Hello everyone. I have a question

shanei

First off, many thanks for taking the time to read my post and possibly even reply with thought or advice.

I have worked in the telecom industry for the past 19 years. Anywhere from commercial network cabling (cat5, cat6, fiber, coax etc) to central office equipment installation and everything in between.
I do not have any degrees, although I have gone through a few years of college when I was younger, but I lacked the commitment and discipline really. Well next thing I know I am 40 years old doing the same thing. Well, this work is mainly contract basis and I am just getting sick of the instability. I do realize every path has its ups and downs, but contracting network installation can be extreme, or lot of traveling both of which I am done, lol!

Anyhow, I have some experience playing network admin as I have built my own "lab" or hack lab i guess you could say. self teaching basic administration skills with some basic nodes and a catalyst switch. Some linux but very basic.
The main thing is I have no doubt I can obtain whatever path I may choose. I have the want and commitment now, but I lack the $$ and time for full time student status.

I guess what I am getting at is network security/infosec always being a huge hobby/interest of mine. I am currently planning to start the ball rolling with getting several of my CompTIA + certs which I basically will go as I get the extra loot to pay for each test. For the most part I have these fundamentals down. After that I am looking at the GSEC: GIAC certification and possibly a few others and also the CEH I just found out about, of which I am super stoked lol

How does this rough plan sound and done within a reasonable timeframe over the next 2-3 years...what is my realistic options with me getting into my 40's and breaking into "real" IT field? lol
Yeah, turning 40 has freaked me out indeed...i mean I was just 21 man! lol
anyhow, I know this field is packed with the younger crowd but I do not lack the drive. Back in the days of dial up and such I was getting my feet wet in infosec, defcon conferences, hohocon conferences etc....but I drifted lol

anyhow, again...thank you for any input as its greatly appreciated as it can get a bit overwhelming in which direction to go. I just know, or think info sec is such a young field and will only grow massively in the coming years

shanei

I apologize for any rambling and such...cant sleep, been out of work for a few months and going nuts not being able to make things happen quick enough!
patience is a virtue i need to acquire off the bat!

Oh, and of course CCNA or the likes will be tossed in there of course

Jon_Cisco

Well I am 42 and looking to switch fields. There is age bias everywhere but it should not hurt you much as you still have 20+ years of work to go. I think you can leverage your experience installing and try to land something that lets you touch the equipment more. The main issue is going to be pay. Often to get started you need to take whatever option comes your way. After that it's all up to you. Prove you can do it and you will find your path.

I would look for something like help desk at companies that do networking. Your current skills might allow you to learn troubleshooting pretty quickly and might make you useful in other parts of the company once they get to know you. If you can find someone that wants to use your for the occasional cabling job and train you for other areas of IT you might both benefit from the arrangement.

Priston

I think you should just start applying for jobs and go for the CCNA. If there are data centers in your area, with your background in cabling, I'm sure you could land a data center tech position and work your way up within the company.

Betrayal

You can switch fields within a month or two if you are dedicated meaning you spend multiple hours each day hardcore studying, acing certification exams, and rote memorization ontop of your current job and then you spend the next month or two hardcore applying for IT jobs even if it's entry level. But that's only if you're highly motivated and serious about accomplishing your goals in the fast lane.

What you want is to do this in the slow lane and wait 2-3 years of slow studying before you bust into IT. Of course, this can be done. But it will be a long and boring path. The fast lane means that you work harder now and get where you want sooner.

shanei

Major thanks for all the input!

I obviously would rather faster than slower and I am definitely motivated.
As I said earlier, I am currently in between contracts....so things are tight. But I am using all the free resources I can get ahold of such as the library and many sites online. Also tinkering with a little Ubuntu web server i made with arduino. But I need to learn focus and put a plan of attack together for sure. I have had a few data center interviews this week. I am in phoenix, az so we have tons of data centers. Unfortunately the job I was really really shooting for and damn, even wore a tie to the interview:D was at ebays data center here in town. The benefits, the work itself...just everything sounded like heaven to me! Whats normal for most, I have been without for a long while and was really gunning for it. The difference the $$ and my looking fwd to going to work everyday would be a huge positive impact on myself and my family and also a stable schedule in town would have allowed me to progress quickly in my certs eventually increasing my marketability. But alas, they said they admired my enthusiasm, motivation etc but thought the position was a bit senior for me. It really befuddled me as it was basic rack and stack, troubleshooting and cable management/housekeeping amongst other duties. I just really need to work on my interview skills and my self confidence as I think that shows as in this case.

Please excuse my horrible typing as it is NYE and well...i am relaxing tonight and being somewhat lazy in my editing lol

Happy 2015 to all, and again thank you!! Soooo happy I found you guys, someone to shop and help me along my way!