# Thinking about a career in cyber security/network security... Need help, please...



## tony8404

Hello to all, 

I am in a bind here, I am a 32 year old male with 2 young children and I am married in chicago, with just a dead end job. I really want to have a career not just a job. 
I really want to go back to school but trying to figure out what i want to do is killing me. 
Recently, I was going to a trade school for electronics, it was not what i was told it was going to be or anything near being an engineer/technician career. 
The only option for me with electronics, would be full time school, which I cannot do, due to my life. I tried looking for night time courses but there far from none. I have been reading a great deal about electronics on my own but have come to the conclusion to start looking at other options. 
When i graduated high school I was working as a computer technician but that company went under and at the time i was going to a community college for Management Information Systems, though that was back in 1996 when the computer industry started to go under. So i bailed on that thinking i would spend all that money and not be able to get a job.
So here I am looking for some advice or guidance on how to go about getting a career in cyber security or network security. I am still not even sure if i have the correct name for the field.
I had found that ITT-tech has an online assosciate or bachelors degree in cyber security which i can do.

Except i am not sure if online education is any good to an employer? 

Can someone help me with how to go about or advice on getting a career in computer security? 

Is this a field to get into that has job security for the future?

Thank you... If anyone has any links that would be helpful as well...


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## Madcatz

First thing, Employeers will not be able to tell a difference between an online or class degree from ITT Tech. But the big thing to know about that is that to do the bachelors program from ITT, you would already need to have an associates degree or 90 credits in another college degree. I was looking into that one too, lol.

You can check out the ISC2 website for different security certifications. 
http://www.isc2.org/default.aspx

First cert you'd want to go for is the CEH - Certified Ethical Hacker. Which will be able to get you a job as a security tester or network penetration tester. Then you will start meeting the requirements for the ISC2 certifications.

As for job security? do you think universities or multi-million or billion dollar companies would want to let people have free access to thier data and not protect thier networks? Every company with something to protect has need for security experts, even the government.


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## tony8404

I am looking into Chaplain college for a bachelors degree in either computer/networking security or computer forensics... Which of the two would be a better choice? I am researching both of them but wonder what your opinions are on the two. 

I was thinking of taking some certs first, A+, Network+, Security+ because i only have my own experience so far but i have been messing with pc's since i was 8 and i am now 32 lol. 

Then I will either be going the bachelors route or getting cisco certified. As i have heard, if you are cisco certified you can get hired with limited experience but if I was microsoft certified, I would need years of experience. I am not trying to take short cuts but i want to know which is the best route to take. 
One positive about the bachelor route, is that it is online learning. For me this is great due to full time job and family, I have to small children and plan not to take to much time from them. With that said i have heard computer forensics is long work hours, is this true? 
Out of the computer forensics and the computer/networking security careers, do they both require long work hours? Belive me i do not need a job that will replace my family. thanks


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## Madcatz

as for what is the better choice, that is something that you need t answer for yourself. Network security and forensics are really two different fields. Forensics is in part, data recovery and sorting through data bit by bit looking for evidence, logging that, and there will also be court appearances where you will testify. A good idea of what it is can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_forensics

Network security is just that, protecting a network and its data from outside sources, such as hackers, crackers, viruses, trojans, and spyware.

As for work hours and overtime, I couldn't say. But it is possible with both jobs.

As for certain certifications getting you hired with less experience, it depends on the certification since some of them require you to have a certain amount of experience. One for instance is the Microsoft Certifed Master cert, last I looked only two people in the world held that. But comparing a cisco ccna cert to a microsoft mcse, and your going to get hired by what the job actually is, if your a ccna and that is it, then you don't know jack skippy about microsoft servers or active directory like someone that is mcse certified. you don't apply for the same jobs if you have a ccna or mcse cert, and you don't have to have experience for either one to be hired, but it usually helps alot.


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## tony8404

Wow, that is what gets me, is all the decision making.

Let me ask you this, since i have no degree or certs under my belt, should i start off with a+, network +, security + and then go onto CEH and then onto isc2 certs? Or would it be better to get a bachelors degree in security and then onto isc2 certs?

