Network Security Engineer + Foreign Languages

So recently I decided to pursue my CCENT cert and I just started studying (I have no experience but I know my way around a computer more than the average person and a quick learner.) I have a BS in psychology and have worked in insurance the last couple years. My brother is a network analyst or something like that and seeing how much he makes kinda motivated me to start working on my certs; I also know that the IT field will be full of jobs and the world of technology is only going to get bigger. I've done my research and I eventually would like to get a CCNP security certification and perhaps CCIE one day. I've always been interested in getting a PhD and I see the CCIE as a similar feat. I was planning on going to medical school but money became an issue so I just focused on working. Becoming a network security engineer seems like a fascinating job and something that I would be good at and enjoy plus the pay is in the range of what I'd like to make. I'm also interested in learning Arabic seeing the state of the world it would come in handy for this sort of position in some way. My question is if learning Arabic would be beneficial to do cyber ops and security engineering for the government? I know the DoD has approved CCNA Security certifications and you need a security clearance and what not, but would knowing Arabic be of any use to obtain the sort of position that I am looking to get one day in the distant future? It seems like it would be beneficial in some way but I couldn't find much information searching about it online. I do realize that I have some very lofty goals, but if I shoot for the stars and land on the moon I'll be ok with that. I would also perhaps like to get my Masters in Cyber Security or something related, but that's an issue I'll handle once i get closer to where I would like to be.

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BlackBeret

The short answer is no, learning Arabic isn't beneficial to Cyber Operations in the DoD. The DoD has intelligence teams that support cyber operations, but their jobs are very intel based and they don't put their hands on keyboards for operations. For network engineer positions you're working entirely with military personnel, having a foreign language isn't used at all and wont be beneficial. The DoD is an English speaking organization and there's honestly no need for learning another language to work within it.

For Arabic in general... First there are several dozen "dialects" of Arabic in the world. As an English speaker you often hear it referred to as one language and when you hear the word dialect you might think of the difference between deep south and the north, or maybe the UK. With Arabic dialects are almost different languages. They have different letters, the letters they do share will make different sounds, the same words will mean different things amongst the dialects, essentially each "dialect" is it's own language. The commonly referred to "Arabic language" is MSA, or Modern Standard Arabic. It's a modernized version of classical Arabic where the dialects stem from, and the Quran was written in. MSA is currently used in higher education and international news due to the diverseness of the audience. Most Arabic speakers can understand what someone is trying to say in MSA. None of them speak MSA. No one speaks MSA outside of the news and Universities. The only exception to this is when international companies want to dub a movie/TV show in to Arabic they will use MSA or Egyptian. Sorry for the rant, that's for listening/speaking. A lot of print media is written/printed in MSA, so if you just want to read it it's not horrible.

This means that if you learn MSA you will almost never be able to use it for anything, much less cyber operations. The Army has actually classified MSA the same as Spanish for foreign language pay purposes. Basically if you're in an MSA slot, you can get paid, but otherwise they have no use for MSA speakers. If you learn a dialect you'll be put translating a very small regional collection of documentation. You might even work in buildings near cyber operations but it won't have any effect on it. If I could make a recommendation, I'd say avoid Arabic unless you truly just want to learn the language. Learn reading in MSA, but listening in dialects. I'd personally suggest picking a different language altogether just for language purposes. Being able to speak Spanish fluently and work within in Spanish speaking companies would open more jobs to me than Arabic.

NetworkNewb

So you have a BS in Psychology, work in insurance, had plans to go to medical school, but now want to get in IT because you heard it was a hot market? You do know that most people just starting out in IT don't make a lot and usually takes a few years (of constant learning) to start pulling in OK money? Just to warn you the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

globalenjoi

I studied Arabic (primarily MSA, some Moroccan/Levantine) through college but haven't really used it since. Even did a study abroad in Morocco for a semester. It's faded away a lot now, since I never use it, but I can still comprehend and I know it'd return really fast if I ever started using it. I'd love to do some contract work overseas sometime, somewhere I could spend a year working and making decent money while also brushing up on the language skill.

wd40

As an Arab I can confirm what BlackBeret said.

