Tim Keefe ⋅ Washington, DC U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 6 years served

For the Federal government, and especially DoD, certifications carry more weight than experience due to the 8570 requirement. This applies to both Federal employees and contractors.

Summary here:

http://iase.disa.mil/iawip/Pages/iabaseline.aspx

Kenneth Myers ⋅ Springfield, VA Unisys ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Alex,

What do you want to do? System admin, security, network, virtualization, cloud, do? Is there a specific field you are trying to focus on?

A good first start would be to do what George suggested and look for IT jobs that interest you and look at what they require.

I would say experience plays more then a cert but they also help.
System Admin - Microsoft, Red Hat, VMware, Oracle, etc
IT PM - PMP, CGEIT
Security - CISSP, CISM, CEH, GIAC

A combination of experience, education, and Certs. Message me if you have any other questions.

June R Massoud ⋅ Burlington, VT School Boards/Teaching, Tutoring Business and Technical Business ⋅ 25 years experience

Sometimes you don't need an excessive amount of certification, but rather experience in cybersecurity. Why don't you join Open Source projects and offer to do cybersecurity for them as a volunteer for starters so you'll have something to put on your resume?
Hope this helps. Regards, June R Massoud

Bernie Penkin ⋅ Vancouver, WA U.S. Coast Guard, Chief Petty Officer ⋅ 24 years served

Great topic. I got my degree last year and still haven't even gotten a call back on job applications. The deck is stacked against me because I don't currently work in IT and only have one certification. Post 9/11 doesn't pay for certification classes either and they are too expesive for my budget.

Ken, would it be OK if I contacted you about the VA?

Ken Friend ⋅ Tecumseh, OK Northrop Grumman ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Alex,

I wanted to share with you that the VA Office of Economic Opportunity is launching a pilot education program entitled Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs). These programs are available to transitioning Servicemembers and Veterans at no cost, and will help them gain the skills and earn the credentials they need to secure meaningful civilian jobs in high-demand industries.

This pilot program is part of VA’s new Veterans Economic Communities Initiative (VECI), which promotes education and employment opportunities for Veterans at the community level, in which many of you know from my role as the Economic Liaison representing the Jacksonville area. If you’d like more information about VECI and how to get involved, please contact me at 609-238-1662 or brian.bilski@calibresys.com. is running a

Judy Tomlinson ⋅ Richardson, TX Energy Future Holdings ⋅ 30 years experience

I spoke to a coworker who is in our IT Security Division and this is his reply... Thanks for your service and good luck in your job search. If you need a revised resume, let me know.
Judy Tomlinson tomlinsonjk@aol.com

Cisco offers several Network Security Certifications (Network skills are critical for security) These are technical certs for hands on security specialists and provide core knowledge needed
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/certifications/shared/compareSecurity_chart.pdf

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) 7+ years experience
The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert Security (CCIE Security) program recognizes individuals who have the knowledge and skills to implement, maintain and support extensive Cisco Network Security Solutions using the latest industry best practices and technologies.

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) 3-5 years experience
Cisco Certified Network Professional Security (CCNP Security) certification program is aligned specifically to the job role of the Cisco Network Security Engineer responsible for Security in Routers, Switches, Networking devices and appliances, as well as choosing, deploying, supporting and troubleshooting Firewalls, VPNS, and IDS/IPS solutions for their networking environments.

CCNA Routing and Switching Certification 1-3 years experience
Cisco Certified Network Associate Security (CCNA Security) validates associate-level knowledge and skills required to secure Cisco networks. With a CCNA Security certification, a network professional demonstrates the skills required to develop a security infrastructure, recognize threats and vulnerabilities to networks, and mitigate security threats. The CCNA Security curriculum emphasizes core security technologies, the installation, troubleshooting and monitoring of network devices to maintain integrity, confidentiality and availability of data and devices, and competency in the technologies that Cisco uses in its security structure.

There are also several Certifications offered by ISC2 (I have CISSP)
The CISSP is a broad Cert (not very deep)

CISSP Concentrations – 5 years +
For the CISSP certification, candidates must have 5 years of experience in 2 or more of the domains of the CISSP CBK.
CISSP-ISSAP (Architecture)
CISSP-ISSEP (Engineering)
CISSP-ISSMP (Management)
For the CISSP-ISSAP, CISSP-ISSEP and the CISSP-ISSMP, candidates must demonstrate 2 years of professional work experience in the area of their concentration.

ICS2 also overs several other Certs as well
https://www.isc2.org/choosing-the-right-credential.aspx

Bob Schaefer ⋅ Garland, TX Raytheon ⋅ 9 years experience

Alex,
After doing a quick search on our Raytheon jobs board, I find we have 448 openings in the area of cyber!
There's a wild range of requirements, like many have mentioned and I won't cover that area again. I would strive to get into one of the larger companies, like Raytheon and then get your needed certifications paid for by the company. You can take one of two tracks in almost any job, being a "doer" or leading others. In the cyber careers area, there is a heavier need for experts and "doers" right now but leading teams is also very important.
So, certifications will depend on the track you take.
Good luck and start applying!
Bob

Christopher Ahlberg ⋅ Holtsville, NY Recorded Future, Inc. ⋅ 15 years experience

Alex - I know a fair amount about this area. Drop me a note at c AT recordedfuture DOT com and we can find way to chat.

David Limato ⋅ Fremont, CA Hewlett Packard ⋅ 15 years experience

Hello Alex. In addition to all the great responses, what is you Background in IT? SysAdmin? Linux, Windows, Networking?

I suggest you make Contacts on Linked in. Get a recruiter on your side. Feel free to add me as a contact.

Perl and Python Programming are in high demand. If you are proficient in these areas I would bypass IT job and look specifically for QA Test Jobs. Its a rewarding career.
Best of Luck.
Dave

Matthew Russell ⋅ Houston, TX U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 6 years served

Your best bet it to spend some money and to take a month of bootcamps. Basically you take 5 days of classes teaching the material, and you take your exam on Saturday. Figure out what function you want to work in Cyber and then find the most popular certs for that job field. IT certs definitely matter more than degrees, especially if you have the job experience from the military.

George Wilhelmsen ⋅ Rochelle, IL Sargent & Lundy ⋅ 38 years experience

Hi Alex!

Certs aren't the answer as much as desire.

Exelon (and other utilities - you have two nuclear plants in Texas) are hiring Cyber Security staff now.

Check out Monster.com - this is what Exleon wants for a Cyber Engineer:

* Bachelors degree in Computer Science or Engineering related discipline and at least 7 years experience in IT or engineering.

* Appropriate technical skills in engineering and IT.

* Nuclear related experience

* Comprehensive understanding of change management techniques associated with new technology
implementation.

* Demonstrate leadership ability.

* Strong judgment, excellent analytical ability and consulting skills.

* Excellent communications skills and ability to work effectively with all levels of IT and engineering.

Preferred:

* Three to five years cyber security tools and schema experience

The BS degree is the key. They can and do flex for people with the right experience, so my suggestion is apply and see if you get an interview.

Like they say for the lottery, you can't win if you don't play.

If you can shoot me your resume, I'll hand it to the Hiring Manager and HR to see if there is any interest. If you love Texas (who doesn't), you can look up the utilities that run Comanche Peak and South Texas Project (TXU?) and see if they have any openings.

Good luck, and thank you for your service to our country!

George Wilhelmsen