CCNA, CCNA: Security, Security+, A+, 1 year from graduation..no experience

This year I realized I wanted to get into the IT field..so I passed some certs.

With CCNA, CCNA: S, Security+, A+, and 1 year from my BS in IT security and NO experience (worst part)..should I still expect to start in a helpdesk position?

My overall goal is to get into the security side (pentesting, network defense)......I know I cant go directly into the security field without experience..but your advice and knowledge would be great.

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Comments

QHalo

F the Helpdesk, shoot for a NOC job if you want to get into network defense. Should give you a foundation to apply what you've learned thus far.

coty24

Agreed! Helpdesk, is ok if you want to be stagnant in your career, QHalo is right, go for NOC

higherho

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

This year I realized I wanted to get into the IT field..so I passed some certs.

With CCNA, CCNA: S, Security+, A+, and 1 year from my BS in IT security and NO experience (worst part)..should I still expect to start in a helpdesk position?

My overall goal is to get into the security side (pentesting, network defense)......I know I cant go directly into the security field without experience..but your advice and knowledge would be great.

You would be surprised what you can get into with government contracting! IF you live anywhere near FT Meade Maryland I know a couple of contractors that need CCNA folk to help them out! You would be part of a Network Engineering team for DISA.

With your credentials do not settle for anything less than a NOC job. Honestly if you know Cisco well enough go for a Network Administrator / Engineer position. Universities are a good start too.

I have a friend with similar degrees / certs like you and he is working for Northrop as a Security Engineer.

CodeBlox

I wouldn't discount the helpdesk altogether -_- it's giving me a chance. And I have a great chance of getting to where I want because of this helpdesk job. They have opportunity beyond the helpdesk within the company, you just have to prove your chops.

Jinuyr

While the stigma of being stagnant exists heavily with Help Desk positions don't discount it completely. There are a few things you can definitely learn if you feel that they are things you are lacking or need experience in for future development.

If not, then by all means get a contractor job or a NOC position.

YuckTheFankees

thanks for the input everyone. Dont get me wrong, I'll work helpdesk if I have too....But I hope someone will take a chance on me for a NOC or junior admin job.

jamesleecoleman

I suggest that you use Job Search | one search. all jobs. Indeed.com to look for NOC jobs.

YuckTheFankees

Definitely..Ill start applying soon but Ill need to work on my resume first.

jamesleecoleman

If you post your resume, I think that some people might help you out. If you want some advice.

it_consultant

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

I suggest that you use Job Search | one search. all jobs. Indeed.com to look for NOC jobs.

Do people get NOC jobs without any experience?

Hypntick

There is one major thing the help desk will teach you, infinite patience. Also it will teach you the ability to stay calm under pressure. If you can deal with an end user being a complete jackass to you, just about yelling at you, you can deal with just about anything.

CodeBlox

before starting this help desk job, I THOUGHT I knew a lot. This job is teaching me new things everyday. A LOT OF NEW THINGS! I will feel confident putting certain things on my resume after I am ready to move on from this position, I just know it. There have been times where I've had the aggressive user calling in. Just stay calm and keep control of the call.

I was trying to get into a NOC too but I think I'm glad I got this position first. We have a NOC here, and it's my goal to get there. I was told that I have to "pay my dues" on the help desk first by a few people here. Then I would have a good chance of getting in the NOC here.

YuckTheFankees

I'm second guessing Helpdesk because Ive seen the pay range from 10.50-16.00. Having the CCNA, CCNA:S, S+, A+..I would think my talent would be worth more than 11-13 dollars. I could be wrong though.

Is there another cert that I should go for that will impress employers?

One thing that is on my side, Denver has a pretty good job market.

higherho

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

I'm second guessing Helpdesk because Ive seen the pay range from 10.50-16.00. Having the CCNA, CCNA:S, S+, A+..I would think my talent would be worth more than 11-13 dollars. I could be wrong though.

Is there another cert that I should go for that will impress employers?

One thing that is on my side, Denver has a pretty good job market.

Depends what you are searching for. I honestly think you have enough credentials. Seriously the degree's and certs you have are good associate level certs and a high level degree.

Impressing employers takes more than just certs. Dedication, how you sell your self, personality, and who you know is what you should be focusing on now.

If you have to take a lower paying job just to get what you want then take it. Some people will not take you because of the "no exp" trade mark and that can hurt your chances but I cannot see why you would not be able to get a NOC job.

afcyung

My overall goal is to get into the security side (pentesting, network defense)

You need to look at your end goal. You need to be knowledgeable in all areas of the network.

