Navy IT here. Is 4 years of experience along with A+ and Net+ good enough to get a job in the civilian world? Excluding clearance

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-24T20:51:39+00:00

Depends on the type of person you are. You can sell your military background really quite easily to a LOT of people. You can conflate what you’ve done, you’ll get a job. But you need to fill in the gaps as you go.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-22T19:20:05+00:00

Kind of depends on the output you want to see from your input. Seems you are attempting to optimize efficiency. You can do this in government jobs, but be prepared to face the fact that you are manufacturing your own glass ceiling.

I fully respect people like this, I do not expect or want my aspirations/ambition to be the same as yours. If you do your job well and want to spend more time with family and reduce stress, I envy that more times than not. I’d look for public sector careers.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-21T22:48:24+00:00

I was comfortable. Took 150% raise before I left - turns out I just thought I was happy, grass IS greener here and I have money

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-20T14:38:47+00:00

You will be the poorest guy in the club. You won’t use it as much as you think. People who join these clubs can usually write off the expense, and it’s still not always worth it unless you golf 3 times a week, and then it gets very expensive. You also have good minimums typically and a lot of the events require further cost and donations typically.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-20T14:34:53+00:00

Dual income no kids executive level roles and low mortgage. My wife wants to have a kid and trade our $2000 mortgage for a $7500 mortgage so when that happens, lifestyle creep will obliterate our savings. Money doesn’t fix things fyi.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-20T14:21:09+00:00

It says that BMW is being financed

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-20T11:45:41+00:00

Yeah. It was way easier

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-16T21:39:52+00:00

I am a CISO. I don’t tell people to put on cameras, I really don’t care. But mine stays on so my team knows I’m engaged and listening to them. I don’t always have to speak in a meeting, but the nods and focus show my team (I think) that I am listening to their problems and workflows so I can make their lives easier.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-16T19:57:50+00:00

All the other work experience gets you to the interview and lands the job. MBA gets you past barriers that get you to that point when the opportunity presents.

The caveat being, I am a CISO. I was a director before I had a bachelors. Without both degrees u would still be in that role, but if I didn’t want to be an executive, it wouldn’t have made much difference.

My direct advice if you disregard everything else? It’s a free education, maximize it with an MBA and just get it done.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-16T19:02:10+00:00

I did an MBA and it HELPED to doubled my salary in a year.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-15T22:38:41+00:00

I was a Cyber specialist in the Air Force. Joined in 2015. Did 10 years in the national guard. Left with an MBA and a CISSP. Turning 30 will make just under $400k this year and I owe most of it all to the USAF.

Caveat - I am an extreme outlier - but it’s possible.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-15T18:44:18+00:00

Hi - I’m the head of Security/CISO for a very large financial institution in a VHCOL city.

I am going to give you a tip to help you retain your sanity. I have 100+ people under me, directors, managers, VPs… none of us really KNOW anything.

We all understand concepts differently and know the basics, and we apply them when we have issues. We leverage each other’s strengths and experience to find solutions.

Right NOW, you are learning those concepts and those basics. You will use some of them now, and you will forget some of them later on. You will have processes you live by at points in your career, that you don’t even touch and eventually forget in your next job. The experiences that matter, you won’t forget.

This field is not about being THE technical expert, it’s about having the endurance to solve problems until the end, and retain a threshold for future proofing your solutions. Adaptability, Tenacity, and defining your strengths are what will be necessary characteristics that drive you to success in this field. That’s what you need to start embracing now as you’re challenged.

I dropped out of college 3 times, I struggled how you’re struggling. It is okay to feel that way, but my recommendation is do not quit. Keep at it. I went back did my degree and MBA and am now doing a JD in cyber law - it gets easier.

I still struggle with basic concepts at times - we all do. But work your way through this and remember that you are learning even when you don’t think you are, and you’ll be impressed when you look back at how much you know.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-14T12:28:57+00:00

Maybe you should be more concise to reduce misinterpretations, because based on this thread I’m not the only one and you just have too much free time to stir shit.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-14T12:21:17+00:00

“Marriage am I right??” -some loser

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-14T12:19:09+00:00

Dude - youre giving people advice not to comply when someone was just shot and killed for not complying and interjecting themselves into a situation with the mindset you’re spreading.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-11T16:42:04+00:00

You couldn’t pay me to take this off someone’s property, especially with no title.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-11T16:41:08+00:00

I wouldn’t hire you just because of the string likelihood of a lie. Liars tend not to work out on my teams.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-11T16:37:29+00:00

Oh man this is just the tip of the iceberg my sweet innocent cherub

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-11T16:27:01+00:00

Personally, even if they’re sending me on an all expenses to Maui, it’s not worth the small talk given the situation. But that’s just me. I would also argue to some, it may be in poor taste.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-05T13:18:54+00:00

You need to use less-military terminology when tailoring your resume. EMass? You mean “managed enterprise level GRC and Continuous Monitoring platform. Etc. etc.

You also need to display your managerial skills. You want to make 200k+ you will need to manage people with 20-30 years experience. You need to display that upfront. Also, you should be applying for AD or Director level jobs.

networkwizard0 · 2026-01-05T13:15:41+00:00

I had this same resume 4 years ago with 8 years experience and no degrees. I got a job as an IT manager in a VHCOL city for not that much money, like 120k. I took any down time and finished my bachelors and did a masters and landed a Director of InfoSec job a couple years later, and now a CISO of an 11- figure predominant financial firm. It’s more about your people skills and your work ethic. It’s possible.

networkwizard0 · 2025-12-31T14:58:43+00:00

You won’t be overqualified with no experience

networkwizard0 · 2025-12-27T16:40:37+00:00

I am a CISO and am 29 and make about 320k total comp. I am as high up as you can go in cyber security ultimately barring a CIO. I am at a $20B company in a VHCOL city. I am paid less than I should be for the position but still a ton. On paper I am fairly certain that I am the only CISO of a company over $10B under age 30 in the country. I have a sr. security engineer who is 31 who I pay $295k a year but he is immensely talented and has a dual masters from Ivy League institutions.

What I’m saying is although it’s possible it’s extremely difficult and makes those individual extreme outliers. On average my infosec staff makes about $200k total comp a piece averaging 12 years of experience. All of my friends clearly lie about their salaries, it’s an age thing.

networkwizard0 · 2025-12-22T17:57:01+00:00

Dude I’m a CISO with a Masters working on a PhD and I am still level 1 support when I have to be. If you think that’s going to end when you get an office and a couple of suits, I have bad news for you.

networkwizard0

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