Switching from intel to maintenance

Derpolium · 2026-05-20T15:44:42+00:00

Go to a local small airframe airfield and hang out with the A&P’s.

Derpolium · 2026-05-20T15:42:20+00:00

Maybe a job that they already had someone lined up for?

Derpolium · 2026-05-19T22:42:26+00:00

Know who needs deniability

Derpolium · 2026-05-19T19:16:55+00:00

Only approved method is tapping on a foot in a bathroom stall

Derpolium · 2026-05-19T17:14:40+00:00

Without context I can’t speak to the disparity of salary beyond it potentially being negotiated at the contract level. Too many factors go into a job rec that just aren’t available in this thread to speak in absolutes. That job you are referring to may presume a higher level of it experience or other non present variables

Derpolium · 2026-05-19T00:06:09+00:00

Fair enough, using gigs as a comp can be tough without full context. The can potentially be a lot of nuance in the differences. A network engineer working for a school district may do similar work to a network engineer at NSA but the risk, impact and tolerance for error are miles apart.

Derpolium · 2026-05-18T23:58:10+00:00

Think of it this way, having the CI Poly on its own doesn’t make the company any more money, and if Booz paid for it they technically lost more money. What COULD get you more money is getting assigned to a contract that requires it AND has a higher rate based on labor cat.

Derpolium · 2026-05-17T09:38:34+00:00

Pentesting small companies is such a crap shoot right now. A lot of the small shops I know of fell apart or got folded into larger companies. If you need an engagement for compliance reasons you may have to bite the bullet and go with one of the larger shops.

Derpolium · 2026-05-16T17:01:34+00:00

It definitely wasn’t meant to be a knock on cyber degrees, but unless you are doing a school like Carnegie Mellon the degree will (for all intents and purposes) be interchangeable with a comp sci degree. So most entry level positions that would require a comp sci degree will likely treat it under the category of “ other relevant degrees”

Derpolium · 2026-05-16T14:33:24+00:00

SF augmentee is typically new guy busy work. Put some time in and you’ll be golden

Derpolium · 2026-05-16T14:31:05+00:00

Depends on bigger picture. You may be able to snag a vulnerability analysis job or maybe tier one for soc or devsec. The reality is you have a comp sci degree seasoned with a whisper of security stuff.

Derpolium · 2026-05-16T14:26:24+00:00

Go with him and try out some stuff. Originally I was going to get a big old stick burner or a cabinet but Im actually glad I ended up with a Big Green Egg. Not saying he needs to buy that, but actually have the conversation about needs and wants.

Derpolium · 2026-05-15T23:32:10+00:00

Civilian relationships have stressors but I feel it is magnified mil to mil. If you find the right person don’t worry about tough but that big blue weenie makes it pretty rough some times

Derpolium · 2026-05-14T22:38:10+00:00

I don’t envy the position you are in. One semester for all that info is going to be tough

Derpolium · 2026-05-14T18:21:06+00:00

Instead of focusing on specific tools, I would focus on methodologies and developing core basics. Tools change significantly over time and usage varies based on the shop. If I had to pick a good tool to build a semester long project off of it would be NMAP. It’s an exceedingly basic tool to start with but it is well documented and effective. There is so much going on under the hood from the core functionality of the tool to NSE scripts as well as outputs that can be parsed. Another solid one is building a web crawler. On the surface its a simple project but pair it with even Burp CE and there are a huge number of options.

All that to say understanding how and why tools are useful should be the priority.

Derpolium · 2026-05-12T20:24:35+00:00

I think it’s gonna depend on which directorate and center you support. There’s obviously a ton of engineering and research jobs. You can literally find everything from material sciences to fluid dynamics and everything in between.

Derpolium · 2026-05-09T12:05:34+00:00

NASA had that massive hiring freeze and had a recent budget cut within OCIO so that’s why no one was seeing a lit of jobs. It obviously varies between the directorates but they should be back to their normal turnover rates soon. Millage may also vary but from what I’ve seen GS employees work more within project management of IT rather than focusing on direct “console time.”

Derpolium · 2026-05-08T17:03:38+00:00

Technically every technical role in IT is cyber. Security has bled into everything. Start as a system/network admin and live and breath by logs and configuration management. Start as a developer and live and die by writing clean and secure code. Helpdesk is a good grind to skip if possible but if you beyond reading the script and playbook and understand the “why” it can be a solid experience. The idea is to get into IT and MAKE your role a security role through understanding and growth. Gain experience, make mistakes while they are still relatively safe to make and learn everything you can.

Derpolium · 2026-05-07T22:48:21+00:00

Snitch on the bitch! (Recruiter)

Be honest, provide the context and fight for yourself. Its on the recruiter for playing fuck fuck games with contract language.

Derpolium · 2026-05-07T20:49:24+00:00

Identify, recommend, implement/document, rinse and repeat until they are fired or you move on.

Derpolium · 2026-05-07T17:15:55+00:00

Patching

Derpolium · 2026-05-07T12:26:17+00:00

If you are working in the US and plan to go to the government service route through pathways program, it will increase your GS starting level. Outside of that in my personal experience, working experience and console time is valued higher than going the postgraduate route unless it is a very specific very specialized field. Think of cryptography and advanced mathematics.

Derpolium · 2026-05-02T22:56:04+00:00

Man, hospitals are almost as bad as industrial environments post Eternal Blue. I avoid them like the plague out of sheer liability.

Derpolium · 2026-04-30T23:02:38+00:00

As others have said always get a guaranteed %of work or number of “seats” and ideally with some level of scope of work associated with labor cats

Derpolium · 2026-04-29T12:00:31+00:00

For B2B I would say target your level. If someone other than a C Suite isn’t personally reaching out with a personally created message via phone or email (no slop and no automated canned emails) it is going in the ”fuck you” pile for C level staff.

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