HelpDesk First?

LsxWeaponX

Hello again, posted on here a couple of months ago. Air Force guy getting out in Nov. Terminal leave in Sept. I was wondering with 0 work exp in the IT field, should I just look for helpdesk jobs. I'll be going to UMD with enough credits to be a sophomore. The location is on purpose & I have a few friends out there (More is definitely welcomed). Will be testing for my CCNA next month. I ultimately want to be in the Cyber Security field (Air Force won't let me leave career field). If anyones in the DMV with some insight email me. Most definitely willing to start at the very bottom to get where I want to.

Russ5813

You should have developed your soft skills while in the military, so be sure to use that to your advantage. Sell those skills on your resume. It’s much easier to teach someone the technical stuff than it is to teach them professionalism and leadership. Having a clearance is also a nice check in the box for government work/contracting. Nothing wrong with starting at help desk—it’s a foot in the door and not only will you gain the technical experience, it’ll help you understand ITSM and how it’s applied within your environment.

With a CCNA, you might find a job as a network tech somewhere, but I’m not familiar with the job market in that area. Checking out the trendy IT jobs in the area and the education/certs/experience they require is a good way to get a lay of the land.

If you’re not opposed to continuing your military service, consider the Air Guard. They’ll train you up as long as you have the ASVAB scores and are eligible for a clearance (I’m actually going through this process now—prior service MP). Note that this applies for most ANG IT jobs, but cyber security is a bit more selective.

LsxWeaponX

I do have a clearance. The purpose of the CCNA was to learn the fundamentals of a network. I chose cisco because it seemed to be much more popular & useful than a generic Network+ . Another poster here mentioned getting the CEH at this point in my life. Cyber Security/analyst is the goal. I'll look into the ANG option. I'm on this forum daily, thought I'd ask for some good opinions on what I should do. Work ethic is there & I'm I know what I want.