How many late starters do we have on here?

I'm a late starter (35 yrs old) in IT due to some bad personal decision in my 20's. I am currently attending school at University of DC for my computer science with a specialization in network security. I'm hoping to find a entry level job maybe in a NOC or even better a SOC. I figured most of you guys are young but I was just curious to see if anybody else had their start in IT late.

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shodown

I think you have until you are about 35 years old to be on the path to what you want to be. Everyone has there own path and road to travel, all that really matter is that you are on the right path. About 10 years ago I was at the navy college office and it was a guy getting ready to retire and he said he was going to be a doctor. He had a plan that he worked on for 5 years prior to that and was setup to go. Even with his plan that took him 5 years to put together people still doubted him. Long story short at the age of 38 he found a medical school that would take him and he's a doctor today. Any of us on this board can do anything we want to with the proper planning and focus and dedication. There will have to be sacrifices made, but if the sacrifice is worth the reward then go for it.

jeromelongj

I'm 34 next week and studying for the A+ finally. I should of done this years ago but life and laziness got in the way. Stuck here in the midwest with not a lot of tech jobs around here.

JDMurray

SwitchingGears wrote: »

ADMITTEDLY, it's not easy going back to school 25 years later...the ole' brain is not as quick as it once was. Slowly, but surely, I'll get there!

When people are young they don't realize that their brain will really start to physically change around age 45-50, and with that change may come a strong desire to no longer do what they do for a living. That was a major reason I got out of software development and went into full-time InfoSec. I just followed what my (aging) brain would rather be doing.

pevangel

I started at 25 and I've been working in IT for almost 3 years. I wish I started earlier. I was doing web design as a hobby in middle school and programming in high school. But for some reason I decided to major in something non-IT related in college.

Alexsmith

That's interesting going to school to be a doctor at 38, it's good to see he was able to make his vision come true.

SpetsRepair

Started at 24 now about to be 26 soon

fiyahwerks

32 years young gal. I always enjoyed IT, did the web design and development as a side hustle. I'm really good at managing other people lives, so I was a executive secretary for 15 years for Directors, CIOs and COOs. I got tired of being the usual "scapegoat" for things and time to put computer skills to work. Hoping I can get a job (better yet start a new career) in IT very very soon. Good luck to everyone.

Xyro

bermovick wrote: »

How in the world are people still in their 20's considering themselves as "late starters"? It boggles the mind!

I was thinking the same thing haha.

--chris--

Xyro wrote: »

I was thinking the same thing haha.

I agree with you guys now that I am "in" IT but its all relative. I think some of us feel like late starters because of the people in our lives who had laser like focus since their senior year of HS and achieved their goal early in life.

My wife's cousin for example; by the time he was 30 he had his PhD in Chemistry from Eastern MI, worked for Wrigley, Coke, then Pepsi. He has done nothing but work on his education and work on his craft since he was 18. Its people like that, that make people like me feel like a late starter lol.

Deathmage

I started in IT when I was 25, 29 in 6 weeks. Been a IT manager for a large corrugation company for 3 years now, 4 in August and it's like my 1st real IT job before that I worked for 4 years at a break/fix shop. I didn't really have enterprise/corporate IT 3 years ago so it was steep learning curve. However I wrote my 1st game in C++ @ 8 years old; it was really though a Total conversion for Warcraft II :P - turned all of the tree's into sheep

Been working on my certifications as of the past year since most of my IT stuff has been from self-taught but so much in IT you need to read a book or hands-in so it is what it is...

I'm making about 52k a year now and working on getting my MCSA and CCNA this year for another pay increase. To me 52k a year is low but after reading on here I guess I'm doing better than most.... a bit more grateful now....

that's my story. I really want to be a system/network administrator instead of my current jack-of-all-trade IT manager in my future.

OpenSource

My IT journey started when I was 13, with an old Gateway P3 machine running Windows '98. I've learned a lot over the years and I've probably forgot even more (lack of focus & motivation is a skill killer). My relationship with IT has been love & hate. Unfortunately circumstances in life beyond my control have also kept me from pursuing the world of IT.

I'm now 27 and I finished up my Associates in IT-CNS last year (26) from ITT. But unfortunately I've got nothing to show for it, unless you count debt (student loans). Getting my foot into the door, landing that entry level gig, is really really difficult these days. Or at least it is for me... I've also been unemployed since Jan of 2013, minus ~3 months of non-related warehouse work for a friend.

So I have a choice to make, either get off my butt, discover what information I've actually retained over the years, and earn myself a certification, which in turn will hopefully land me a job... Or I continue working those dead end retail/private security jobs for the foreseeable future.

