Military Future Questions and Civilian Jobs(Thanks in Advance)!
GamingCrazy
Senior MemberMember Posts: 113
Hey everyone, I had a quick question in regards to my future advancement of my early career.
I've decided on two options,
1.) Army National Guard as a 25N Nodal Network Systems Maintainer and possibly going to a technical college to work towards CCNA and CCNP.
2.) Option Number #1 plus Western Governs University for a B.A in Network Security.
My Goals: To use the guard as a route to discipline and to help accumulate work experience.
To be a network systems administrator OR desktop support technician (Although, due to salary and the population of market I would be focused more towards networking)
Questions:
1.) Would the experience I get from the guard be transferable to the civilian sector (Would I be able to accumulate it as work experience on my resume)? If so, how valuable would you say it is?
2.) Will the Secret Security Clearance help a lot? In terms of how valuable it is.
3.) Is there a possible better route considering my goal objectives, and am I heading in the right direction in your perspective?
and... Thankyou for your help and insight!
I've decided on two options,
1.) Army National Guard as a 25N Nodal Network Systems Maintainer and possibly going to a technical college to work towards CCNA and CCNP.
2.) Option Number #1 plus Western Governs University for a B.A in Network Security.
My Goals: To use the guard as a route to discipline and to help accumulate work experience.
To be a network systems administrator OR desktop support technician (Although, due to salary and the population of market I would be focused more towards networking)
Questions:
1.) Would the experience I get from the guard be transferable to the civilian sector (Would I be able to accumulate it as work experience on my resume)? If so, how valuable would you say it is?
2.) Will the Secret Security Clearance help a lot? In terms of how valuable it is.
3.) Is there a possible better route considering my goal objectives, and am I heading in the right direction in your perspective?
and... Thankyou for your help and insight!
Comments
Most military training accompanied with civilian college/certifications will help you in the long run.
Does the Army National Guard option incur the chance of being posted overseas?
As Bokeh pointed out the clearance can help you depending on the role you are going for. If you aren't shooting for cleared positions, it really isn't going to make much difference.
My question is why not go for options 1 and 2? I'd work on the CCNA while you go to school. Once you get a nice job using those CCNA skills then you can start working towards the CCNP.
Good luck!
You wouldn't get a permanent assignment over seas, but the Guard does deploy to Iraq/Afghanistan.
There are a myriad of roles available overseas but even if you are not on the frontline serving there are also attendant risks when you are deployed. I guess the OPs acceptance of a possible posting overseas with risk of death, serious injury and witnessing wounds incured by friends might be worth thinking about aside from the career benefits. Also your mother worrying about you.
You could even start WGU while in the guard and just get these certs while attending WGU. I believe there are quite a few WGU students who are active duty.
As for the security clearance there are a lot of jobs out there which require it and they pay pretty good. You may have to relocate though.
Good luck
Courses Required For Me To Graduate WGU in MS: IT Network Managment: MCT2, LZT2, MBT1, MDT2, MNT2
CU Done this term: 16 Total CU Done: 19
Currently working on: Nothing Graduation Goal: 5/2013
They teach you a ton of valuable information in the 25N course. In case you are not fully aware what makes up a JNN, let me give a slightly clearer picture. Of course I won't be able to talk about the comsec devices and such.
* Cisco 3825 routers. You will learn to configure it from a blank slate. They will teach you most of what you need for the CCNA. You learn some things that are not covered by the CCNA such as tunneling, Qos, etc.
* Cisco 3560G and 2811 switches. Same deal with them.
* Cisco VG224. Voice Gateway. You learn it but will probably never use it and forget it all.
* Cisco UCM 7800. Call manager. You will learn to configure it from a blank settings.
* Cisco ASA 5510. This wasn't in the JNN when I went through the course so I am not sure what you learn on it. We had netscreen firewall and an IDS when I went through, they are gone now.
* Promina NX-1000. Also not in when I went through. We used the Promina 400. The same but different. You will bring it up from a completely blank database. Its a good device to learn.
* Citrix WanScaler. Not in when I went through. Replaced the TurboIP we had. Not sure how much they teach on it.
* Redcom Slice. PBX. We had a different redcom pbx when I went through the but it is same in function. Learn to bring it up from a blank slate.
* There are other items you will learn bits about like FlexMux, GPS, Generator, etc. You will learn to use them but not much else, or that is how it was when I went through.
It is a great opprotunity to get experience in networking and working with cisco products. One of the more valuable parts is the voice side. You will learn to setup the entire voice side UCM, PBX, VoIP, VTC and even POTS. This is something that is tough to get started with in the civilian world. Everyone wants to deploy it and they all want experience and not just certs.
You will also get at least a Secret clearance. Depending on the unit it may be higher. Not sure how the GI BIll works for Guard but for Active, the new Post 9/11 GI Bill is freaking fantastic. In the guard you do get access to the books 24/7 site and army elearning, thefree skillsoft site. The site has CBTs of just about every cert(CCNA/NP/VP, MCITP/MCSE, CompTIA, SCCP/CISSP, LPI, Sun, Oracle, etc).
If you would like to know any more, just let me know.
I joined the National Guard unit in the town were I lived when I was 17 and got to spend six years in a field artillery unit as a 13E and 13D. Nothing like puting rounds down range. I also carried a security clearance which comes in handy now since I work for a military contractor and didn't have any problems attaining a security clearance again.
