Advice on Direction

Hello fellow members! I am struggling with a few things and I come to you folks for advice.

A little background. Recently I have finished my 2 yr degree and I currently hold A+, Net+, and Sec+. I feel as though I am at a point where I need to move past entry level certs and begin to work toward mid to professional level certifications. I do not think I will be going back to school to obtain my 4 yr degree soon but I understand my learning\growth can't stop here.

What I have been struggling with is deciding what my next steps are. I am currently working full-time in what is probably a junior level info sec job. I know that my skills need to grow but I am struggling on what direction to take. Should I begin working on CCNA R&S, or work towards CSA+\CEH\SSCP or some other certification. I don't know if I am just getting my bearings after working for 3 years on my degree or what.

Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated.

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mzx380

CyberSec_Indy wrote: »

Hello fellow members! I am struggling with a few things and I come to you folks for advice.

A little background. Recently I have finished my 2 yr degree and I currently hold A+, Net+, and Sec+. I feel as though I am at a point where I need to move past entry level certs and begin to work toward mid to professional level certifications. I do not think I will be going back to school to obtain my 4 yr degree soon but I understand my learning\growth can't stop here.

What I have been struggling with is deciding what my next steps are. I am currently working full-time in what is probably a junior level info sec job. I know that my skills need to grow but I am struggling on what direction to take. Should I begin working on CCNA R&S, or work towards CSA+\CEH\SSCP or some other certification. I don't know if I am just getting my bearings after working for 3 years on my degree or what.

Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated.

I think your situation calls for a little introspection. First, you should determine what it is you want to do. Do you want to pursue a career in CS? Or do you want to move more towards networking with a CCNA? I'm going to assume sec. since you predeominantly have other security certs listed. If that is the case, what area of CS do you want to be in? Once you target that and level up your cert game, try and grab as many security tasks as possible in your current role and highlight that in your resume to land a more senior position.

scaredoftests

I agree...what do YOU want to do?

stryder144

I would recommend that you schedule a meeting with your manager in order to see where s/he thinks you should go with your certifications. If that is not feasible, then look at the technologies that you touch on a daily basis to help you determine what is next. If your job entails building profiles in AD, then consider an MCSA in the version of Windows Server you use. If it is securing networks, then start with the CCNA: R&S or JNCIA: Junos exams. After that, I would throw in a CySA+, CCNA: Cyber Ops, and/or Cybersec First Responder certification (or three). After those, consider the PenTest+, CEH, or other red/red-ish team certs to round out your knowledge. Later on, I would then recommend getting CASP or CISSP.

CyberSec_Indy

Wanted to say thank you to the folks that have replied. It would appear I need to do some self-reflection and decide what it is I want to focus on. Which is honestly somewhat the response I expected. I am going to take the weekend and do some research on the network side of info sec.

yoba222

If I were in your education, cert, and experience position, I'd consider finding a job that would pay for the bachelors degree and focus on getting those courses out of the way. I think a free/heavily discounted degree could provide more ROI in your situation.