Where were you in your career at 25?

YuckTheFankees

I'm a few months away from 25 and I was wondering what my fellow TE memebers were doing at 25? This is a very vague question, anything regarding to life, work, etc..

For Example:
*Were you confused about what you wanted to do?
*What job did you have at 25?
*What degree/certs did you have?
*Is there any advice you received through-out your career that you wish you knew at 25?
*What you would of done different if you could go back in time?

chrisone

@25

Had a system support/help desk job.

Finishing my degree

Studying for CCNA

zmoney14

I wanted to get into IT Security.
Job:At 25, I had approximately 6 years IT experience in HealthCare IT. I had moved up from a temp computer operator, technical assistant, technical assistant II, then technical specialist.

Degree/Certs: AAS CNS from ITT, A+, Network+,MCP, Security+, and Project+

Advice: Realized quickly that you never start out on the top and had to work my way up. All of my schooling taught all of the high level system administration, so by the time that I actually got to be and admin, the knowledge was out dated.

Done differently: Stayed put. Thought I was smarter and better, so I moved on. Now I have bounced around from a few different jobs trying to find a job i'm comfortable with.

the_hutch

That was last year for me. 4 years in the Air Force. Had just locked down my security job doing Intrusion Detection / Malware Forensics / Vulnerability Management. Had Sec+, Net+, CEH, ECSA and CHFI. Just finished my CISSP and bachelors at 26 years old. So I feel like I was pretty well accomplished by 25.

thegoodbye

* I always had a passion for information security, so it was obvious what I wanted to do -- work my way up to CISO/CIO
* Lead Security Engineer
* CISSP as well as others
* There is a ton of advice that has helped shape who I am. I'll list a few, quickly...

No matter how smart you are, or how many certifications you get, there will always be someone smarter than you in the world. Understand this and don't be a know-it-all, but learn something new every day.

To be successful, have at least the following 3 types of people in your life at all times:
1. Someone to look up to who can mentor you
2. Someone to mentor and provide guidance to
3. A peer (someone you consider equal)

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Use this analogy to break down complex problems, or large issues. Say you want to achieve a very difficult certification. Looking at the sum of its parts, it can be very daunting and can cause you to become discouraged. If you break it down into smaller parts, it becomes manageable. I love looking back on a challenging problem after it's been solved and think to myself, "Hey, that really wasn't too bad."

* I wouldn't do anything differently. All of the challenges, including the ups and downs have shaped me into the person I am today.

Iristheangel

Working a full time customer service job during the day and a full time security guard job at night. Little did I know, I was about to get my first IT job on accident

shodown

Stationed on USS Enterprise Doing Windows and Nix administration. Was trained as a Fire Controlman to repair Radars but never touched one.

IndyLoveless

I was delivering bottled water working my way through Ivy Tech. Now am 28, working Desktop Support for Indiana University.

N2IT

Hmmmmm

I had my bachelors degree (22) and was working for the DOD as an GS 9 Logistics Management Specialist at 25. Straight out of college I did data analysis for the USDA on soil types and different agriculture, then transitioned to the DOD as an HR generalist for ~2 years.

aaron0011

Let's see, at 25 years old I was:

- Job: two years into Network Administrator job making around 65K so very good pay at that age.

- Degree and Certs: Associates in IT/Networking and Security Management, Network+ and A+.

- Only thing I wish I would done different is start with Cisco certifications earlier. I've only been doing the Cisco track a little over a year. 29 years old now.

Kreken

At 25 I was working as Sys admin and was preparing to go to a law school. I had BS in CS and a few MS certificates. After a year of prep for a law school, I changed my mind and got MS in Telecommunication Networks.

What would I do differently? Instead of getting MS, I would probably go to a culinary school. None of the girls I dated could decently cook, not even my wife. So one day I had enough and decided to start cooking myself; surprisingly I loved it. Funny thing, I was watching Chopped last week and there was one of the chefs who went to Harvard for pre-med but got interested in computers/networks, became a network engineer and ended up as a chef...

broli720

Well I'm 24 now and I'm moving for work to mangage IA activities for a DoD project. Up until now I've been doing a lot of policy work. Haven't relaly been hands on for a few years. Got most of the certs out of the way except for OSCP. By 25 I'll have my Masters in Infosec/IA and hopefully OSCP.