YuckTheFankees

higherho wrote: »

Depends what you are searching for. I honestly think you have enough credentials. Seriously the degree's and certs you have are good associate level certs and a high level degree.

Impressing employers takes more than just certs. Dedication, how you sell your self, personality, and who you know is what you should be focusing on now.

If you have to take a lower paying job just to get what you want then take it. Some people will not take you because of the "no exp" trade mark and that can hurt your chances but I cannot see why you would not be able to get a NOC job.

Thanks for the advice. If it comes down to it and all I can get is a low paying helpdesk job, I would take it ( I need experience more than anything). NOC is going to be my goal for right now and I do need to start networking a little bit.

RobertKaucher

it_consultant wrote: »

Do people get NOC jobs without any experience?

Yes. My best friend just completed his CCNA and was attending a Cisco Academy. He got a job with one of the largest ISPs in our area. First IT related job. It's third shift, but it's something. Over 40K per year.

YuckTheFankees

afcyung wrote: »

You need to look at your end goal. You need to be knowledgeable in all areas of the network.

Being knowledgeable in all areas pretty much goes without saying. I have a good idea what it will take to get my dream job but I'm not going to cut corners to get there. Skipping helpdesk to go NOC would be a good move for me. Ive read from so many people that all they do is reset passwords 85% of the time and deal with an occasional rude co-workers. But then again, some people have helpdesk jobs where they get their hands on some good work experience.

RobertKaucher

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

Being knowledgeable in all areas pretty much goes without saying. I have a good idea what it will take to get my dream job but I'm not going to cut corners to get there. Skipping helpdesk to go NOC would be a good move for me. Ive read from so many people that all they do is reset passwords 85% of the time and deal with an occasional rude co-workers. But then again, some people have helpdesk jobs where they get their hands on some good work experience.

Putting it this way suggests that there is a direct path between the two and there is not. Helpdesk is a waste of time if your desire is to get a networking job. I don't know how many helpdesk people I met who have said "next year is the year I go tot he NOC." But it never happens. Shoot for an entry level job that uses the skills and tranining you you have. This is not cutting corners.

mworwell

I agree totally. I was in the helpdesk for about 9 months before I got the junior network admin job I have now. There were people who had been there for 5+ years still trying to get out. I took the helpdesk job because I didn't have experience and I needed to start earning money. I live in Ohio, which has a terrible economy also. My experience in the helpdesk was not a good one, and now that I've moved past it I don't plan on ever going back.

YuckTheFankees

From the last two post, you both mentioned that you knew people who said they were going to make the jump to NOC but never did.. Was there a reason why they didnt?

Turgon

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

From the last two post, you both mentioned that you knew people who said they were going to make the jump to NOC but never did.. Was there a reason why they didnt?

Don't worry about what happened to other people or look for insights into what they did or did not do to progress their careers, just concentrate on getting that break. Contrary to popular belief the helpdesk is not designed to be a nursery of IT talent. It's primary task is to be the basket where all the enduser problems drop into and get sorted. Service desk is something to be endured if you can't find a better way into the industry, it is not an apprenticeship to a high flying career. You have enough certifications at this time, I would spend your energies on working your CV and making more calls to find a good first job in IT. There are may potential avenues for your first job. The mainthing is land one and soon, even if it is helpdesk, because you dont want to be another overqualified noob who a year after finishing the CCNA still hasn't found a position.

snokerpoker

Turgon wrote: »

Don't worry about what happened to other people or look for insights into what they did or did not do to progress their careers, just concentrate on getting that break. Contrary to popular belief the helpdesk is not designed to be a nursery of IT talent. It's primary task is to be the basket where all the enduser problems drop into and get sorted. Service desk is something to be endured if you can't find a better way into the industry, it is not an apprenticeship to a high flying career. You have enough certifications at this time, I would spend your energies on working your CV and making more calls to find a good first job in IT. There are may potential avenues for your first job. The mainthing is land one and soon, even if it is helpdesk, because you dont want to be another overqualified noob who a year after finishing the CCNA still hasn't found a position.

The last part is so true!