Within the same country you will have different dialects where things will have different names etc. even for Arabs we find it difficult sometimes to understand people from different Arab countries.

zeitgeist29

More than aware of the amount of learning that will be required. I also realize that i would have to work at a help desk and put in the time before i get to where I want to go. You seem to have missed the part where I said being a security engineer would seem like an enjoyable job. I've started studying and the more I read the more interested I get about networking and security. Obviously its not easy but I'm dedicated and I would dive in head first not knowing what I am getting myself into. But thanks for your concern.

jamesleecoleman

Check out Arab Academy. They have a sale right now.

Learn Arabic with Simple & Powerful Lessons | Arab Academy

TheFORCE

How old are you?
Might help more to learn Russian or Chinese.

Agree with the others, IT jobs take dedication and time, amd the fruits of your labor will take even more time to produce. If you dont have the patience or enjoy it enough wyou might be wasting your time.

NetworkNewb

zeitgeist29 wrote: »

You seem to have missed the part where I said being a security engineer would seem like an enjoyable job.

Ahhh, you said it seems like it would be enjoyable, well in that case I take my concerns back.

It did just kinda come off as if your focus jumped around a lot in the past and were just going after this path because you heard they made a lot and the field is growing. I think a lot people are trying to jump on the security bandwagon for those reasons and end up finding out it is not all the fun they hoped for and end up disappointed. Hopefully it is something really do enjoy doing and wish you the best though.

zeitgeist29

I'll be 31 in May. I got laid off at my last job which I would prefer not to happen again and IT is a more secure field. The skills required such as being analytical, thinking critically, being creative, looking at the big picture, while noticing the small nuances, etc are what I'm looking for in a career and being a network security engineer looks to require all of those skills and then some. I enjoy knowing how things work and as I started doing research about career options my interest grew (the salaries aren't too shabby either.) Once I decided to go for my CCENT and started studying I've become more and more fascinated and can't learn fast enough. I don't know how someone could get through this material if they didn't truly enjoy it seeing as it's not the most easily digestible material to read. I've always thought about doing something that involves psychology and computers and perhaps later down the road I'll get to do that too. I've considered quite a few careers but this is something that I'm becoming passionate about and hopefully I'll become the expert that I envision.

jamesleecoleman

Languages take a lot of time and sometimes resources. Depending on the language, you'll be spending more time on a group of languages compared to others. For example, Spanish and Russian. I studied them both (Spanish in school and Russia on my own and in Russia). I can tell you right now that Russian will take a lot more time to learn compared to Spanish. On top of that, if you don't have the native language support, you might not learn the language quickly.

Being able to study for certifications along with another language will be tough but it can for sure be done. I'm not trying to discourage you but I'm just letting you know though my personal experience. Time management will come in while learning a language and you'll have to give up a little more of your time to study the language.

zeitgeist29

NetworkNewb wrote: »

Ahhh, you said it seems like it would be enjoyable, well in that case I take my concerns back.

It did just kinda come off as if your focus jumped around a lot in the past and were just going after this path because you heard they made a lot and the field is growing. I think a lot people are trying to jump on the security bandwagon for those reasons and end up finding out it is not all the fun they hoped for and end up disappointed. Hopefully it is something really do enjoy doing and wish you the best though.

Yea I probably should have made it more clear that I'm not doing it for the money or just jumping on the bandwagon. I did my research and the skills needed to become a network security engineer match up to what Im looking for in a career. It also is something that I can envision myself enjoying for the next 30+ years. I have no actual experience so it was tough reading the first chapter of the CCENT study guide but it made sense and the more I got into it the more I enjoy it. I look forward to studying each day and putting everything together so I can practice some lab stuff. The security aspect seems really interesting and I'm excited to work my way up and learn everything I can to become an expert in the field, even though it'll be tough, I'm 100% focused and dedicated. As far as learning a language I may just do it as a hobby. I can speak Spanish to a decent degree so perhaps I'll learn Portuguese. I also took Japanese in HS for 4 years and I enjoy the culture. We'll see how everything falls into place.

TheFORCE: I'll be 31 at the end of May. I'm just going to focused on getting my certs so I can get working and learn a language in my free time.