BigMevy

At 25 I was still in the Air Force working as a computer and switch technician (2E2). I'd had no certifications, wasn't even aware of what they were (this in the mid-90s) and while I had 2 years of college I didn't have a degree yet. And no, I didn't really know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wasn't going to stay in the Air Force.

As for advice, what I would tell a 25 year old is not to wait for something to happen to them. You have to make things happen. If you don't know what you want to do that's fine, but start thinking at least what you might be interested in doing and start setting goals to get there.

Oh, and as for regrets I really don't have many. But one thing I would have changed had I known better was that when I separated from the USAF they offered to pay for me to get some schooling to get a job. I spoke to an advisor with the Veteran's center and he offered the choice between a course to get my A+ certification or an MCSE. I chose the A+ course....

glenn_33

Let's see....at 25 I believe I was managing a Chipotle and studying for my A+ trying to get my foot in the door somewhere

Fueledbycaffeine

Hah, these posts are inspiring!

I'm turning 25 in two months and only recently found that security is something I'm really interested in. I was content/comfortable working as a helpdesk grunt for way too long (7 years, blegh), and seeing how little I've accomplished gave me motivation to better myself. I'm getting my A.A.S in Cyber/Information Security in May, I've taken the Net and Sec+, CCENT coming in 2 weeks, and the SSCP the week of my birthday. Once I can make packets bend to my will, I'll try to sneak my way into a security analyst job.

I really, really wish I didn't stop at the A+ years ago. I've found that surrounding yourself with go-getters that are around the same makes a huge difference.

paulgswanson

Call Center Desktop support 53k Analyst II with everything in my cert section and 52% of my way through a BS: Network design and Managment degree (Currently 25 until the 19th of this month so ya can't get more accurate than that )

jasong318

*Were you confused about what you wanted to do?
-yes, and still am sometimes

*What job did you have at 25?
-netadmin for a local TV station, worst job I ever had...

*What degree/certs did you have?
-none

*Is there any advice you received through-out your career that you wish you knew at 25?
-dont underestimate the power of networking with your peers. keep at it, things get easier. people will yell at you... a lot... try to not take it personally...

*What you would of done different if you could go back in time?
-started/finished school earlier, get involved with as many groups that i could, become well versed in the basics to avoid a lot of backpedaling, invest heavily in apple and google...

MSP-IT

Currently 21 years old. More than half way through my B.S. of IT Security at WGU finishing roughly 22 credits a semester. Working full time as support engineer (specialized networking) for a small security company making just under 35k. By 25 I hope to be finished with my MSISA at WGU and have my SSCP and OSCP. If I continue with job advancement, I estimate I'll be making roughly 50-65k a year by 25.

YuckTheFankees

My bad, I forgot to put my own information in here.

Job: network security analyst
Degree: Should be done with my bachelors (IT Business management) in June
Salary: 60k+
Experience in IT: 17-18 months

But I'm beginning to get confused on what to do next, which certs to get, which masters to go after, what to specialize in...etc...

darkerz

Going to be 22 in a few months, but when I'm 25 I'll revive the thread

And wow. I feel young.

...

...

Oldies.

webgeek

I with my first IT traveling job I found on Craigslist. Already 2 years in, I was enjoying the traveling life on a bi-weekly or as needed basis. I miss going to Tokyo

ptilsen

I'll be 25 in July, so I'm right there with you.

I'm engaged, in a house, working as a sr. systems engineer for great money, have an A.A.S., three years left to finish my bachelor's, and the certs you see in my profile.

I'm doing great, but I think I want to be a penetration tester, or a security auditor, or a software developer or security architect, or enterprise architect, or an Active Directory expert, or maybe Exchange, or maybe I should switch to Linux. You get the point. I'm doing well, but I don't know if I'm doing what I want to be, and I'm not 100% on what that is or how to get there from here.

