Support Engineer

Hey guys I recently finished my resume and started sending it out. I am close to graduating from school with my Bachelor's in Cyber Security. I need something part time until I finish school in march. Recently I've seen a full time posting for a Support Engineer which has peaked my interest. Even though my specialization is Security I really need the experience. I'd just like some advice because most of these job postings want 3+ years of experience with IP/LAN technologies and I think it might be my best bet to get my foot in the door with some IT experience. Even though it is a full time position I would still like to apply and see if they could take me on part time. Would a $40k starting salary for this job be to much or to little? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Vask3n

Before I give the longer explanation let me sum this up:

40k a year is not actually 40k a year. Much like any any job, you will be taxed and will be making much less than your salary amount. The only exception to this is if you work somewhere that offers absolutely 0 benefits and does not tax you, in which case you will be making your full salary.

The first thing I would say is that you are correct in looking for some engineering positions before starting security. Many security positions will require previous experience (not necessarily in security, but even better if so), and this previous experience can be another IT engineering position as long as you keep your security knowledge sharp and try to do some security-related work in that engineering position.

As far as the salary goes, I can tell you that when I finished college my first position was right around ~45k doing a sysadmin role and it was basically really difficult to pay for loans, commuting, and food with that salary. Fortunately I stuck it through and now am in the position that I wanted (Security Analyst) and am making closer to the salary I want.

I would apply for the job and wait to hear back, but when it comes to negotiation just remember that 40k is not actually 40k, and I would negotiate higher if you have the knowledge and capacity to perform the job.

Drethyl

Vask,

I love talking to you, you are so well informed thanks. I'm studying right now for my security + cert but since I have a little less than 7 months to go on my Bachelor's I want to try and get my foot in the door somewhere just part time. More importantly since I don't have it experience minus what I have from sales in electronics I would really like to get a job where I can learn from others and find out how they do their day to day routines. Using VMware in school and actually setting up networks is one thing but in the real world application it's much more serious. I make about 18k a year now part time but no matter what interviews I sit down for I will always ask for more. Unfortunately due to classes right now I can't really give a full 40 hours for an internship just a part time job. What makes me happy is seeing all the jobs that are available and how more pop up everyday.

Vask3n

By the way, also meant to say congrats on finishing your degree soon

Drethyl

Vask3n wrote: »

By the way, also meant to say congrats on finishing your degree soon

Thanks bud it hasn't been easy.

aderon

Look for technical support engineer positions for security companies supporting their enterprise products (fireeye, mcafee, symantec, etc, etc). Easiest way to get your foot in the door, gets you relevant experience, and they'd serve as a great stepping stone into a career in security.

Drethyl

Aderon,

I just had an interview for a hardware company that needed me to use exel to document their inventory list as well as build a facebook page and webpage. Although the pay was ok $15 an hour it's not something I think will help me experience wise in the long haul. I'm looking to get my foot in the door with security as that is my major. However I feel that experience even if it is doing excel is still experience. I'll keep my eye out for enterprise products.

Xavor

Location? No idea on salary without knowing the city.

Look into internships as they tend to hire after you graduate. Also, expect to be required to complete some certifications such as Security+.

aderon

Yeah I think it's heavily dependent on the particular posting too. "Support Engineer" is such a broad title that it really could mean so many different things depending on the company. But, as a general rule, an enterprise security solution for a 500+ user business is going to be a lot more complex than say an anti-virus someone got for free with their new laptop.

It might even be worth searching for technical support engineer positions along with a specific type of technology or product you'd like to work with so that way you know the job is a good fit for what you want. i.e.:

"Technical Support Engineer" + IDS
or
"Technical Support" + "Enterprise Security"
http://www.simplyhired.com/search?q=%22technical+support%22+%22enterprise+security%22

Just throwing some ideas out there. I'm sure, you'll come up with plenty more. Good luck in your search by the way!

Drethyl

Thanks for the input guys. My location is Rhode Island, so I'm looking for things in that general area. I'm studying now for my Security + and I think next I'll do my CCNA.