I am retiring from the Army with 21 years of experience in management and logistics. However I would like to pursue a career in Information Technology (Security). I have obtained my BS in Computer Studies (with focus in Networking) and I am currently pursuing an MS in Information Security. I have also obtained the CompTIA Net+/Sec+ certifications. My ultimate goal is to become and Information Security professional. So my question is what positions should I target in my job search to help me gain experience as I start my civilian career in Information Technology, towards my ultimate goal of becoming an Information Security professional.
Answers
Michael, you have chosen a great and growing field to pursue your education within but you have also identified a major issue that must be overcome before any of the above recommendations can be helpful- you have the degree but no relevant experience. Info Security (IS) or Information Security Management (ISM) is a critical field and therefore you should expect that every IS/ISM position will require some level of experience- we as Hiring Managers cannot afford to fill our most critical positions with inexperienced folks. That would be like hiring a Security Force that had taken classes about weapons but never actually fired them. Yes, it can be a Catch-22. If you find that you continue to face this obstacle, there are a couple of end-arounds. First, if you have any personal friends who own businesses and are willing to give you a shot running IS for their small business, this would offer you a moderate pay but allow you to accrue experience being the "ISM" for a small business, which could later be leveraged for another move. Secondly, you could start in a Service/ Help Desk position (entry-level) because these are the only IT positions that are true entry-level with no experience required and allow you to accrue experience. Additionally, you could just volunteer on the side for any non-profit organization and get your OJT as a volunteer IS specialist while you continue to work within your logistics experience.
Michael, there are a few different paths you can take, one is the vendor path. There you can work on products, services or sales engineering. Another option is to work for an internal IT organization securing that organization. There are also thousands of opportunities in the fed government. Please feel free to contact me directly if you need contacts in any of those areas. I have been in the security field for over 25 years and have a strong network.
Re: "you could just volunteer on the side for any non-profit organization and get your OJT as a volunteer IS specialist while you continue to work within your logistics experience."
It's good to know about the Mission Continues Service Fellowships for Veterans.
http://missioncontinues.org/fellowships/about-the-fellowship
excerpt: "A Mission Continues Fellowship involves 20 hours of service per week for 26 weeks at a local nonprofit organization. Fellows are encouraged to choose a nonprofit organization to serve based on their own personal passions. Current and Alumni Fellows have worked at organizations addressing issues ranging from disaster preparedness to education for low-income youth to training service dogs for wounded veterans. These host organizations include Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving."
Michael
We don't have an office in GA but at AVID Technical Resources we do staff a lot of remote jobs. Your skills are in demand so whether you consider contacting us (our site is www.avidtr.com or you could email us at info@avidtr.com) or conduct your job search in another way, I'm confident you'll find some success very soon! The IT sector has a 3.3% unemployment rate, which is very promising. Good luck!
-Sam
Master Sergeant (As a former E5, I don't call E8's and above by their first-name unless and until they ask me to.),
I suggest reaching out to industry/professional groups in your area. Hopefully these groups can offer career advice, mentoring and networking assistance. For example, there seems to be an International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc., (ISC)²® chapter in Atlanta, GA.
see:
https://www.isc2.org/CH-directory/default.aspx
Please provide feedback on your transition and progress, so we can learn and hopefully help other Veterans. What advice, resources, etc. has been most helpful? I think many Veterans are well-suited, due to their military experience, discipline and training, for careers in IT Security and Project Management, and I'd like to learn how we can help more Veterans successfully make the transition.
Michael, congrats on your military career! As it relates to security, it looks like you’ve already secured some solid certifications. If you haven’t already, take a look at the CISSP certification [web site listed below]. In addition, I recently acquired the CCSK certification, which also provides a good working knowledge of IT related security. Here are the website’s;
CCSK
https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/education/ccsk/faq/
CISSP
Larry, really appreciate the thorough answer! I would like to contact you directly to share my answers to some of these questions. Thanks
Thank you for your service. This topic is of particular interest to me since I have worked in IT Security for the last 13 years... almost accidentally... I came out of the Navy as an E7 Selectee and went to work and haven't stopped ... There are plenty of opportunities in IT Security and companies that would welcome your expertise and experience. I'm not sure if IT Security was in your MOS or it's something you've been working toward but lets consider both... First, consider what it is you like to do... do you like to work on teams or do you prefer to work independently?... notice I didn't say alone... do you like helping people solve problems or do you just like solving the problem yourself and moving on? I'll let you think about that...
