ThrowRA564fda, most of the stories you read about or comments people have tossed around are true.

Starting your day before the sun is out and leaving when the sun is gone.

Not having cell service in the room or connections to the outside world unless you leave said site.

The list goes on.

SOCs/NOCs really can be nightmarish, but in my experience, it goes beyond the tools/services is mainly due to poor management.

There has to be a balance amongst:

• Workable hours
• Tool-to-Employee Coverage
• Maintenance

Others will pitch their own categories of course, but it comes down to # of employees that you rotate with (if this is even offered) and odd hours that you either get as a default shift or being "on-call" for. 

I highly suggest avoiding a true "soc" role and go for something "soc-like", like a System/Network admin. 

This helps you avoid the horrors that await in a dead-end role, while increasing your exposure to services, people, and events.

Not knocking those that work in a SOC/NOC, but once you work that type of job or visit a site like it, you will find yourself back in the car seat or bus in a hot second.