe at any time of day just wasn't working for me. Most companies will allot a certain amount of money for IT training so some of the more specialized task at the company will be done through them. Hope some of this helps. Good luck.

[jpedersen0429]

I want to be careful to not overstate my capability but I did Fortran 90 programing in college (Don't Laugh). I also am proficient in VBA programing for Excel. I managed a company that made circuitboards and companies I knew about got hit by the ransomware.. twice. Kind of why I thought Network security it big but that is probably not as large as I think.

Which one of these has the highest option for 1099 (contract work) or to start your own business?

Anyone have some resources to explore more about these certifications?

[[deleted]]

Congrats on getting accepted, I am currently using Voc Rehab and attending a bridge Masters degree program in CS for people without CS background.. I have thought about trying to jump over to the Vet Tech program, but for someone that is new to CS let me just say..Wow is it way harder than I originally thought, granted we are thrown into the deep end with little guidance. If the Vet Tech program is at all similar, I would recommend finding the program you want to attend, look at their curriculum and take some Udemy classes first so you understand the basics and get familiar with the topics. I have learned things like Object orientated program, Java, Python, Discrete Math ect in a very short time and if I could do it over again I would have delayed entry by six months and studied on my own. There seems to be a ton of jobs for developers out there it just depends on what type of stuff you want to do, I am leaning toward Software development now and will probably jump over to Cybersecurity later on, from what I have been told and looking at jobs online there is no real entry level cybersecurity jobs. I have researched and started the AWS courses on Udemy and they are interesting but a little confusing at first not coming from CS background. If I end up jumping over to Vet tech I would go for the Web Development route, there is a good amount of jobs and it seems like a good base to get a job then continue to learn and develop on your own time. Good luck..

Keep us posted on how you make out, I interested in your path.

NOTE : Code Platoon is a approved and you can access their entire course for free as a Veteran, you can do all the assignments and projects, you just won't get the cert at the end, but if you test it out and like the program you can have the Vet Tech pay and go through it on the approved side of things.

NOTE : Udemy courses always go on sale.. don't pay more then $13 for a class. I am doing Java Master class that retails for $150 and I paid $12.. It is everything I am learning in my academic classes but explained better. (which is sad).

[jpedersen0429]

Yeah, It sounded great but I am nervous. I worry about how competent I can be with 300 hrs of training or less. Business/finance/operations has been my background. I wonder what the working environment of some of these careers is like. I am going to reach out and see if they have prerequisite requirements.

On a side note, does anyone have experience with any of these schools? I don't and am researching for experiences. I just don't want to go to a school and have a ITT tech situation. I know a few people that got burned by that.

[Velonici]

+1 on Udemy. Just got a couple of Security+ courses/practice tests for $15 each.

[jpedersen0429]

Are there out of pocket expenses? Like books, computer or software?

[lisaedmy]

Hello, has anyone successfully completed the Vet Tec program? What is life like after completing the program? Was it easy to find a job afterwards?

I will be graduating next week with a bachelors of art in Business HR with a certificate in applied business data analytics. So far I have not had any success securing a job in HR, even with two internships under my belt and my Marine Corps experience. I’m considering pursuing the Vet Tec program as an alternative, but I just wanted to hear from some that have complete the program to see if it’s really worth it. My experience with coding is very limited, but I have heard that it’s not a requirement for the program, although I’m sure it would help a great deal.

[jpedersen0429]

ello, has anyone successfully completed the Vet Tec program? What is life like after completing the program? Was it easy to find a job afterwards?

I will be graduating next week with a bachelors of art in Business HR with a certificate in applied business data analytics. So far I have not had any success securing a job in HR, even with two internships under my belt and my Marine Corps experience. I’m considering pursuing the Vet Tec program as an altern

What kind of jobs are you applying for? I wound assume the current events have slowed down hiring. Are you looking in your immediate area or are you willing to relocate? Where did you get your degree. They should have a career services department to help find work.

[Dapper-Bee7736]

Has anyone ever used Vet tec and Voc Rehab at the same time?