Just do your research and make sure you get what you want before you sign the papers.
Yes, all branches occur overseas from what I've read and heard.
Yeah that's true! There are a lot of deployed status's over in Iraq now that take online courses
25N Seems right to me, my parents aren't for the army but I just had a terrible experience with a recruiter from the Navy. And I mean it was terrible...
Yeah I was thinking of going to the college by my house they have these available.
Questions: Would it be worth going for certificates or degrees, considering everything is payed for?
Certificate Program
Cisco Network Specialist CCNA
Cisco Specialist CCNP
Computer Service and Electronics Technician
Computer Simulation/Game Developer
Cyber Crime Specialist
Data Center Specialist
Information Security Specialist
Internet Specialist - Web Site Design
Java Programmer
Linux/Unix Systems Administrator
Network Administrator
PC Repair and Network Technician
Diploma Program
Computer Programming
Computer Simulation/Game Developer
Information Security Specialist
Internet Specialist - Web Site Design
Networking Specialist
Degree Program
Computer Programming
Computer Simulation/Game Developer
Information Security Specialist
Internet Specialist - Web Site Design
Networking Specialist
Thanks again!
Do you have a lot of time to study even though you are on active duty, my objective is to obtain a college degree while im in the guard so I can reduce the amount of time it will take to get training, education, and certifications.
I ask this because I'm contemplating between Active Duty and the guard, Active Duty would give me a good amount of money to save up (If I wanted to buy something, or maybe move (Which I want to do)). Thanks for your help and a really detailed posting.
Thing is there is only two units for the air national guard in my state, one an hour and a half away and another 2 hours away. I've never spoken to a air national recruiter though, I do like the airforce but is the ang the same as the airforce as far as jobs go. "The needs of the air force come first" as far as looking for a job?
Thanks
Active Duty would be great for the experience, but I think it would take time from my study (Maybe not , I could be greatly wrong).
Yes, same jobs, Air Force and Navy usually have better tech schools btw.
What state are you in btw?
Also the deployment tend to be better than the Army National Guard. My friend in the Army went to Benning for his 2 weeks of camping out in the Bush, I went to Italy, stayed in a hotel close to the sea, worked 8 to 12 hour shifts, learned while I was there and spend the rest of my time at the beach, and liked it so much I stayed an extra 2 weeks. My only summer which sucked was the 2 weeks where we getting qualified on our new equipment. It sucked....
Every unit I have been to has been extrememly flexible when it comes to education. All my leaders have put a huge emphasis on education. During a deployment studying is very easy and there is ALOT of time to study once everything is up. Right now on the FOB we have represenatives from U of Maryland University College and Central Texas College and a Prometric Testing Center. I know a few people who have gotten their degree while deployed.
You may wanna check how the post 9/11 GI Bill works for guard and compare it to the active duty. I am pretty sure you only need to do a 3 year enlistment for active duty 25N unless it has changed. You will spend the first 3/4 of a year in Basic and AIT so chances are you will deploy only 1 time, if at all. I was in 6 years before deploying this January and that is not all that uncommon. If you get sent to Korea you can get stuck in a sort of loop where you don't deploy for a long time, if at all. Also remember 25N deployment is not 11B(infantry) deployment. You are not walking the street and kicking in doors. You are sitting at the Main Toc, which houses the high level brass. If you are seeing any more action then the occasional mortar/rocket(half of which the C-RAM knocks down, they other have don't hit anything or don't even detonate) then things have gone horribly wrong.
I live in Georgia currently, although I like the air force side, it isn't guarenteed like the army national guard right now, theres a slot of 25N open currently and my recruiter is aiming to get it for me. Also, I can possibly get jump school (Airborne) if I want to, when I'm at meps and if its open.
That's great! Thats what I hopefully wuld like to achieve later down in the long run.
From all the information I have converged up I can't and won't recieve a top secret clearence from them. Do to some bad choices previously, otherwise I would go for that (Really want to). But, I don't want to be reclassed as a sailor and wipe the poop deck
Thanks
The Air guard is different though talk to them about the computers and switching which is what I did in a Air Control Squad.
There is a Air Control Squad in Savannah Ga. and there are other choices in Savannah. When you come in to drill you will be put up in a hotel for your drill weekend, you don't have to drive in and back home each day if you live outside of I think 60 miles.
Do you know where I can find the number to the air control squad because i'm very interested in doing computers with them? Thanks
Same question. I had no idea there was something like this in Savannah.
Not sure about guard/reserve but for active duty, you will receive basic allowance for housing at the rate of E-5 pay for the location of the school. You must be taking at least 12hrs per semester and you can't take 100% online courses.
So for example. If when I get out I went to the University of Texas at Dallas(excellent MBA program), I would get $1137 a month to pay for my housing. If I went to Pepperdine University, Malibu CA, I would get $2051 per month.
I am pretty sure guard does not receive the BAH.
This is all under the Post 9/11 GI Bill. If I wanted to attend WGU and not take any offline courses, I could just move back to Dallas and use the Montgomery GI Bill that would pay me about just over $13,000 a year. That would leave me quite a bit after tuition to use towards housing.
You can read more and calculate the stuff here New GI Bill - Calculate your benefits and more. You can also check out the VA site for more info.