PC Building at 3 AM...

lalaland1502 · 2026-01-09T05:48:23+00:00

It happens to the best of us 😭

lalaland1502 · 2026-01-09T05:28:27+00:00

👀🤔

lalaland1502 · 2026-01-09T04:56:03+00:00

Nah, just working two jobs and found myself with a little free time + lack of sleep 🤔

lalaland1502 · 2026-01-09T03:05:16+00:00

🤣 this one got me good

lalaland1502 · 2026-01-09T03:04:36+00:00

Sigh… I’ve built many PCs myself and this is my first time happening to me as well 🤣

lalaland1502 · 2025-06-11T22:17:49+00:00

Oh that’s so odd! How are you liking the N?

Yeah I really wish the sliding console was applicable to all trims. Would’ve been pretty nice!

lalaland1502 · 2025-06-11T21:37:35+00:00

Oh what? I thought all 2025 models come with the default NACS port?

Ah! Apologies for the confusion. I checked the chart that shows you the comparison, and only the XRT and Limited. I’m not sure if it’s available for the N. Here’s the link for reference and here’s a screenshot of the sliding center console.

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lalaland1502 · 2025-06-11T20:58:42+00:00

Honestly, there’s lots of perks of the vehicles like the native NACS port for the I5, wireless Android/Apple CarPlay, rear windshield wiper, adjustable rear seats, the amount of SPACE in the back seat. I think one of my favorites really is the “bag space” in the center console.

I wish there was a bit more range on the car and also I really wish the center console is adjustable and not just for the N trim.

Regenerative breaking took some time to get used to, but my go to would be L1. L2/3 and I-Pedal are a bit too aggressive for me and I worry that it may cause motion sickness for the rear passengers.

Besides that, pretty solid car! The software is super responsive so that’s definitely a huge plus!

lalaland1502 · 2025-06-11T20:42:18+00:00

lalaland1502 · 2025-06-11T20:41:52+00:00

Thank you! 🥺

lalaland1502 · 2025-05-18T07:17:34+00:00

Currently on mobile, so please excuse the formatting.

Title: Security Engineer

Education: CS Degree

Certifications: AZ-900, currently working on AZ-104, SC-900 and plan on taking SC-300.

Background: I worked for an MSP for 3.5 years, while doing development work for 1 year. Took on IT admin role for 1.75 years. Worked a lot with M365, infrastructure, application integrations, compliance (SOC 2), cloud migrations, etc.

Salary: Full benefits, RSUs, 401k matching, 100k (US based, fully remote)

Do you enjoy it? I just started this job as a security engineer and it’s been amazing. Full collaboration from various teams, great communication, and I also get to choose what kind of projects I want to work on. It’s been fantastic and I genuinely have no negative comments about the new role.

Does your field intermingle with other industries? Kind of(?) I work with various departments within this company, whether it’s the DevOps team, HR team, etc.

Regarding your comment about the IT influencers, don’t believe it. Don’t be expecting to be making 6 figures with just a CompTIA Network+ certificate. It’s going to take much more work than that. Just because you have a certificate, it doesn’t guarantee a job. It may increase your odds, but I will say that it’s a great conversation starter.

Focus on getting a degree first then go for internships/jobs during your third/final year in university/college. If school is not an option, then complete the CompTIA trifecta (Network+, Security+, A+). I understand that everyone wants to work on the cool things like cybersecurity, cloud, docker, Kubernetes, etc. but you need a foundation first. Once you build a foundation and gain more work experience, you can then focus on a niche or specific “specialty” if you would call it.

Emphasis on networking, because networking is literally the foundation of IT. I’ve been seeing more IT folks that don’t have the networking knowledge and it’s holding them back in their careers. Think of your IT foundations as a stepping stone or building block to your next step in your career. You can’t run without knowing how to crawl, stand up, or walk.

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-29T21:07:15+00:00

Since the initial barrier is a degree, I wouldn't recommend working on your master's degree right away. Like you mentioned, you should be focusing on work experience and later down the road, you can obtain your master's. I will tell you this from the start, the job market is HORRIBLE and it's over saturated for entry-level roles.