YuckTheFankees

Turgon wrote: »

Don't worry about what happened to other people or look for insights into what they did or did not do to progress their careers, just concentrate on getting that break. Contrary to popular belief the helpdesk is not designed to be a nursery of IT talent. It's primary task is to be the basket where all the enduser problems drop into and get sorted. Service desk is something to be endured if you can't find a better way into the industry, it is not an apprenticeship to a high flying career. You have enough certifications at this time, I would spend your energies on working your CV and making more calls to find a good first job in IT. There are may potential avenues for your first job. The mainthing is land one and soon, even if it is helpdesk, because you dont want to be another overqualified noob who a year after finishing the CCNA still hasn't found a position.

Thats a good point, thanks for the insight.

As for my resume..my girlfriends dad pretty much told me it sucked. Im in my early 20's and Ive been in the financial/ investment call center job for the past 3 years. So my resume was good enough to land those type of jobs but from the feedback I received from my gf's dad...its not good enough for "real" jobs lol. I do not know where to begin with an IT resume. How do I make my resume unique, do I put my certs at the top,how do I describe my past jobs, I'm 1 year away from graduation..do I still put that on my resume?

RobertKaucher

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

From the last two post, you both mentioned that you knew people who said they were going to make the jump to NOC but never did.. Was there a reason why they didnt?

I don't think they really understood what had to be done to make the jump. None of them continued with certifications, nor did they really attemp to better themselves. They just grew stagnant and bitter. Think Nick Burns.

But look at my post about my friend who jumped to the NOC from the gate. No experience. Busted his a$$ on his CCNA and earned the respect of several people already working for a large ISP. Next thing you know he's working with them.

YuckTheFankees

do you have a link to that thread?

Turgon

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

Thats a good point, thanks for the insight.

As for my resume..my girlfriends dad pretty much told me it sucked. Im in my early 20's and Ive been in the financial/ investment call center job for the past 3 years. So my resume was good enough to land those type of jobs but from the feedback I received from my gf's dad...its not good enough for "real" jobs lol. I do not know where to begin with an IT resume. How do I make my resume unique, do I put my certs at the top,how do I describe my past jobs, I'm 1 year away from graduation..do I still put that on my resume?

There are many decent posts on TE about CV generation so I recommend you find those and look for examples. As for a break for when you graduate you need to start looking now before you spin out of college. You want to avoid getting an IT job that simply ends up givng you another 3 years 'call centre' experience as it's a career graveyard. You want something more dynamic than that. Look for opportunities with solutions providers and MS/Cisco partners, organisations that design network solutions for clients and see if you can be taken on there. You will get hands on experience and exposure to commercial work which could lead to a bright career as a designer a few years down the track.

A lot of people seem to want to work security to get into a government job today but everyone is at that and I expect a lot of those people to be out of work over the next few years. The spending on this in it's current form simply isn't sustainable, there is a lot of waste and it will contract in terms of headcount. If the job has been 'comfortable' then you dont spin out into the private sector hiring space with excellent experience you can leverage to get a good job there. You have a lot of research to do to find the companies you need to contact. You then have a lot of work to do to contact them. I suggest you put the certification books down for a couple of months and concentrate on the job search.

citinerd

In my area I had a hard time getting a job. I had CCNA, A+, Net+, and MCDST. In 1 and 1/2 years I only got 4 call backs and 2 face to face interviews. I think too many Certs and no experience hurt me. I am sure my resume wasn't too great either. This is something no one likes to hear but go volunteer. The company I work at now almost always hires a past intern or volunteer before going to the general public. It is a try before you buy. Good luck on your job search and post your resume here. The TE'ers are really good at giving you good suggestions.

Turgon

citinerd wrote: »

In my area I had a hard time getting a job. I had CCNA, A+, Net+, and MCDST. In 1 and 1/2 years I only got 4 call backs and 2 face to face interviews. I think too many Certs and no experience hurt me. I am sure my resume wasn't too great either. This is something no one likes to hear but go volunteer. The company I work at now almost always hires a past intern or volunteer before going to the general public. It is a try before you buy. Good luck on your job search and post your resume here. The TE'ers are really good at giving you good suggestions.

It's a common problem, but you are correct. That's why it's vital to get as much hands on exposure in the field as you can doing actual work either paid or unpaid. Companies are very dependent on 'running' their technology today as opposed to throwing it together like they did in the late nineties when it was all so new. So they are looking for people who have demonstrable experience.

YuckTheFankees

Last week I did email 4-5 companies in my area but I did not get a single email back. I was mostly emailing computer repair shops which thinking about it now, probably wasnt the best idea. What type of companies should I volunteer for?

As far as having too many certs and no experience..Im just following the WGU course work, so I cant stop taking certs but once I graduate with my BS. Wont my degree just had to being overqualified?