For a very long time, IT Security was kind of a niche' market with hundreds of small to mid size companies jumping on the fear, uncertainty and dread bandwagon the runs rampant in business these days... In the early days it was largely a matter of building out infrastructure to accommodate the growth of the internet, web and other means of moving data around... Well most organizations are again shifting their infrastructure .. this time to cloud infrastructure largely driven by consumer demand and wireless technology... so the security problems still exist but the big boys have gotten into the game so big companies, like HP, IBM, Oracle etc. have been building their security portfolio's for several years now and are becoming formidable ...
The reason? Money... IT Security in general is a huge services and software opportunity that has really good margins... what does this mean to you?... well, it means that your experience, education and training will serve you well in the private sector... look for opportunities in services or management ... Don't be afraid to use your management experience for leverage into the field... also, remember, you are trainable and companies worth their salt will want to build on your experience...
Now if you're looking to get really hands on in the field, the field really needs good sales engineers and people who can talk security to customers... The hot technology these days is application security and SIEM.. google those and learn what you can about the industry.. network with people in the business...
If you're not ready for that there are a lot of technical support and customer service opportunities... One thing we lack in most organizations is leadership and the ability to solve non technical problems as well as technical problems... If you're trying to build experience and you're looking for something challenging I would suggest that you look for startup companies or smaller companies... Maybe you know someone and start your own business??? a lot of these small companies and start ups may not pay the most or have the best benefits but they will give you the broadest experience and an opportunity to wear several hats... I know several people who came into companies initially doing customer support and grew into full blown consultants in a couple of years... I've worked for 2 startups and presently work for HP and it's the difference in being part of a small agile responsive team and being part of a big slow moving machine.. One tip I will give you that you should consider is be willing to re-locate... There are a lot of opportunities in the Virginia/DC area... a lot!... and if you have recent military experience and you said you were working in management and logistics, you have a lot to offer... another tip I'll give you is that if you read a job description and it sounds like something you'd like to do, don't let your resume hold you back.. mostly a job description is a filter... Whatever you chose, I wish you the best of luck and a long prosperous career... I see you're in Stockbridge. Look me up on linkedin if you like.
regards
Larry
Susanne, thank you, that is one of my long term goals also but I am told it requires field experience and lots of study.
Judy, thank you I will do some research to see if they can assist.
I used to work for a company called Terramark International. They perform web/internet security for large corporations and governmental agencies. Their secure facilities are in several parts of the country and their headquarters are located in Irving, TX. Not sure what they look for in an applicant but if you contact their HR department, maybe they can give you some direction.
Michael,
My husband is a Security Guru and the one thing that has facilitated his forward progress is obtaining a CISSP.
Ute - Since I am transitioning from Logistics to IT...first I would like to start somewhere where I can build my practical knowledge about security hardware configuration and the like. But yes to join a security team would be excellent and move up to say audit team or consultant role. I don't work in the field yet, but I assume those that do well in auditing/consultant roles are those that have plenty of hands on experience.
Rick - Yes I would like to be put in contact with your network for opportunities. I have pursued Federal Government opportunities, however during the application question process I am basically disqualified because I of my lack of hands on experience. Not sure if you are familiar with the Federal hiring process but the application question scores are huge and if you don't answer questions as Subject Matter Expert your consideration ranking is low. As for the specific security field I am interested in services and products.
HP does have a site in Atlanta. I am not sure if there are security related job openings right now but as John said consider putting in an application if you are interested.
To get an idea of the different security fields and job functions see for example:
https://www.isc2.org/credentials/default.aspx
Are more technical, or interested in audits, or the organization side of security etc? Would you like to work as part of an IT security team, in software development or as a consultant? Those are a few items to consider I can think of.
John - As for Information Security professional term, I envision that as a team member responsible for hardening defenses, configuring IPS/IDS/firewalls, identifying attacks/sources, performing periodic audits, recommending balanced defense measures. Based off of that definition those are the duties/roles I am interested in performing.
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