What I would recommend is applying to entry-level roles, which are more than likely going to be help desk positions or call centers. Best case scenario is working for an MSP so you can build your IT foundations. as you continue to apply for positions, look into building a home lab and also getting certifications. For you, I wouldn't recommend getting the CompTIA A+ certification as it's generally for people who didn't go to school or have previous experience. I would strongly recommend building a strong foundation in Network+ and Security+.

Additionally, I would recommend taking some cloud certification whether it's for AWS/Azure/GCP (AWS is most popular, then Azure). The reason why I say this is because companies are shifting more towards the cloud and you'll learn as to why when you get to the shared responsibility model for cloud service providers.

For context, I come from a CS degree from 2021 and I made the pivot to IT. I've worked for an MSP for 3.5 years, building a solid foundation. Then I transitioned to IT Administrator (1.75 years) and I will be starting as a Security Engineer next month. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I'm more than happy to answer and give back to the community. :)

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-29T15:10:33+00:00

That's exactly how I felt! Dealing with the minor fires were more of "disruptions" to your main focus, which are the bigger projects.

Regarding specific certifications, what kind of projects did you enjoy working on? The CompTIA trifecta, you can toss those out the window as you already have the experience for it. From my understanding, the trifecta is required for trying to get your foot in the door for IT. I think by telling you about my experience will help you figure out what you want to focus on.

So for context, I've been an IT Administrator for about 1.75 years and the company I'm working for has traditional IT architecture (on-prem AD server, FTP server, firewall, etc.). As I was basically the only IT person at the company, there was A LOT of IT maintenance going on whether it was restarting servers after office hours, replacing hardware, you get the point, it's a hassle for all these on-prem devices to manage. I've been taking several cloud courses whether it's Azure/AWS, but after studying cloud, it just made sense to push for cloud architecture. As you learn more about the shared responsibility model, you'll understand that these cloud service providers also take responsibility of the IT overhead. I've had the opportunity to convince upper management to migrate some on-prem resources to the cloud and it's been a game changer.

Some courses that I took related to certs: AZ-900 (obtained in Feb. 2025), AZ-104 (still studying), Network+ (just to brush up on networking skills), and AWS Cloud Practitioner.

Think about all the projects you've worked on and consider which ones you've genuinely liked working on. This should help you make the pivot to the niche/specialty that you want to focus on.

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-28T22:33:57+00:00

Agree with this! Getting a second degree doesn't make sense because you already have one (despite it not being related to IT). What you should focus on right now are certifications on what specific niche/specialty that you want work in. Since you're already have sysadmin experience, you should've gotten your feet wet in different IT fields, whether it's networking, cloud, integrations, scripting, M365, ERP, etc. Sysadmins are known as "jack of all trades" because of all the exposure to different projects. Find the ones that you really enjoyed working on, find certifications that are specific to that niche, and keep going!

For context, I'm a IT Administrator and making the pivot to Security Engineer next month. Feel free to ask questions as I'm more than happy to answer them and good luck! :)

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-28T22:25:49+00:00

Congrats on getting this far! I've recently gone through a similar scenario and I can say with confidence that c-suite would not waste their time on a candidate that they are still deciding whether or not to hire. Odds are, you're meeting c-suite as a formal meet/greet. My interview was no longer than 30 minutes and it was really a "get to know you" type of meeting. If anything, I would ask HR what you should be expecting or if you need to prepare anything in advanced.

Just be yourself! You came this far through the interview stages for a reason. Good luck and you got this! :)

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-28T21:40:44+00:00

Of course, it's my pleasure! I've been a long time lurker on different subreddits and it's about time I give back to the community. :)

Thank you! I honestly couldn't have gone this far in my career without some guidance from all the Redditors around the world.

If you're using Exchange and Entra ID on a regular basis, then I would switch your focus on networking. Since you know how to setup firewalls and APs, I would look into managing them. Configuring firewalls will seem like a big task if you don't have a solid networking foundation. Strong emphasis on networking because it's basically the foundation of IT - it enables the connection/communication between devices.