I'm come to the conclusion just today, that I'm going to pursue the Cisco CCENT. The name carries more weight, more in-depth knowledge and the opportunity to advance, both professionally and up the certification pyramid.

Now comes the truly hard part, studying and staying focused & motivated!
.
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teresa1517

53 here, and so lost I don't even know where to begin.
Any advice, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

gbdavidx

teresa1517 wrote: »

53 here, and so lost I don't even know where to begin.
Any advice, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

not quite the place to ask for advice

tprice5

gbdavidx wrote: »

not quite the place to ask for advice

Maybe not this particular thread, but this forum is a great place to ask for advice.

neocybe

Great thread, I was beginning to think I was the only person in the western hemisphere in IT without a degree. I skipped college and joined the work force in the late 90's. I'm 37 and just starting the cert path. its encouraging to see others in the same boat/background.

Alexsmith

I'm glad others can find this thread inspiring and I enjoyed hearing how some of you were able to start your IT careers regardless of age!

philz1982

I would consider myself a late starter. I'm 32 now and over the past 7 years I have come up through the building automation side of our business and have just recently moved into systems integration over the past 3 years. I got my CISSP last year and am doing my Masters in IS and IA right now.

Rocket Impossible

I started at 35 after building high end gaming machines for years. A little more than a year after getting my first real IT job and I have my CompTIA trio and will have ITIL Foundations in a few weeks. I started a Masters program in systems engineering and now I feel like I'm on the right track. I don't think age matters too much. That's one thing I like about this field; if you have the skills you will get a shot. It's up to you how far you want to go.

geekgirl74

I started back to school in October 2006 just to get my Associates in IT. In April 2011 I finished with my Bachelor's in IT. I was 36. I'd worked in administrative/financial positions my entire life up until a year and a half ago when I finally landed my first IT job. I just turned 40 last month and LOVE where I am and what I'm doing. Don't let anyone ever tell you it's too late!

LinuxNerd

philz1982 wrote: »

I would consider myself a late starter. I'm 32 now and over the past 7 years I have come up through the building automation side of our business and have just recently moved into systems integration over the past 3 years. I got my CISSP last year and am doing my Masters in IS and IA right now.

I am slightly older and would not consider this age being a late start. I think early 30s is the appropriate time to finally put everything together and begin a career with the maturity required to be a long term professional.

Gorby

I agree, I don't think I realized what I even may want to do until later. I do wish I had even a slight idea at 18 because I would be a lot further..

RockinRobin

I've spent the bulk of my IT career between 01-07 (age 33-39). I relocated, and couldn't land an IT position, so now at the age of 46, I'm still working on creating another opportunity. I got my A+ last year, and landed a couple interviews. I'm shooting for my CCENT next month, and CCNA by years end, so I'm hoping I can latch on somewhere, either in a NOC, or desktop support.

I can give the right company a good 20 years. I won't get discouraged, but I need to get out of the security field, and back into my passion.

philz1982

I switched into IT at 30 years old.

boolve

I'm at 33, and just started self study CCNA. For last 5-7 years carpenter/builder.

Kai123

I started my internship 3 months ago, and will be 28 in October.

I have set the age of 30 to get a network engineering job, so everything now is second to that (even the wife is taking a backseat! I’m sure she will be thankful once the monies start rolling in!).

Strict Machine

I am 29 and brand new to IT. I spent my previous working years in the military at a completely unrelated job. Seems like reading through these posts I am not alone and that is very encouraging!

Alexsmith

I'm glad to see others who also made the move and even became successful in IT later in life. When I first started at 35, I was worried about not being able to keep up. I don't regret my decision one bit though.

SwitchingGears

JDMurray wrote: »

When people are young they don't realize that their brain will really start to physically change around age 45-50, and with that change may come a strong desire to no longer do what they do for a living. That was a major reason I got out of software development and went into full-time InfoSec. I just followed what my (aging) brain would rather be doing.

Oops, I missed your quote.

You are the reason I decided to make the change! Somehow I came upon a post by you, which led to this forum...which led tme to realize I can get into IT without following a traditional college path.

I also took the CSUF forensics program

I've always wanted to say thank you...so THANKS JDMurray!

JDMurray

You are very welcome!

...and my EnCE is due to expire any day now...

SwitchingGears

JDMurray wrote: »

You are very welcome!

...and my EnCE is due to expire any day now...

Mmmm, sounds like you're not going to re-certify?

I took the course with Weiss/Pavan, Version 6. But, no sooner than the course ended, EnCase ended their certification for Ver 6. I also got caught in the CCNA/CCENT Cisco Networking Academy curriculum change. It was a frustrating year to start IT training, lol.

The CSUF program was taught this past year online...I just don't see how you can learn forensics completely online.

Thoughts? Edit: Thoughts on EnCe or CCFE?