William Shontz ⋅ Norristown, PA U.S. Army ⋅ 1 years experience

Best advice I can give is network, network and then network.

Look for an industry you want to be in / or company you want to work for.
Then ask for an informational interview from someone in a related space. Even large Fortune 500 companies employ people in CybSec and you wouldn't think to look there.

All of the advice above is solid. Keep at it.

Joe Engle ⋅ Indianapolis, IN Electrical/Software Eng. + MBA ⋅ 30 years experience

I just spoke with my friend, who was in cybersecurity for many years in a company with 1000+ employees.

Most smaller companies have general IT support people. When a company gets big enough, say 1000 employees, or if they have particularly sensitive data, then they will hire a cybersecurity specialist. There are fewer larger companies, but when they need cybersecurity specialists, they can attract people with experience. These may be some of the hurdles you are facing.

My friend suggests, get some training in general IT support and start with that sort of position. Once inside the company, you may be the one to handle whatever security needs the company has. At any rate, you will get IT experience and network with lots of people. That should get you into a good position to move more specifically into cybersecurity.
He also suggests, if you can take classes(IT or cybersecurity) at a local NC college, local businesses may tap the college for students with your interest. I.E. networking via the school.

Joshua thanks for your service.

Jeff Martin ⋅ Ashburn, VA The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ⋅ 25 years experience

I’d suggest that you network at the target company or industry. Use LinkedIn to find people already working there and reach out to them. Ask them the process they used to get hired and ask them to help you navigate the hiring process and if they are willing, ask them to submit you as a referral. These activities require much more time on your part but in my opinion would greatly increase your chances for success. Good luck!

Gary Rossi ⋅ Napa, CA The Coaches ⋅ 18 years experience

Network into a position by using Informational Interviews through LinkedIn - Find those individuals already in that space in LinkedIn and ask for informational interviews which many people do not use - also connect with me to have access to my network - https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyrossibaldrigecoach/ - you can also check out the Cyber Security Center of Excellence located in San Diego County

Jerry Welsh ⋅ Middleville, MI Master Military Transition Advisor/HPS GPO ⋅ 30 years experience

Joshua,
Typically I would recommend Informational Interviews, but given "who" you speak with they maybe limited on what they can say based upon operational security. I would seek some roles in the private sector, given this maybe where you would be looking. Informational Interviewing will provide you with networking, but also an idea of what employees in your sought after career do for living everyday. It also gives you the language they use and how they are measured in their daily work. Further, it would help to hop on a large job board and take a look at a good number of openings that sound like they fit your career goal. Be sure and keep track of requirements, SKA, experience, education, and certificates will all be helpful as you start setting up a "master" position template.
The more you know about the career from people working in it everyday and what companies are looking for when they are hiring, the better you will be able to prepare. Be sure and look into DOD Skillbridge when you reach the point where you would be eligible. These programs give great experience and networking opportunities. Thanks for your service and hope these suggestions help.

Richard Byrne ⋅ Hillsborough, NJ Intel Corporation ⋅ 53 years experience

I've added links to information & videos under these sections of my EE webpage that might be useful to you:
http://eehot.com/ee.html#infosec
http://eehot.com/ee.html#training
http://eehot.com/ee.html#networking - 1 yr FREE premium LinkedIn for veterans
http://eehot.com/ee.html#mentoring
http://eehot.com/ee.html#resumes
http://eehot.com/ee.html#recruiters
http://eehot.com/ee.html#jobs - commercial job search
http://eehot.com/ee.html#gjobs - Gov jobs

Commercial Job search CompTIA (your location 52 jobs)
https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=CompTIA&l=Concord%2C+NC&vjk=57f491d6eefef681

Fed. Gov search: "Information Security" your location (112 jobs)
https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?l=Concord%2C%20North%20Carolina&k=Information%20Security&p=1

ACP AdvisorNet Staff ⋅ New York, NY ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Joshua,

You might find some resources here: https://www.nist.gov/itl/applied-cybersecurity/nice/resources/veteran-resources .

Thank you for your service!