I'm Unemployed Again- Is this cert track doable?

I've been fired from most of my IT jobs and I think it's a combination of both working for crappy companies and my lack of skills/not meeting their expectations. I managed to find one stable job for five years, despite graduating with a degree in information systems in 2012 and working in IT ever since.
Here's a little history:
2012- Graduated college with no real IT network or certifications. It took me a year to find any job in IT. I only found out about IT certs in 2017, but held off on taking them b/c I hate tests, thought I would get the exp I wanted in the real world, and had no real idea on which ones to take.
2012-2013- Took various IT gigs that didn't go anywhere. One was PHP internship, one was a shipping/receiving clerk which was also an IT assistant.
2013- took IT assistant role at small furniture company where the manager gave me a shot to modernize their systems and update their computers/website. Once I did that and offered larger projects to streamline their infrastructure they backed off and replaced me with a cousin 9 months later.
2014- Took job at a small startup in Boston where I was QA and technical projects analyst. They hired me for a three month contract and decided not to renew it.
2014-2019- Got a job at a toxic non-profit here in NJ that always cut corners because they had no money and didn't care at all about technology. I was able to do what I wanted for the most part as long as issues were resolved and computers were updated. In those 5 years I (thought I) learned a lot and automated everything and got vendors to take care of the rest, by 2016 I promoted myself to sysadmin but I was getting bored so I tried applying for other jobs to no avail.
2019- took a job at an MSP, yes I heard the horror stories, but figured it wasn't all that bad and that I could make it work. I figured I could restart my career here. I was hired as a level II technician, but they never saw me as a level II and never really gave me a chance to prove myself. They didn't want me to reset servers, and by the end they had me building desks and I heard of talk of cleaning windows before they just fired me. They obviously didn't want me to "learn on the job," and I was fired in two months.
This all has led me to really think about if I want to stay in this career and I do. I want to advance to the next level and I never really had a path laid out to me, but I understand it's not common to have that in this industry. So I'm going to take this period of unemployment and to take some certs while working or not. I have some money saved up, not enough to get all the certs I want, but enough to make some inroads into the infosec/cybersecurity industry which is what I'm really the most interested in at this point. I'd love to be a IT Auditor. So my timeline for the certs are as follows:
A+ 1001- scheduled for Jan 14.
A+ 1002- 1 week later
Net+- Mid/End of Feb
Maybe Get Azure Administrator in between these
Sec+- Mid March
I could swap Net and Sec.
CASP- End of April
I've been studying for the A+ for 8 hours a day, I know it's the easiest one, but I'm not really a great test taker and never studied for anything this hard in school. In this time I'm also on planning on learning some type of programming language, SQL, C+, or python. Since that's always missing on my resume. Probably python because I know powershell a bit. Although I did take a class in C+.
If all goes well, AWS and Salesforce as well as Redhat will be on the horizon.
Comments
How long can your savings hold up while you study?
I did quite a bit of research into certs to see which held the greatest value and a provided a better wage and I continuously saw CCNA come up. I don't think as many job offers are going to be there because you have CASP as apposed to CCNA.
I would say that studying to get a cert takes a lot more time than you think it might take. I think others would agree
What's the motivation for learning AWS or Azure? Are you looking at it from a security perspective, or to maybe be a cloud engineer?
I would definitely skip over the A+, Net+, I had them and they had zero benefit for me in looking for jobs. I know you mentioned interest in IT auditing, I would research that and look for certs that pertain to that, I believe the CISA is one of them. Honestly you’d stand to gain so much more from pursuing a CCNA, azure/aws cert coupled with your degree and experience you have, the cloud is huge and that’s where a lot of the jobs are going and they’re pretty stable too. This forum has many resources, take a little time to look at the various cert sections
Goals: CCNP Enterprise(ENCOR + ENARSI), AWS CSA - Associate, Azure AZ-104, Become better at python, learn docker and kubernetes
Degree: A.S. Network Administration
Pursuing: B.S. in I.T. Web and Mobile Development Concentration
Thanks!
Security+, eJPT, CySA+, PenTest+,
Cisco CyberOps, GCIH, VHL,
In progress: OSCP
ICP-FDO ▪ CISSP ▪ ECES ▪ CHFI ▪ CNDA ▪ CEH ▪ MCSA/MCITP ▪ MCTS ▪ S+
2020 Level Up Goals: (1) DevSecOps Learning Path (2) OSCP
I am not sure I've ever seen that certification track recommended before, ever.
