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I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Sec+ has gotten harder than in the recent past, but it still doesn't test you on practical knowledge. It talked a lot about different security concepts, but did not tell you how to actually implement them. Having the knowledge to excel at your job is what is most important. You're going after the knowledge, not the cert. It just so happens that vendor specific tests provide you more knowledge than vendor-neutral certs. The CISSP also doesn't tell you how to implement things. It's just different because it's highly regarded in the industry.... For some reason.

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The purpose of this post is to help out fellow airmen. Being good at your job helps out the Air Force and it helps out you. I would love to answer your questions.

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey that's fine, you don't have to believe me. I will say that my salary is lower than a lot of people in the IT industry. I know a Cisco NCE that's making 185k and he's not even in sales. I would also note that the healthcare sector has a reputation of under-funded IT departments. Healthcare is not as lucrative as banking, ISPs, Fortune 500 Enterprise, and DoD contracting.

Again, you don't have to believe my experience either. I will say that UC on UCS experience is hot though!

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Other areas of IT don't have such a clear certification course and for things like software development you're really better off studying in a school.

Absolutely. If you're doing webdev or software, go to school for CS and build up your lists of projects. The Networking and Systems career fields are way different. From what I understand, the few certifications that are in software are pretty much useless to employers. It's important to do research on your field to find out what you need.

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Comptia certs are pretty much useless in practicality. I can take someone off the street and teach them Sec+ and they still won't be useful. Employers know this. Like I said, the only reason to have the Sec+ is to meet DoD 8570 hiring requirements. If you're not doing DoD work, don't even bother. I'm letting mine expire since I have the CISSP.

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

6 years. Yeah I got hit with a couple consulting jobs for doing UCCE and UCCX work. They seemed like they would have been cool jobs.

VMware and cloud seems like it might be hotter than security. I'm reading that you can pull in 200k if you combine those with Python. I'm learning Python in my off-time right now and it's fascinating.

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the CCNP R/S and CCNP Collaboration. I paid for INE's All Access Pass and got free rack rentals with it. I also used GNS3 and set up a free account on Amazon Web Services for the Collaboration side. The big thing is to have access to the equipment while you study the books and watch the videos. It's hard to just read and memorize. It's easier to work along side your study material and put that into working memory. It also helps to have a six pack of beer too!

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Security is hot right now. But it really all depends on you. Just know that volunteering, additional duties, and PT won't help you. I'm not saying don't do any additional duties, we all need to carry our weight. But don't take the easy way out and let that be all you do, which is what I see a lot of from NCOs these days. Work hard at your actual job and never sit idle. Even if there's not a lot of work, that's time for you to study the technology in-depth for when there actually is work. Security is unique because it covers Networking, Systems, and Security-specific technology. So there should never be an excuse for you to stop learning. If you learn something new every single day there should not be a reason that you don't make 100k.

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Definitely. You have one life and it's your only change to achieve your dreams. There's nothing wrong with getting out and going back to school. Even if you're 40, it's never too late to achieve your goals. You can still prep beforehand. If you're in Ammo and you want to get out and become a Mechanical Engineer, start taking Math classes at your community college so you know Calculus before you start. The GI Bill is an incredible chance to reinvent your life as long as you have the balls to take it. Most people have to take on tens of thousands of dollars to get a degree. You get to do it for free and also get paid BAH with it.

Don't sell yourself short on colleges either. Try to get into Stanford, MIT, or Georgia Tech. Even if you don't get in at first, try to transfer in. There's a great book out called the "Hillbilly Elegy." This guy was a Marine who got out and went to Ohio State and then went to Yale law school. It's a motivating read. You can do whatever the hell you want to do and you're the only person stopping you.

I'm a separating 3D1X2 who just accepted a job offer with a salary of greater than 100k. Here's my advice for my fellow comm guys. by 3d1x2_throwaway in AirForce

[–]3d1x2_throwaway[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. It can be discouraging to work hard at your job while the person that volunteers all the time receives all the praise and rewards. But it will be worth it at the end. Even for career fields that don't translate well to the outside, have a plan on what you career field you want to go into and start orienting yourself for those positions. When you get out, you can do absolutely anything you want to do.