Possible job, is right for me?

otterhai

Hi All;

I'm finishing up my degree this summer, networking w/ a concentration in info assurance. I've been in IT for 11 years, 5 of those as an independent, my experience is pretty wide, but I want to focus on security now.

I just passed the Security plus, I'm looking at CCNA and CISSP this summer.

I'm interviewing for a position in a SOC as an analyst.

Here are my questions:

How much should I expect?

Is this a good way to get into security? is it a good way to move up career-wise?

Has anyone here worked in a SOC? what was it like?

thanks ya'll

otterhai

Also, I'm 41, married with 4 kids, very underemployed at the moment (living on student loans) and the job is 1500 miles away.

erpadmin

I've always been a big proponent of one putting his/her big boy/girl pants on, and doing what must be done for your career. But you have a family; a nice-sized one as well. Your decision is going to have your wife's blessing, no matter how you slice it.

In terms of whether you are qualified for the job that's going to uproot your family in a potentially unfamiliar place, you have other factors to consider. $90k in a place like NYC might mean $75k-$80k in a place like Florida. Cost of living throughout the country is different. You might be making more, but depending on where you live, you may come out not that much more ahead than if you stayed home. I don't need to tell you (but I guess I will anyway) that you can't make this type of move lightly.

Also, the best person to tell you if you are even qualified for the position you are gunning for is you. You got the job spec in front of you. You know your skill set. You have an idea of what you're weak on and what you're not. If you do need help with that, you should post the job spec here (without the company) and then a detailed list of your experience. (Posting your resume, without the PI may be best as well.)

But how does your wife feel about the move? That question is probably more important than anything else.

otterhai

thanks erpadmin, really good point.
She is 100% for it and ready to go, so are the kids.
cost of living is lower, and the money is better than I've been making, if not as much as I'd like. I really enjoy IT, security especially, but I've been a generalist; that's one reason i went after the degree, to have a concentration. (networking and security)
I've had 3 phone interviews so far, 1 was a pop quiz that i did pretty well on, but i'm a little weak on Linux. I've been playing with it for over a decade, but I really need more command line experience. in my mind that is my only skills deficiency when matching up to the job requirements. I'm confident I can get up to speed though.

I'm thinking that a SOC is a pretty good place to enter network security, and the company looks great. the whole work overnight thing isn't appealing, but i figure that's the price i'll pay to get my foot in the door.

NetworkVeteran

erpadmin wrote: »

Cost of living throughout the country is different. You might be making more, but depending on where you live, you may come out not that much more ahead than if you stayed home. I don't need to tell you (but I guess I will anyway) that you can't make this type of move lightly.

So true! And consider other factors such as quality of schools. Moving to some areas--providing you value your children sufficiently--means anteing up for private school as opposed to public school. With four kids, that adds up quickly. Also consider the size of the homes, backyards, safe streets and playgrounds, etc.

otterhai

Thanks NetworkVeteran,
Actually we homeschool, and the state is a good state for homeschoolers. Youngest kid is 11, oldest is 18. We tend to be more indoor than outdoor oriented, musicians, gamers and writers, so we've been more concerned about having room for guitar amps (and enough room to keep from irritating the neighbors) than a backyard to play in.
Safety is a concern, we'd be moving from a seriously rural location to a big city, My kids have absolutely no streetsmarts.

NetworkVeteran

otterhai wrote: »

Actually we homeschool, and the state is a good state for homeschoolers.

That is excellent! I did that for a bit, and totally respect the folks who can keep that going the whole way.

otterhai

Thanks! Honestly, my wife is amazing. definitely the better half, and I'll do anything I can to make her life better.