I am sure the job/degree requirements for CISA and the experience requirements for CISSP also must be taken into consideration.
MSP to CISSP would really turns some heads on whoever reads the resume LOL
I am confused.
Security Engineer/Analyst/Geek, Red & Blue Teams
OSCP, GCFA, GWAPT, CISSP, OSWP, AWS SA-A, AWS Security, Sec+, Linux+, CCNA Cyber Ops, CCSK
2021 goals: maybe AWAE or SLAE, bunch o' courses and red team labs?
The five year job was at a non-profit. I wore a lot of hats and did a lot for their IT. I always talk about how I changed processes from focusing on more field work to taking everything and focusing on remote support. I generally describe how techs used to have to go out into the field to install programs and updates and how I used available software or freeware to change that. On my resume I list something similar to the following bullet points for that place:
· Set up new laptops and desktops
· Lead technician for EMR rollout, which included training doctors/staff on how to use the new systems, dictation software, and signature pad
Large/good companies or well known brands have never bit at my resume despite frequent rewrites, advice, and networking. I always seem to be missing one or two different things at each job posting whether it be programming, databases, or some type of platform I've never used like salesforce or servicenow. I know I'm qualified for these positions because I get to third round interviews whenever someone does bite. I have a sneaking suspicion that part of the reason why I am easily passed over after interviews is that this has to do with my appearance/voice as I was born with a cleft palate. I'm pretty shy at first and speak softly, but once I get into a company I can interact with everyone like they are my family or friends. I treat everyone equally, but it's hard to show that in first impressions. I've had similar issues while dating.
Thank you again for your post.
look, I understand where you’re coming from especially from the superficial judgement and discrimination based on what they consider to be offputting whether it is a disability or physical appearance. I’m deaf and I have no problem getting past HR, but once it gets to the actual IT interviewer that’s where it all falls apart once they realize I’m deaf. Never mind my experience, never mind my ability to answer questions about X technology. I’ve had years of speech therapy and almost sound like a hearing person but I have an accent that has more often than not generated odd looks at me like I have a slight mental deficiency or something. They’ll often wrap it up by a generic HR email after the interview stating it came down to me and one other guy and he had just a little more experience than I did. I really do feel swept under the rug despite that I’m qualified. I really long for the chance to prove myself. But all I can do is keep working and trying.
Even my current boss and coworkers talk to me differently, not just pronouncing their words and making sure i understand them, but almost in a condescending tone when it comes to critical business discussions or IT functions. Like I’ve already proven to them that I can do it all, and with efficiency and yet they feel the need to repeat themselves 3-4 times even after I’ve verbally acknowledged that I understood what they said. There was one instance that really pissed me off was when my boss introduced me to a new coworker and he proceeded to intentionally start talking really fast to the coworker to where I couldn’t understand him and then turned back to me and said “right? You cant understand me if I talk like that?” Yes I would go to HR, but we have none as it’s a small business. So the only thing I can do is just get more certs and keep applying.
Goals: CCNP Enterprise(ENCOR + ENARSI), AWS CSA - Associate, Azure AZ-104, Become better at python, learn docker and kubernetes
Degree: A.S. Network Administration
Pursuing: B.S. in I.T. Web and Mobile Development Concentration
Hey at least HR isn't the boss' wife like it was for me at the MSP...
Check out also the Institute of Internal Auditor's website (iia). They have some good certs offered through them like CRMA.
Demand for an auditor will never go - due to regulation, audit committee reporting directly to the board and other external factors.
lol, that made me laugh. It’s always refreshing and awesome to know that there are people out there who genuinely want to learn ASL and are aware of the challenges that deafness has. Yeah I’m well past the age for cochlear implants nor can I afford the time lost and recovery from the invasive surgery so you’re right about that. At the end of the day, I just understand that ignorance is really to blame for a lot of the things I’ve been through, and not to hate the person themselves but to simply work harder and keep looking for opportunities. Lol, ah yes...ASL is a fun and incredibly expressive language and my deaf friends do curse in some pretty creative ways for that matter. I only wish there were more who were willing to interpret and help deaf people out like you do.
Goals: CCNP Enterprise(ENCOR + ENARSI), AWS CSA - Associate, Azure AZ-104, Become better at python, learn docker and kubernetes
Degree: A.S. Network Administration
Pursuing: B.S. in I.T. Web and Mobile Development Concentration