ENTRY LEVEL Securities

romeo1808

Hey guys, i've just started my path into securities and was wondering what certifications would be handy for entry level, who has no experience. I'm taking my Comptia Network + exam in a couple days, and I'm moving onto Comptia Security +, also my post grad is a program at my local college in Information security Management. What would be another good certification that would be beneficial to get into the market, with 0 experience. Thank you so much for your help in advance.

broli720

Do a quick search on the forums. There are plenty of threads with this info to get you started. Good luck!

romeo1808

Thank you!

sferg410

I am not an expert, in the same place as you and in the UK. I am doing my A+ which is bought and paid for and was going to do the same as you with network+ and security+ but after some research and posting on here I have changed my mind. CompTIA it appears is seriously over-rated and very seriously over-priced.
Instead I am going to go straight onto Cisco CCNA (CCNET first) that way I will learn about as much as the network+ without wasting my time and money studying specifically for it when it is not really regarded that highly by employers. I will however study a network+ textbook/videos to fill any general gaps.
Same goes for security, upon gaining a CCNA I will study for the one extra exam to get CCNA Security as well as CCNA R/S and again will take a look at security+ textbook etc.
This way I feel I will be a lot better trained sooner and more employable. IMO skip the CompTIA stuff, just over-priced and not worth the cost.

romeo1808

Thank you, I'm already doing Network + in the next week and bought my voucher. i've been informed in NA that Security + is an industry standard, but just not sure where to head after that. My fear with CCNA and CCNA securities is the renewal every 3 years.
NVM
comptia expires in 3 years also. AHHHHHH wish i knew that before!

sferg410

Not sure if this is right but CompTIA stuff has to be renewed or upgraded every 3 years also now.
As for Security+ being an industry standard, I think that is just for government positions and Cisco Security is also accepted now by DOD in the UK, don't know where you are located.
Google "is security+ worth it?" that is where i found a lot of confusing answers lol

Justin-

Certified Ethical Hacker.

maakshif

There are not really that many entry-level security jobs out there. Typically to get into security you need to have at least a few years of experience in IT and you need to have a pretty good grasp of different areas of IT. There is typically a vast difference in what you are learning in your college classes and the way the real world of IT actually is, so experience is a pretty big deal in IT. If I were in your shoes, I would stop with the Network+ and not go after any other certifications until you have gotten 1-2 years, or a little more, of experience under your belt. Security+ is seen by many employers as a little more than entry-level and expect a pretty good bit of knowledge and experience to go along with it. Also, certifications are generally gotten to complement knowledge and experience you already have and getting certifications with no experience to go with them is looked down upon by the majority of employers. Having them on your resume might get them through the initial HR/computer scan, but once they hand the resumes over to the IT people making the decision on who to bring in for interviews, lots of certs with no experience will get it tossed out pretty quickly.

Based on a quick glance through of your posts I'd say you need to find somewhere and get some experience above all else. Also, be prepared that getting a Master's Degree (assuming that is the post grad degree you are getting) will put you more into management roles, which again require a good bit of experience generally. That isn't always the case depending on the degree, but in general that is the path Master's degrees take people, especially IT Management degrees as that is the primary focus of those degrees. You aren't going to be doing a lot of technical IT work with that degree. Based on my research that I did when trying to find the Master's program I am going to pursue and proofing papers for my IT director as he went through his IT Management degree you are basically getting a business degree for IT.

Without experience to go with the certs and your degrees you're more than likely setting yourself up to be working for many many years before you even begin to get the ROI for that post grad degree. This may not be an option for you, but my honest advice and opinion is to not go for the post grad just yet and find a job to get a couple of years experience and begin working your way up the IT ladder a bit. After gaining some experience and figuring out what areas of IT you really enjoy then think about going back for your post grad and you will have a better idea of what you want to concentrate on. You might find that once you get into IT and you work in the security side a little that you don't like it as much as you think you do right now.