For as successful as I've been, if I had to go back, I would have skipped my AAS and started into the same degree I'm getting now at 19. I'd probably be a year into my master's and have had the same career success, if not more. I might even have gone into development instead of infrastructure, or focused on security. I also wish I had spent more time on certifications when I wasn't in school. They're nearly impossible to focus on with a decent course load at a "traditional" university, and I should have done my MCSE 2003 and CCNA three years ago.

MSP-IT

Ptil, have you ever looked into the various InfoSec groups here in the TC areas? If you're looking at getting a foot in the door, it might be well worth your time to attend; it'll also give you the chance to learn as well.

Dakinggamer87

Job: Systems/Network Administrator
Degree: Associate of Applied Science degree in Information Technology-Network Systems Administration
Certs: CompTIA A+, Network+, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA)
Salary: 60k
Experience in IT: 5+ years

No regrets I wouldn't do anything different the challenges I have had to overcome have made me a better person both personally/professionally. I just want to keep moving forward making a higher salary and specialize further in areas such as networking, virtualization, and storage.

ptilsen

I've looked at it, but I don't have a lot of free time (despite what my frequency of posting here may make it look like), and I don't know that I'll get anywhere short-term. I've only been at my job nine months, and I have three years left of school. I don't see myself changing jobs anything soon or even know what I'll even look for when I do, and school takes most of my attention as it is. Still, I know it's something I should consider.

Not to hijack the thread.

sratakhin

I'll post here in about a year

Chitownjedi

Year 2 in a 5 year run as a Proctor at Prometric... ~vomits~

*Now I'm going to say a Force reference to make you all forget*

Hypntick

At 25 I was working for a help desk for an international hotel chain, was doing end user network connectivity support. Had no real ambition at the time, the job paid better than what I was used to and didn't require a degree. I generally spent a good portion of my time reading recreational books and playing video games during my down time. There was very little actual technical work to it, unless I had to cover for an L2 for their lunch.

If I could go back I would have started my cert/school journey then instead of waiting. I would be a good bit further in my career by this point, however I like to think that i'm making up for lost time and covering ground rapidly. For example around the end of that job a colleague and friend of mine started his A+, went on do finish his Net+, Security+, CCENT, and 70-680. Around the time he hit his Security+ I started my A+, he jump-started my motivation some-how and since i've started getting serious around the end of 2010 I can't even begin to think of slowing down. Amusingly enough that same friend in his most recent position was one that I helped him get, where I ended up as his supervisor. I've since moved on from that company and am still going up, i'd like to think our roles are reversed now and that i'm the one motivating him.

So yeah if I could go back, i'd probably be over 6 figures at this point and completely specialized. Then again during my late teens and early 20's, I could have never kept up with the pace I have now. I can say i'd do things differently, but in retrospect just knowing myself and how I am and was, I don't think I could have done things any differently.

wes allen

25 for me was 17 years ago...

Think I just got CNE and was doing small novel networks for a local PC builder along with some K-12 school networks. I had around 3-4 years in Tech at that point, mostly Pre-press stuff - Apple, Apple to PC, WFW, and then Netware 2.2 / 3.12. The one thing that sticks out to me is how easy it is to get burnt out - I have seen a lot of good technical people end up leaving the field because they just got tired of it. I went through a few years of burn out as well - wasn't psyched to learn anything, just coasting along on what I already knew. Just walking past the IT section at the book store would cause my eyes to glaze over. Spent the last 4-5 years doing tech part time while doing photography professionally, which was a nice break, now psyched to be updating my knowledge and head back into the tech stuff full again.

bermovick

Unaware of it

Serj

*Were you confused about what you wanted to do?
I was at 18 years old

*What job did you have at 25?
Technical Service Analyst

*What degree/certs did you have?
AAS in Network Admin

*Is there any advice you received through-out your career that you wish you knew at 25?
Get more education and experience.

*What you would of done different if you could go back in time?
Get some certs done while I was working part time.

PS I'll be 25 in 9 months