Need Path/Career Guidance

Hi all! I've decided to pursue a path in IT mainly because the field interests me. My chosen career focus is on IT security. A little background on me:

- Created first website at age 9
- Taught myself C/C++ from age 10-14
- Started selling and coding game hacks from scratch (counter-strike, Wolfenstein and half life) from age 14 to 16. Made a ton of money during the months I was off from school, ranging from about 3-5k for the month
- Forced to drop anything IT related because it was deemed unsafe, unreliable, and simply a poor paying field by my parents. Was pushed into Accounting
- Sold MMORPG accounts, made money from that too (not really IT related)
- Went into Accounting Information Management, been doing that as a major (I'm a Sophmore now)

There's a lot more but that's just an extremely condensed version

My dream is to be able to start my own private IT security firm in the future. However, I'm not sure if this is just a dream or something that could actually become reality.

If I wanted to break into the security field, most professors have told me to get an undergrad in Accounting Information Management, and a Masters in something Technical (like ITM -- Information Technology Management) with a core in Security Assurance and then to pursue certifications while doing internships. Since most companies that are very heavy on their security tend to be financial companies, it has been suggested that having a degree in Accounting will only enhance my resume.

Is this the right career path that I'm choosing? Or does IT security take many more forms than just financial data?

Thanks for all the help!

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Comments

mudrock

Any thoughts?

Turgon

mudrock wrote: »

Any thoughts?

Well I have my own private consultancy company which is a vehicle for my contracting work and its certainly very rewarding. But you need to bring things to the table in terms of your portfolio of work to be credible. It's a worthy objective for your future.

Meanwhile if security turns you on well today there are many avenues you can walk in that genre as its become less wooly and more defined in terms of roles and responsibilities. I would say your best bet is to try and get taken on as a junior where you have a security type function in your role. Put sometime in there. Plenty of reading would help, and not getting boxed into the purely technical aspects of security. Security is an inherent feature of any IT professionals job.

mudrock

Turgon wrote: »

Well I have my own private consultancy company which is a vehicle for my contracting work and its certainly very rewarding. But you need to bring things to the table in terms of your portfolio of work to be credible. It's a worthy objective for your future.

Meanwhile if security turns you on well today there are many avenues you can walk in that genre as its become less wooly and more defined in terms of roles and responsibilities. I would say your best bet is to try and get taken on as a junior where you have a security type function in your role. Put sometime in there. Plenty of reading would help, and not getting boxed into the purely technical aspects of security. Security is an inherent feature of any IT professionals job.

Hey Turgon! Thanks for the help! I'm trying to definitely find some internships/jobs dealing with security right now, so hopefully something good will come along my way. Do you think the degree path I'm pursuing pertains to having a general role in security in the future? Or should I get an undergrad in something more technical rather than just Accounting Information Management?

~ Mudrock

mistervince

ok i will chime in here.

1) you need to get work experience. no one is going to hire a private company to work on their companies security policies if the single employee in said company has no previous real world experience. get 10-15 years of experience of actively designing security protocols for major companies and then you will have something to bring to the table.

2) do not ever mention your "mad game cracking skillz" on a resume, to a recruiter, or in an interview. that will instantly disqualify you as just another kid whose parents are kicking them out of the basement. also, the reality is... your game cracking skills which i find completely questionable have little to no real world value. companies do not need you to hack the latest copy of goblin killer 3 for their sales department. they need you to secure their network and protect them against possible lawsuits.

3) if you love IT, then put your nose in a book, and show your parents the salary charts of an MCSE against a CPA... im sure they might start listening then.

best of luck

mudrock

mistervince wrote: »

ok i will chime in here.

1) you need to get work experience. no one is going to hire a private company to work on their companies security policies if the single employee in said company has no previous real world experience. get 10-15 years of experience of actively designing security protocols for major companies and then you will have something to bring to the table.

2) do not ever mention your "mad game cracking skillz" on a resume, to a recruiter, or in an interview. that will instantly disqualify you as just another kid whose parents are kicking them out of the basement. also, the reality is... your game cracking skills which i find completely questionable have little to no real world value. companies do not need you to hack the latest copy of goblin killer 3 for their sales department. they need you to secure their network and protect them against possible lawsuits.

3) if you love IT, then put your nose in a book, and show your parents the salary charts of an MCSE against a CPA... im sure they might start listening then.

best of luck

LMAO!! Thanks man hahaha, I loved the goblin killer thing. No way will I put that on a resume! I was just putting a little background on my computer history hehehe

For the work experience, I was definitely going to work for a long period before I start a company (for sure). Fortunately I have just been recruited by a business security firm in my area for an internship (and hopefully a job if they like me). So I'm definitely planning to put my work in.

Thanks for the help

What do you guys think about my undergrad and masters choice?