What Jobs are availabe for those who want Information Security

For those in the information security field, I heard that most jobs require a bachelor's degree and a few years of experience. Are there any jobs that require just an associate's degree to get started. I could take a job as a system administrator, tech support specialist, or help desk analyst.

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Comments

paul78

I can't speak about entry-level jobs. But for experienced professionals, generally speaking, the lack of a bachelor's degree does not need to be an impediment to getting an infosec job. I work with individuals and come across folks with a myriad array of educational backgrounds. Including those that do not have a bachelor's degree - such as myself.

However, that said - having a degree can help open doors. What you do after you step across the threshold is more dependent on passion, talent, and skill. The one singular trait that I've seen with successful infosec professionals is the passion and wiliness to hone and advance their craft and career.

Good luck to you and welcome to the TE forums.

markulous

It seems like one of those industries that needs people and will always be around, but one that is kind of hard to break into at the same time. My rough plan is to work in that industry, but I'm honestly not sure how it will happen other than just getting security certs and applying for the jobs.

N2IT

I agree with Paul on this. Several of my ex coworkers who are now in security have no degree. Only one guy I previously worked with had a degree and who is now a associate security analyst. None had certifications either but they all had previous IT knowledge. Most of which was on the help desk. They did work with access control for different applications AD, SAP, other enterprise applications. The security analyst who are higher level usually have the CISSP and other certifications that are respected. If you have some extra income it may be worth your time to get the Security + certification or something similar. The security guys and gals on here seem to really like the CEH certification. HTH

TechGuru80

Jobs generally say x years with a bachelors or an additional y years without. Security+ is a definite to get and you would want to decide what type of security job you want. There is network, system, forensics, pen testing etc.

CannonTheRookie

Hi all,
I need some advice on a career path in Information Security and what certs that will get me in the door.I currently have A+, Net + and Sec+ with a total of 3 years’ experience in the IT field (Helpdesk and Desktop Support). The technical side of things is where I would like to be at this point. So any advice as to a path would be greatly appreciated guys.

-Cannon

Master Of Puppets

Experience will be a bigger factor than a degree when it comes to getting into infosec.

CannonTheRookie wrote: »

Hi all,
I need some advice on a career path in Information Security and what certs that will get me in the door.I currently have A+, Net + and Sec+ with a total of 3 years’ experience in the IT field (Helpdesk and Desktop Support). The technical side of things is where I would like to be at this point. So any advice as to a path would be greatly appreciated guys.

-Cannon

What were your job duties for those 3 years? And what area of information security are you trying to get into? Also, why?

dmoore44

The best way to get in to security is to go the netadmin or sysadmin path - you need to know how a system works before you can secure it. Believe it or not, its not one of those jobs where you sit behind a screen and push buttons all day. There's a lot of analysis that goes in to analyzing a potential attack or breach.

During the netadmin or sysadmin portion of your career, you'll be exposed to numerous tools and methodologies that are pertinent to an infosec role. You'll also start coming in to contact with the infosec team, and through your interactions with them, you'll get better idea of what it will take to get that first position. Beyond workplace interactions, you should also checkout meetup.com for any local meetups (like a local OWASP chapter meeting) and start networking.

CannonTheRookie

@Masters of Puppets ........I did/doing basic phone support and client side support. Now I moving into a position where I will be patching desktops. And Im unsure of the area because I don't know of them.

@dmoore44....Thanks for the advice I will check out the meetup.com for some local help and networking. That will be a great start for me.

kenop

I'm one of those that never had a degree (maybe that will finally change with WGU in the picture).

It can be done, as long as you know your stuff.

Infosec jobs are plentiful in bigger cities, even smaller areas -- if you're looking and don't see them, check local and state government agencies, as they all have lots of positions for infosec.