Looking for a path recommendation for my current situation.

Kezekan

Hello all. I've been a WGU student for about a year now, and have completed roughly 50% of my degree (B.S. IT security) during that time. I was working two jobs at first, one technical and one non-technical. I ended up quitting the technical job because I was working remote and having a lot of local internet issues. Also... time.

I'm wanting to eventually work in networking/ cybersecurity in a serious role. Right now I'm at a point where I really need to start getting more experience for that to happen, as my "qualifications" (degree, certs) are quickly passing up any relevant experience I have. That being said, I'm not entirely sure what type of job I should be searching for at this point in my career to best help get me where I want to be. I currently have A+ and Net+, and am going to be testing for Linux+ in a couple of weeks. CCENT will be within a few months of that, with CCNA right behind it. As far as experience, I have about 3 years of total experience working in IT, with about 6 months of that having anything to do directly with network support of any kind. Every job I've had thus far has been entry level.

Working remote would be ideal. I'm in the process of relocating to DFW, but it would be great to have my next job before that happens as my current vehicle is pretty run down and I'm about 2 hours from DFW where I currently live. If not, I can get a physical job. I mostly just want to do whatever is going to best push my career forward at this point.

Right now I'm completely on the fence about what I'm even looking for, but here's a basic overview of what I'm trying to decide between:

Entry NOC (Seems a bit out of my league until I get CCNA)
Jr. Network Admin
Cable Tech
Entry Linux Admin (Really like the idea of this but not sure if I'm qualified with just a Linux+. Also don't know if it helps networking career that much.)
Level 2/3 desktop support for some call center
System Admin

Within the last 6 months I've had at least one call about all of the above with the exception of Linux related jobs, as that's something I'm just now getting my cert for and listing on my resume. Also I've only had one call about a NOC job, so I think that may have just been a recruiter calling everyone he could get his hands on.

I really don't care what job I do at the moment. I mostly just want whatever is going to give me the best experience for my resume, and I'd prefer something I could do remote, but as I said that's not critical. Another thing to note is that if I picked up another remote job, I would just get two internet connections so that connectivity wouldn't be an issue this time around. Thoughts on what I should be looking for? Thanks in advance!

McxRisley

If you are wanting to get into cybersecurity then you need to start working on Security + as that is an industry standard for getting your foot in the door in the cybersecurity world. Also, idk if your located in the US or not but having as little experience as you do and the types of jobs you are looking for, remote work is less likely than winning the lottery for you lol. Remote jobs are HIGHLY contested and usually require a lot of experience because employers want someone in those roles that can work on their own and not have a lot of issues.

koz24

I'd try to get the CCNA done as soon as possible and then I would look for NOC/Jr. Network Admin roles. The titles don't mean much because there isn't a standard as you go from one company to another. For example a Jr Network Admin at one place may have more technical responsibilities than a NOC at another, and vice versa. You have to look at the job responsibilities and really interview them to find out what the job is about.

aderon

Entry NOC (Seems a bit out of my league until I get CCNA)
I feel like you could probably land this. I was able to jump directly into a tier 2 NOC role without a CCNA and roughly the same amount of experience as you. Depends on you experience/knowledge, but I think you could at least land a few interviews and then it's just up to you to imprss them

Jr. Network Admin
I'd say this is about on-par with landing a NOC position. Maybe a tad harder to get because it probably involves actual config changes. A lot of NOCs are only show commands and triaging.


Cable Tech
I'd recommend not doing this. The experience won't help you in the long run compared to the other positions you've listed. I feel like you'd get this without issue if you wanted to.


Entry Linux Admin (Really like the idea of this but not sure if I'm qualified with just a Linux+. Also don't know if it helps networking career that much.)
I don't think you'll get this without some experience. This can sort of be one of those chicken before the egg things. It's hard to get the entry level jobs without the experience and you can't get the experience without the entry level jobs. If you really want to go down this route I'd suggest getting an RHCSA, it should open some entry level doors for you.


Level 2/3 desktop support for some call center
Depends on the call type, but you could probably land this if the product isn't super complex. I.E., if you're supporting like an accounting software product, you could probably get this. If you're supporting a Cisco product, or.... Palo Alto Networks, or something of that sort, you won't come in at tier 2, and maybe not even tier 1 (Until you get your bachelors).


System Admin
Depends on what your background is in. If you've got a heavily focused sys admin or desktop support background, then I could see you getting this. Otherwise, I don't see it happening unless it's an entry/junior position.