Hope that helps you some and gives you some things to consider going forward. Good luck!

romeo1808

Justin- wrote: »

Certified Ethical Hacker.

Certified Ehitcal Hacker I read somewhere needs 1 - 2 years of experience.

romeo1808

Thank you so much, I appreciate the reply and insight. The post grad is just a 1 year information security management certification, that i've already paid a good portion of. All the jobs i see say some sort of experience, hence the push for certifications. Any suggestions on how to get experience without any previous experience. I have a sales engineer buddy that I can shadow that is in securities but I don't think that'll give me much since he does the business aspect. I'm just so lost Ahhh..

maakshif

romeo1808 wrote: »

Thank you so much, I appreciate the reply and insight. The post grad is just a 1 year information security management certification, that i've already paid a good portion of. All the jobs i see say some sort of experience, hence the push for certifications. Any suggestions on how to get experience without any previous experience. I have a sales engineer buddy that I can shadow that is in securities but I don't think that'll give me much since he does the business aspect. I'm just so lost Ahhh..

Certifications don't trump experience and like I stated above can actually be a negative without having experience. I should have also stated this above, but the A+ and Network+ are the exceptions to that, as they are typically looked at as entry-level certs and will give you a bit of an edge when going for those first jobs even with little to no experience.

Don't look for entry-level security jobs, you are going to be extremely hard pressed to find them without experience being required. Look for Help Desk type jobs, talk to your college and see if they have any openings, ask your friend if he can get you in with IT at his business, even if it is just to shadow some of the technicians there, call businesses in your area and ask to speak with an IT manager and see if they could help you out. The main thing you are going to have to do is start out in Tier 1 help desk no matter what so you can learn what really goes on in IT in the real world, gain some experience, and start getting your feet wet in IT.

Don't stress too much, the majority of us started out in your shoes and can relate to the lost feelings you have. Heck, I've been in IT for years and I'm somewhat in that same position now as I'm trying to move from server/network administration over to the pentesting/ethical hacking side of things and in my area IT is just not that prevalent, so I'm stressing trying to figure out my next moves while balancing a full-time job, family, and school. I'm working now to finish up my Bachelor's and moving right into a Master's program along with trying to get some other experience aimed at my career goals in pentesting. I'm also researching and planning now, what certifications I would like to pursue in the next year or two as I make the transition and gain that experience. So on the bright side, you are definitely headed in the right direction. I think you just need to slow down a bit and realize that you can't just jump right into the deep end of IT and it will take a little time to get where you want to be, but you still have to "pay your dues" and start at or near the bottom and work your way up.

Don't jump in too much with the certifications just yet, but keep researching them and lay out a career path you think you want to take and list some certifications that go along with each step. CompTIA has a certification career roadmap if you go to CompTIA IT Certifications and Exams - Home and open up the "Explore Careers" box. Also, keep reading on this site about all the different certifications. Read the reviews members have written about, read the questions others are asking and the responses they get. Go to the websites for the different certifications and read what the companies themselves are saying and also read the exam objectives to see what kinds of things you need to research and learn, not only as you prepare for the different certifications, but also as you move through your career. If you do create your own career roadmap, keep it dynamic and be prepared to change it as you gain experience and move up in IT. The field is constantly changing and there are always new and emerging aspects that will grab your attention and if IT is the right field for you, after some time in the field you will find that aspect of IT that you just absolutely fall in love with and want to pursue for the rest of your career.

romeo1808

Thank you, you've been alot of help! I appreciate the time you've spent on your responses. I'll stop at security +, and start finding jobs, maybe even a part time job at my college where i'm doing my certification to get some hands on experience. I hope things work out for you too, I'm lucky in that i'm not juggling a family at this time, nor a gf, so it gives me time to focus more on my career. You are right, I'm the type of person who likes to jump into the deep end and just get things going, and i need to stop and take a breather.