I am sorry for sounding like i just want the answer, but that is not the case, I just want to make sure to start off in the correct spot. I feel if i talk to a school or a person at one of these cert places, they wont care, all they want to do is fill in empty spots for classes.
I was going for electrical engineering which i have been studying for the last two years on my own, after i had tried one of those trade schools and it was nothing but a paper mill, never was so disappointed. They promised me anything my ears wanted to hear...
Except recently i decided to change studies due to not being able to go to school full time for E.E. The only way i would be able to go to school online or in person is with computers. 
Like i had said, i just do not want to ask them, where do I start because then i will be walked on, all over again. I had spent 6,000 dollars at that trade school and have nothing to show for it at all. Once i found out, that what i was learning there i could get a job at comcast with just a hich school diploma. I questioned why would i spend 12,000 dollars for this certification when i already have a high school diploma and can get the job with just that. They said you will have the knowledge a high schooler wont have which gives you the edge to make more money. I could not believe what i heard from them and quit.


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## Madcatz

for your first question...do both. go to school, get your degree, that will help out alot in teaching you what you need to know to get some or all of these certifications. Get the certs while you are in school. you don't really need an A+ unless you want to do PC repair too though, lol.

but what I mean is, take the networking fundamentals class, then take the network+ cert. penetration testing classes then do teh CEH cert and so on.

But, as for the technical schools, yes, quite a few of them are just a big scam. I'd suggest a college or university if you wanted to take classes somewhere. That's what I'm doing now, and yep, I got two little ones and a wife myself, but two classes in a building and one online class works out good for us, and I still get alot of time with her and the kids.

But main thing is, I know you don't want to take away time from them, but your also doing this for them. Make a sacrifice of 2 or 3 nights a week if you need to, but it is VERY important that you do something that is FUN to you and something you want to do and enjoy doing. Not something you corner yourself into doing and won't be happy with it.


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## SirGeeO

^may I also add, one that you won't be happy with when your greyed and just want that vacation with the kids. Working a career promises that won't happen, a job doesn't. I definitely enjoyed reading this post, helped me alot in making my next decisions. Thanks alot Tone and Catz!!


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## hhnq04

To avoid finding another paper mill, look into what schools around you (and online ones) are accredited. I don't know a whole lot about the different accreditation organizations, I just know that my school (University of Michigan) is ABET accredited. I'm assuming it's a good organization to be recognized by, as UM is a great school and they certainly worry about the times they have to renew the accreditation.

For some info regarding accreditation, I google'd around and found this site that sort of explains the reasoning and importance behind it. I'm sure there's more info out there, but this gives you a quick overview, which is probably about all you need. Good luck in your search.


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## blackbeagle

tony8404 said:


> Wow, that is what gets me, is all the decision making.
> 
> Let me ask you this, since i have no degree or certs under my belt, should i start off with a+, network +, security + and then go onto CEH and then onto isc2 certs? Or would it be better to get a bachelors degree in security and then onto isc2 certs?
> 
> I am sorry for sounding like i just want the answer, but that is not the case, I just want to make sure to start off in the correct spot. I feel if i talk to a school or a person at one of these cert places, they wont care, all they want to do is fill in empty spots for classes.
> I was going for electrical engineering which i have been studying for the last two years on my own, after i had tried one of those trade schools and it was nothing but a paper mill, never was so disappointed. They promised me anything my ears wanted to hear...
> Except recently i decided to change studies due to not being able to go to school full time for E.E. The only way i would be able to go to school online or in person is with computers.
> Like i had said, i just do not want to ask them, where do I start because then i will be walked on, all over again. I had spent 6,000 dollars at that trade school and have nothing to show for it at all. Once i found out, that what i was learning there i could get a job at comcast with just a hich school diploma. I questioned why would i spend 12,000 dollars for this certification when i already have a high school diploma and can get the job with just that. They said you will have the knowledge a high schooler wont have which gives you the edge to make more money. I could not believe what i heard from them and quit.



My suggestion to you is NOT to take online classes. You don't get the 'hands on' experience. This will be crucial. Yes, you might be able to land a job with your degree, but if you can't perform, you'll be fired. It'll be twice as hard to find a job then. 

Look at schools that offers 'hybrid' programs. That is some on campus and some online. ITT does offer such. Take all of your 'core' classes on campus and take your Gen Eds online. 

You want your resume to say, Completed Bachelor's of Science degree in IT from XYZ college rather than, A+ Certified. You'll get no where with that. 

Do what it takes to apply your previous credits towards your new school. Try to petition for as many classes as possible to tranfer in so you don't spend more time/money. 

Good luck-


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