olaHalo wrote: » Where in NC are you? I recently moved out here
Mooseboost wrote: » It always seems that our career progressions are a combination of hard work, perseverance, and luck. As part of that, we must make sacrafices to better ourselves. Sometimes this means less time with our family, taking positions just for the experience, and sometimes giving a little bit of our health to move forward. I made the shift to security from networking close to two years ago. Before that I worked in a NOC as a network technician for a small ISP. Back in those days, I was making under 25K a year. I want to persue a higher career and so I made my way up, trying to obtain a new skill set with each position to help me move up to my next one. My first dedicated security position came earlier this year. Prior to this I was a jack-of-all trades engineer. My engineering experience coupled with a passion for security has served me well. Earlier this month I was promoted to a senior position within the same company. With this came a significant pay increase and will serve as a major catalyst for my career. When I first started looking at my long term career goals, I wanted to be making six figures before my 30s. With this new position, I have achieved my goal. At 26 I am now making 115K a year. While it just barely over my long term goal, I have achieved it early. Now, I know that this pay in a senior position is not uncommon with large companies. But this milestone means so much to me. Out of my family (3 brothers, one sister) - I am the only high school graduate. I do not have a college degree. No one else in my family even sees over 30K. I come from a family of small town factory workers. I never imagined that this was something that was even possible. In fact, I still sometimes expect to wake up and find this was a dream. Some of the biggest advice I can give to people out there is to work for it. I don't mean study for a cert here or there - I mean push hard. I did not get here without a lot sacrafices. My commute is an hour and a half one way (this will do down when my husband finds a job down where I work) and for the last two years the majority of my free time has been spent studying and trying to better myself. For anyone curious or who wants any advice, I will be more than happy to give it. I won't say that any of whatI have to say is the best but I want to see others succeed. Hell, I want them to do even better than me. I owe a lot of where I am to the community here. You guys have helped me study and keep motivated when I was burning out. I love all of you guys. This is a great community.
