some advise please!

Currently im in the USAF (afsc 3c251). I troubleshoot our network outages everyday and love my job. This is exactly what i want to do untill i retire. However my career field is being downsized and possibly done away with. I have 1 year left before i either crosstrain or become a civilian again. I want to continue in the IT networking field and would like some advise on what to work for for a quality resume.

Right now im studying for my CCNA and plan to have it by 1oct06. If not then i WILL have it by the end of the year (failure is not an option here, i dont care if i have to take it ten times!). I am also working on my Community College of the Air Force Degree (nothing too big but better than nothing). I should have it by the end of the year as well. I hold a TS/SCI and will have 4 year experience with real world and another 2 of netacad classroom work. Been into networking and CCNA training since 2000.

What also would you recommend for me to get my foot in the door with a govt job? I would like to slide into a GS-2210 position as i need good health insure and job security. Any other Certs you can recommend?

Thank you for your time

John

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Comments

jbkm

Whoops forgot to add i was thinking about looking into the Security+ certification to round off my resume with SOME security aspects.

supertechCETma

Is your job being downsized to make way for a civilian contractor? If so, try aand get on with them.

jbkm

I've heard talk that is what is going to happen. Only thing is i think my term will be up prior to them making the final decision. They quit letting us re-up prior to killing the career field. It may take a few more years after im gone for it to be official.

one other question, when is it too soon to start looking? Im 1+ years out right now, but would love to have a job lined up 6 months prior to seperation. is this possible in this type of field?

Thanks!

John

Munck

It sounds like you're on the right track. Don't stop with the CCNA. It's rather entry level, and won't get you "a good job" in the networking world on it' s own. Go for CCNP/CCDP/CCIP (many exams overlab, so it's easier that it looks).

If you have the neccesary experience, go for the CISSP. It's a perfect match for you clearence

Good luck

JDMurray

You would think that the DoD would need your skills to help rebuild the infrastructures of Iraq and Afghanistan. If that work is only being done by civilian contractors, check out the job listings at Halliburton.

drpower555

Book mark this one jbkm.

http://federalgovernmentjobs.us/job-search/information-technology-management-specialist-supervisory-it-2210.html

If you've ever been over there jd then you dont want to go back. At least I dont, I spent 2 years in Bahgdad and I can assure you I dont care how good the money is, I aint goin nowhere.

sprkymrk

drpower555 wrote:

If you've ever been over there jd then you dont want to go back. At least I dont, I spent 2 years in Bahgdad and I can assure you I dont care how good the money is, I aint goin nowhere.

I agree with you, but there are many I know who jump at the chance to go, and that's after being there a couple of times already. For some people, money talks.

jbkm

Thanks for the listing! That will come in handy in a few months!

drpower555

Yea sprkymrk I know, one of my guys ets'ed and was on a plane to Afgan the same weekend. For $100k+, he did'nt jump he ran to the plane. I really thought about it too, for about a minute. I'll be lucky if they dont try to call me back and I have to work for a pay cut. Its a little better for civilians depending on how you look at it. However, I still dont want to go back. Thats just me.

sprkymrk

drpower555 wrote:

Yea sprkymrk I know, one of my guys ets'ed and was on a plane to Afgan the same weekend. For $100k+, he did'nt jump he ran to the plane. I really thought about it too, for about a minute. I'll be lucky if they dont try to call me back and I have to work for a pay cut. Its a little better for civilians depending on how you look at it. However, I still dont want to go back. Thats just me.

I'm with you.

I like my creatue comforts too much.
Oh yeah, and family too!

oldbarney

Except for a 33-day break, I worked in Iraq from August of last year until Feb of this year as a contractor. In fact, I visited techexams.net a couple times while there.

KBR (Halliburton) currently offers some IT positions in Iraq. However, according to recent news, 3 other companies will take over their contract in the not-so-distant future. ITT and Raytheon advertise IT positions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. I also saw a few smaller companies offering various IT-related positions.

Preparation before going over depends upon the company. For example, KBR conducts all prep in-house in Houston, according to the people I spoke with. On the other hand, almost everyone else trains for a week in CRC, which is usually conducted at a military base. This training is one week in duration, and includes medical checks, regional familiarization and some very limited military training. I'd say at least 70% of the US contractors are ex-military. But you'd be surprised. A number of middle-aged men and women with no military experience work as contractors in Iraq in various positions.

In my opinion, quality of life as a civilian contractor there depends upon the location. During the course of my work, I visited numerous sites. Some bases have surprising luxuries while others are limited to only the bare essentials. The frequency of insurgent attacks also depends on location.

According to a couple of HR people, the experience over in Iraq really stood out on my resume. The money was good. Except for the mortar attacks, working over there wasn't bad at all. I'm prior military and accustomed to living with few creature comforts. If not for my absolutely horrible manager, I would have likely remained at that job.