Networking/Programming Career: Best path for security professional? Possible business

5502george

Ok so here is the down low for my situation and ANY advice will be greatly appreciated!

I am looking at following a career path that will have some longevity and am really interested in BOTH programming and networking so I really need your advice, BUT I have one real goal in mind....I would like to start my own business eventually.

So my dilemma is this, I want to go to school to get proper education in either one of these fields but enjoy both equally. What is the outlook for coding/networking? Also, which would be easier to start a business in....keep in mind my passion lies in both of them!

Background:

-I work for the DoD as an information assurance manager
-I only have the Sec+ cert but have network knowledge (Firewalls, Routers, Servers, IDS ((HIDS/NIDS etc...))
-The only knowledge I have in programming is HTML (Websites) and some C




....I would like to thank you for your time and would really enjoy any of your comments.

linuxlover

If you want to start a business then go with programming, if you're looking for a job then go with networking.

HTML and some C won't get you anywhere. Been there, done that. Programming is dry work most of the time, it's grinding on a daily basis and it will get you down eventually. I used to code in basic and C, then moved on to C++ and VB, then to C#/ASP.NET (3.5) and PHP and stopped right there, because I knew where this was going. Every job requires constant learning, but programming will consume your very soul. Ask senior programmers with 20+ years behind them. I know a lot of them and most of them say it isn't worth the money and are looking to switch over to project management or some other higher position. Technologies change relatively fast, but in programming that's an absolute truth, not relative. If you learn only one language you will have to learn a few most popular frameworks with it and you need more than one language if you want to make it in the business and that's tiring. Constantly chasing deadlines, taking your work home, re-learning things every year can be quite hard on a man and programming is hard, not technically but mentally.

If you're looking to make money, I suggest getting into mobile programming. That's hot stuff right now and it will only get hotter. The competition in programming is a lot tougher than in other branches of IT and you'll need to be really good at what you do to land a high paying contract work. If you're serious and dedicated, prepare for a few years of hard work and lots of volunteer work. Outsourcing is also very popular, you'd be surprised how many big programming houses in Europe are doing it. But it's a way to make money if you're looking to start a business which I can't say for networking. What kind of business are you going to open with CCNP, what services will you provide? Probably none.

Now I should tell you that I'm not a programmer, at least not anymore, so I may be off and someone else with more recent insight can shed more light on this. I always stand corrected.

paul78

Starting a business is difficult work regardless of which area you want to delve in... But it's all relative, if you want to deliver management services for example, it may be easy to start a small msp. Similarly, if you want to deliver simply development solutions or contract solutions, there's a market for it too.

But if you really want to think big, combine all three - write software for network solutions, come up with an idea that you can get sufficient angel funding to build a business.

It all really depends on how much risk you want to take, how motivated your are, and your business acumen.

I always think it's great to see people that want to start businesses. I hope you do it.

BTW - you may want to avoid duplicating your posts - I noticed that you also posted the same topic - it gets very confusing if you are looking for feedback.

jimf

I'm a C++ programmer with 10+ years in the computer/video games industry. linuxlover nailed it on the head - it can be VERY dry work, even when you are working on exciting projects (such as video games) as you'll only be coding a small part of the overall product. I'm thinking about moving into network admin because of this.

Don't want to put anyone off programming - as it's an amazing skill to have, just that for a career choice, I'd think twice about it.