# About College Computer Security Careers



## S.C (Apr 13, 2008)

Hello, 

I'm looking forward to college, but I'm concerned about computer security careers and I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction of what courses to take or what type of careers are out there. I'd take any information handed to me. Thanks in advance. It's very appreciated. 


Stephanie


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

It depends on what you are looking for. What are you looking for in your "security career"? What do you want your job to be?


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## S.C (Apr 13, 2008)

Well, I want my job to deal with viruses/malware, etc. Or possibly just information service, like a help desk sort of thing. For example: Dell chat. Most of all, I'd like to be able to help people either a) secure their computers or b) just help them with general computer problems. 

Stephanie


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

To start off, you will most likely be going into a helpdesk / low-level desktop support position. For the IT support route, it is recommended you go the certification route over the degree route. For starters you will want to obtain the CompTIA A+ certification, which is the premier foundation certification out there for low-level support. Afterwards you have choices, such as the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), and so forth.

Your best bet in terms of location would be to take courses/programs provides by your local college/university/polytechnic institute.


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## S.C (Apr 13, 2008)

Thank you for the information you provided. 

What type of courses in my local college should I look to take to achieve those certificates? Your post has me a bit confused, to be honest. I'm not entirely sure where to turn to receive the certificates. Explain clearer, if possible. 

Stephanie


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

There are two methods of learning the information required for the certifications: being taught in a classroom environment, or through self-study. If you choose the class environment, such as through a course, then you should investigate your local colleges and see if they offer courses which teach for a specific certification (ie. a CompTIA A+ course). Whichever method you choose, you will need (or in the case of a course may be provided with) a book to study from. The book (should) be used as a "study guide". It is recommended when taking CompTIA certifications to obtain a book that has the CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum seal, such as Sybex's CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide (I highly recommend it).

To obtain the certification, you will need to take the certification exams at an authorized testing site, such as one provided by Prometric (go to the website to find a testing site near you - to write an exam you may need to register). Once you've written all of the required certification exams and have passed, you will be awarded the certification. Depending on your location it will take some time, but eventually it will come in the mail in the form of a full-sized certificate and a wallet card (which, personally, I carry in my wallet at all times to show on the rare occasion that "Yes, I know what I'm talking about"). :tongue:

You may find when going to a major computer support/repair outlet that there may be a sign which states it is a CompTIA A+ Authorized Service Center, which means at least half of its technical staff are A+ certified (or if it's a "Gold" center, then all of its staff). Call it a foundational standard - going to one means a customer can expect certain minimum standards in support.


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## S.C (Apr 13, 2008)

Thanks for the additional information. I'll try out what you say and hopefully be on my way towards a new career. :grin: 

I'm actually only in high school, so your information regarding college does not yet apply. Any ideas on what courses to take? I signed up for Computer and BASIC programming, trigonometry and discrete math for my senior year. Sadly, that's all my school really offers in the computer science spectrum. 

Once I obtain the certificate, do you have any other suggestions on where to go from there? By the way, I really appreciate all that you can give me. Getting ready for a career that I'm going to do my whole life is a bit confusing.

Also, what exactly does the certificate show? For example, if I showed someone my card, as you said, what would I be shown as an "expert" in? What exactly is the certificate showing that I'm well-equipped in?

Lastly, it seems like there's more than one type of the exam? Should I go for the Essentials one?


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

I am happy to help. :smile:

For high school: Take the IT/Computing classes provided. This will, at the very least, provide you with more exposure and should help close some of the gap you may face when learning the materials for the certification exams. Do not expect to get the real meat of your education in computing from high school - you can get that through post-secondary education.

After obtaining the certification: The CompTIA A+ certification is a great foundation certification, and should be considered the launching ground to start a career. Education-wise you should consider other certifications such as Network+ and Server+ from CompTIA, certifications from Microsoft, and so forth. Pacing is really up to you, and you can obtain a certification in a few weeks or few months (up to you). In the IT industry, "advancement" is commonly limited only by knowledge (ie. certifications) and experience (ie. work experience).

Certifications do not necessarily show "expertise". They simply show you possess "X" level of knowledge in something. The term "expert" is commonly thrown around all over the place, but in general a real expert is someone who possesses not only the knowledge but the experience in a given field. Which, if you think about it, makes perfect sense. Once you start looking into the certifications, what they teach and what they ask for, you will get an idea as to what it covers.

As for which exams to take, take a look at the following graphical table from the CompTIA A+ certification page which equates what you need to pass to gain certification:










Addendum: I should note the A+ certification was changed a little over a year ago, so "technically" there is more than one "flavour" of A+. The older version, such as those obtained by older farts like myself, used to be just one certification obtained through two exam components (Hardware and OS), however with the new version this is no longer the case.


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## S.C (Apr 13, 2008)

Thanks again. 

Do you recommend self-teaching myself to achieve the certificates or taking a course? 

After I receive the certificates, where should/could I go after that? And what types of courses do you recommend to take in college?


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

I highly recommend taking a course. While a course will undoubtedly cost more than just self-teaching, courses commonly come with a lot of hands-on instruction as well as the invaluable opportunity to learn things not taught in the books, not to mention the opportunity to pick the instructor's brains. Unless you have a good chunk of pre-existing knowledge and a bit of experience under your belt in working with computers, a course is a good idea. Some people have found the exams to be difficult due to their lack of experience (and remember, it costs money each time you write an exam, so while you can write it again if you fail it can cost you a couple hundred dollars). While I personally had few problems with the exams (and the material taught) due to already existing experience, I still found the class I took to be invaluable and do not regret the time and money spent. Consider your decision carefully.

Once you've obtained some level of certification, look into obtaining your first IT support job so you can start gaining experience. After that, continue to work on further advancing your education.

I should note that the "certification route" should not be confused with the more traditional "academic diploma/degree route". If you wish to take a career more towards programming, then the degree route is a good idea. All in all you can even do both, however how much time and money you wish to spend should be carefully considered.

Unfortunately I can not comment on what specific choices are available in your area. Fortunately almost all colleges have some form of course/career counseling available - these counselors can help you plan the more nitty-gritty in terms of details, so when the time comes do schedule an appointment with one.


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## S.C (Apr 13, 2008)

Alright. I have one more final question. 

As for the college/diploma route, could you be of any help to point me in a direction for what type of jobs are out there for my type of interests? 

Also, if I go the diploma route, do you know of any good colleges that will help me?


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

Unlike certifications, the more traditional academia route - such as getting a Bachelors in Computer Sciences - covers a wide variety of subjects (undergraduate) and stems out to more programming-centric areas (C++, Java, Web Design, etc.) instead of support-centric. The kinds of jobs you could get would be as a programmer/developer or web designer, things like that.

In terms of colleges it, again, depends on where you live and how your situation is. I would start with talking to, for example, your computer teacher and your school's counsellor and go from there.


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