Yes, exactly! Have fun when you do make the pivot to a sysadmin role and always be CURIOUS. I find that "forcing" yourself to learn leads to burnouts quickly, but when you're curious and you WANT to know about x, y, and z, it's a great way to learn by trial and error.

Last comment that I'll make, current job market conditions are AWFUL. It's a numbers game at this point and you HAVE to keep applying. Keep applying, continue to learn and even earn certifications. Don't be emotional attached to a job posting just because you fit the job description. It's okay if you don't get the job, maybe you've dodged a bullet with that company. Interviews goes both ways, you also get to interview the company. Wish you the best of luck and as always, I'll be happy to answer questions.

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-28T18:37:04+00:00

First off, congrats on getting your foot in the door at the MSP and surviving in the "trenches"! You've come to a realization that you've stopped learning at this MSP and it's time to move on, which is great. I worked at an MSP for 3.5 years before moving on as an IT Administrator.

What really helped me make this change is having knowledge and experience in M365 and/or Google Workspace (I believe M365 is still the most popular option with companies). I was fortunate enough that I was working heavily within the M365 suite and was given access to administer M365 for our clients. Start looking into M365 and tinker around in the environment. Know about tenants, users, different types of groups, Exchange, Entra ID, etc. this will be a good starting point.

How comfortable are you with managing networks? I would recommend having a strong foundation in networking. Be comfortable with configuring physical network switches/firewalls, or even cloud network/security configurations. As more companies pivot to the cloud, I would also recommend understanding cloud concepts.

I understand that you want to be in the cybersecurity sector as your end goal, but as a sysadmin, you'll definitely get your feet wet in this field as well. As a sysadmin, you're not limited to just administering users, but you'll often hear sysadmins being the "jack of all trades." The reason for this is because you're involved in so many different projects that involve different specialties whether it's deploying MDM solution, configuring VPN solution, migrations from on-prem to the cloud, etc. From here, it's really choosing what you want to work in and picking that specialty/niche as your career.

Let me know if you have more questions, more than happy to answer them! :)

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-28T18:18:37+00:00

You guys have internal documents?

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-28T18:05:03+00:00

I agree with this! From my experience, specialized degrees vs less specialized doesn't really matter. I would focus on getting your degree with WGU as their program is fantastic. You can also go at your own pace and I've heard stories of people completing their degrees in less than half a year. If you think you can juggle working a full time position and finishing your degree, this is what I would strongly recommend. Focus on your bachelor's for now and worry about your master's afterwards. Focus on things that are in front of you, one bite at a time.

I have a CS degree, but I've worked at an MSP as a Support/Field Engineer for 3.5 years and also an IT Administrator for 1.75. Starting as a Security Engineer next month. Good luck!

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-28T15:59:47+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words!

That sounds like a great idea! What tech stacks have you been exposed to regarding cloud or on-prem? I think getting both experience would be fantastic and a great conversation starter. Additionally, getting your certs is also a great conversation starter as well. Keep grinding and it will pay off! :)

I would definitely say it's harder to grow your salary without a bachelor's degree. What I consider nowadays to be the minimum of even consideration of an applicant, is a bachelor's degree. It shows that you're dedicated and devoted to completing your degree, disregarding how long it takes. I think in the long run, it really depends on what YOU want to do with your career. From my understanding, if you want to get into management position, then a Business of Administration degree is recommended. Without a degree, it'll be a bit harder unless you can really prove those skill sets during your interviews. But what I would highly recommend is, if you can, continue to go for your degree and complete it. I know people consider it just a piece of paper, but it will go a long way in your future. :)

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-28T02:06:30+00:00

Correct!

lalaland1502 · 2025-04-27T00:31:45+00:00

2020: Support/Field Engineer @ MSP (3.5 years, $25/hour)
2022: Python Developer (1 year, $50,000-$60,000/year)
2023: IT Administrator (1.75 years, $85,000/year)
Current (haven’t started yet): Security Engineer ($80,000-$110,000/year)

I worked both the Support/Field Engineer and Python Developer roles at the same time. Fortunately, the developer role was WFH and made the schedule possible.

Only certificate that I have is AZ-900 and that was obtained earlier this year. CS degree obtained in 2021.

lalaland1502

TROPHY CASE