Newbie intro and hello from a (cough, cough) older Newbie!

Been lurking on and off for several years. By trade I’m a licensed California PI and have been working it for over 20 years. Within the past couple of years I've been on the fence about transitioning into something tech related, and because of this great forum, decided to make the change.

So, thanks to everyone, especially the admins and founders of this site!

Over the years I’ve learned a thing or two about IT and computers in general, but just recently started some formal training/schooling. I’m currently half way thru a computer forensics program and just enrolled in the Cisco Networking Academy via a CC.

I’m still undecided on whether or not to finish up a degree, I only have one year of community college under my belt. I’m leaning towards pursuing the CCNA, and becoming EnCE certified, and then sorting it out.

WG is sounding pretty good, but I also think that getting a couple of certs first, and then diving into a tech position to obtain that coveted work experience might also be a good route for me to follow. I really want a tech position only, no management. Having owned my own business for the past 15 years…I’m over it.

Thanks again and any input is always appreciated

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Comments

Iristheangel

Hello there!

Welcome to the forums! Transitioning and studying to get into IT is almost a full time job in itself. The first thing you might want to do is find out what specialization in IT you'd like to pursue. That might mean studying and getting a few different certifications in different disciplines. What I usually see people do in the beginning is go after their MCSE, CCNA and maybe a virtualization, security or hardware certification so they get a nice diverse foundation and see what holds their interest the most. If you're thinking about a degree at WGU, you could also pursue a degree that allows you to get a few of the above certifications during the course of your degree so you can knock out two birds with one stone.

So what general part of California are you from? If you're in one of the busier areas, it should be fairly easy to pick up an entry-level help desk or NOC position after you have your CCNA under your belt.

Mrock4

Welcome to TE! The great thing about this field is it's really not THAT hard to work your way up once you land an entry level gig..so once you get past that point, you'll be golden! Anyways, for whatever it's worth, I'd strongly advocate finishing the degree- you don't want to close any possible doors.

The only other tip I may have, is LAB! Breaking into this field can be tricky, so one way to distinguish yourself is by your passion to learn, and by setting up a home lab you'll be able to get as close to the real thing as possible. It'll still be a lot different from a production network, BUT- it's better than nothing.

SwitchingGears

Iristheangel wrote: »

Hello there!

Welcome to the forums! Transitioning and studying to get into IT is almost a full time job in itself. The first thing you might want to do is find out what specialization in IT you'd like to pursue. That might mean studying and getting a few different certifications in different disciplines. What I usually see people do in the beginning is go after their MCSE, CCNA and maybe a virtualization, security or hardware certification so they get a nice diverse foundation and see what holds their interest the most. If you're thinking about a degree at WGU, you could also pursue a degree that allows you to get a few of the above certifications during the course of your degree so you can knock out two birds with one stone.

So what general part of California are you from? If you're in one of the busier areas, it should be fairly easy to pick up an entry-level help desk or NOC position after you have your CCNA under your belt.

Mrock4 wrote: »

Welcome to TE! The great thing about this field is it's really not THAT hard to work your way up once you land an entry level gig..so once you get past that point, you'll be golden! Anyways, for whatever it's worth, I'd strongly advocate finishing the degree- you don't want to close any possible doors.

The only other tip I may have, is LAB! Breaking into this field can be tricky, so one way to distinguish yourself is by your passion to learn, and by setting up a home lab you'll be able to get as close to the real thing as possible. It'll still be a lot different from a production network, BUT- it's better than nothing.

Thanks to the both of you for the welcome! I updated my profile, I’m in SoCal too.

The networking stuff is really so I can get some decent training/knowledge in networking, so that I’ll be competent for network forensics. But, I’m not sure what I want to do, so I’m trying to keep everything open.

I’m never happy with the fact things work, I always want to know how and why they work; and problem solving is also a core component of being a successful PI, so I’m pretty sure forensics will be the area I settle in.

My biggest quandary for me is do I start over again at entry level? Or do I continue with my current PI business, only changing gears to forensics or eDiscovery services, or even information security? (hence my username)

I’m 46 years old, and would really like to go to work for a company, for the long-term, to build up a retirement and reduce my current healthcare costs. The idea of going to work for somebody else excites me, I’ve grown tired of wearing the bazillion different hats required for owning your own business.

I will most likely also pursue WG, irrespective of whatever discipline I decide to follow.

I’m enrolled in the CSUF forensics program with several other CISSP’s in the class. They want my hours so they can get a PI license, I want their hours for the CISSP work experience, lol.

Are there any other non-Cisco type courses that I should be considering so that I’ll learn more about non-Cisco equipment? Maybe some Windows courses/certs since so many enterprise companies run Windows?

Thanks again for your input, it is very much appreciated. Keep it coming, I’m here to learn