wanna get into the IT industry ^^

Lenny Michaels

Hello everyone.
So, i would like to get into the IT business, but i need some help starting out- what cert. to get first?
i thought of getting security+ and then a+, and watch my way from there.
My goal is to get CEH and work in this direction.(although the way is long :P)..

Other then that- i had 2 more questions:
1. how should i acquire the practical experience for the exam(if it's needed)?
2. what certificates to get after sec+?

and i have 2 more general questions:
1. at what age did you start getting your certificates and first IT job?
2. How am I suppose to get my first experience after getting those certs?

Thanks a lot guys

The Technomancer

Here's what you need to take into consideration:

What topic in the IT field excites you the most? You'll always do your best work on topics and projects that interest you, and this curiosity and passion will show through in your interviews.

What jobs are available in the area that you're seeking work in?

What qualifications and/or certifications are listed in the requirements of those jobs?

Corollary to the above question: What qualifications and/or certifications do the people that hold these jobs actually have? Quite often, the job description requirements are a wishlist -- not ever box needs to be checked.

The biggest one of those, however, is what your interest is. Once you've determined that, you can start working on open-source or collaborative projects that align with that interest. It's the absolute best way to show initiative, and initiative and ambition are still very highly prized in most facets of this industry. It'll also show let you know what you don't know, and therefore, what you need to learn, and a little more research will show you which certification training programs will teach you that.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

EDIT: Forgot to answer some of your questions.

I got my first tech related gig at 18 years old (dial up ISP tech support!), and my first real sysadmin job that someone else gave me at 25. I tried to run my own hosting business at 22, which taught me a ton and enabled me to land that first admin gig. I got my first and only cert 5 years ago, and it was paid for by my employer at the time as they advertised the fact that their systems admins held RHCEs.

Lenny Michaels

So with the info provided- what should be my path?
thanks for answering ^^

The Technomancer

@Lenny:

If you're interested in the gray areas, direct your research into the Ethical Hacking field. The gold standard cert there (for entry/mid-level) is EC-Council's Certified Ethical Hacker certification (which you're already looking at), but pay attention to job postings and see what certs are being asked for -- CISSP never hurts and will probably show up a lot.

As far as where those jobs are listed, I'm not sure if Canadian companies use the same job boards as the US, but sites like:

dice.com
indeed.com
monster.com

...should still be able to give you an idea of what companies are looking for.

For stuff you can do in the meantime? Subscribe to the Bugtraq mailing list, and immerse yourself in the conversations until you get an idea of what's going on. Ask questions on forums dedicated to your craft when applicable.

I'd also recommend learning to code in at least one language, if for no other reason than to get a picture in your head of how software operations. Sites like Codecademy have great interactive exercises that'll teach you the basics of multiple languages -- I taught myself Python and JavaScript this way, along with how to interact with APIs and parse the responses.

Do all the research you can as well -- awareness of vulnerabilities and common ones that show up in widely-used software is as important to an ethical hacker's job is just as important as in-depth knowledge of the tools and methods available to you to attempt to penetrate a system. Let's face it, the only thing that separates a black hat from a white hat is ethics and motivation -- the tools and methods are the same.

Lenny Michaels

wow thanks man you really helped ^^
could you tell me how to sub to Bugtraq?(is the right way through securityfocus.com?)

SteveFT

I just started off in IT as well. I took the A+/N+ route and I'm currently studying for the Security+. Doing these certifications in that order was beneficial because many of the topics built upon the last.

Some people have mixed feelings about the CompTIA certifications. When I finish my Security+, I will have spent ~$800 on the three certifications and books. I learned a good amount by reading these books front to back. You can get this same knowledge from just buying the books for ~$70. That being said, I landed my first job (deskside support) last week and they specifically mentioned the A+/Network+ looking good with my limited experience. This conveyed to them that I was hungry and willing to learn.

I'm still deciding what I want to do. I'm hoping to get a good start in Deskside Support and then either go for NOC or Jr. Sys Admin. From there, I will gain more experience and decide whether I'd like to pursue networking, security, database, etc.

Hope this helps.