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Basically, I’ve been thinking about moving from my current industry (higher education) to IT, and have an opportunity through my employer for a mostly free master’s degree. I’d be focusing on IT generally, and specializing in either cyber security or information systems after completion of core work. Any idea how tough it is to make this transition with no experience in the field? The school I’d be getting the degree from isn’t anywhere near top tier, but it is accredited and recognized by the NSA as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, which I assume means something. I know coding boot camps are becoming more popular these days, but they are expensive, as is a master’s from most other quality institutions.
By the way, I did my undergrad in international relations but started in information systems before switching, so I’ve always had some interest in the field. Also, my age is a bit of a concern. I just hit 30 and by the time I graduate at 32, would essentially be competing with people straight out of undergrad. I doubt my prior experience would have any bearing moving in this direction which is unfortunate as well.
Just looking for some general advice for people who might have knowledge in this area. Thanks!
Does your current employer have an IT department? Maybe meet with the head of that and see what opportunites could be there and what they'd want from you to get there? Otherwise you will be competing with recent grads most likely though work exerperience may give you a leg up. I'd pursue the masters because it's basically free and certainly won't hurt.
A Master's in something like cyber security with no hands-on experience is going to be like pretty much any other degree... possibly a checkbox to get through the door, but that's about it. Be prepared to start at the bottom, probably in a help desk role. Heck, you might want to get started that way without mentioning the degree... start to acquire hands-on and learn things, with no risk of being seen as "that guy" who already knows it all. What you're getting from your education IS valuable, but not in the trenches. Climb from help desk to a sysadmin role, learn new tech stacks, and then you can look at being an architect, IA, etc. and that's where the Master's will really shine. But assume you've got at least a couple of years of lower-level stuff.
You'll want to work on some industry certs, too... the CompTIA stuff is pretty foundational. If I were in your shoes, I'd want to go for the CISSP, maybe some SANS stuff, some Windows and Linux to show you've got your chops at the OS level, maybe a CCNA w/ Security to get the networking and tie in with the cyber angle. Do that, and you'll be making $3K a week in fairly short order :-)
As others have said, industry-recognised certifications are a must, especially in vmware, cloud, stack etc.
You must also consider that you're not just competing with graduates and/or people who have already had 2 or 3 years hands-on experience under their belts by the time you graduate.
So consider your specialist area carefully, otherwise it will be waste of time, money and effort.
A Master's in something like cyber security with no hands-on experience is going to be like pretty much any other degree... possibly a checkbox to get through the door, but that's about it. Be prepared to start at the bottom, probably in a help desk role. Heck, you might want to get started that way without mentioning the degree... start to acquire hands-on and learn things, with no risk of being seen as "that guy" who already knows it all. What you're getting from your education IS valuable, but not in the trenches. Climb from help desk to a sysadmin role, learn new tech stacks, and then you can look at being an architect, IA, etc. and that's where the Master's will really shine. But assume you've got at least a couple of years of lower-level stuff.
You'll want to work on some industry certs, too... the CompTIA stuff is pretty foundational. If I were in your shoes, I'd want to go for the CISSP, maybe some SANS stuff, some Windows and Linux to show you've got your chops at the OS level, maybe a CCNA w/ Security to get the networking and tie in with the cyber angle. Do that, and you'll be making $3K a week in fairly short order :-)
In a general sense, cert's without the experience is the same as a masters without experience. You can't even get a CISSP without at least 3 years of experience. 9/10 times, I'm gonna take the guy that has been pounding the keyboard configuring IOS over the guy who has a CCNA but no visible experience.
While the education will not cost $$, it will still cost something (time, effort, other opportunities). So that still needs to be considered. Specifically speaking for Cybersecurity - most of the programs will involve classes that will either prepare you for the basic certs (Sec + or CCNA). The key here is what can you do with it. IT Ops skills in general has a VERY short lifespan. Meaning what you know today may be useless in 3-5 years.
I would talk to the school about their career centers and if they are working with local companies. I serve on a board (with folks from other organizations) at the local community college where we provide guidance on the InfoSec curriculums there. As part of that, the school also are able to get internship and employment opportunities with these organizations. Being the DC area, there are a lot of contracting companies on the board. So I would ask if such an arrangement exists and who are on the board. In essence, if you want to get into this field, you need to get as much practical experience as you can get.
Almost all of the work done in IT departments doesn't involve coding. It's more about the ability to logically analyze a situation and work within a structured methodology.
I've been working for the past seven years in IT, my previous background was in software development methodologies and software quality assurance, including a five-year stint as a computer scientist working with NASA and the DoD (I have a Master's in computer science). Little of it involved coding -- more scripting than coding -- though I did design a programming language for one project. And guess what -- I did it all without "faking" anything!
IT is more for people who like putting together existing things, and supporting and maintaining them to meet an organization's needs. It's not cutting edge. The hours can suck. I personally am not crazy about IT work but it's a job until I retire in a few months.
Why IT? I work in IT and it's tough work for the most part. On call rotations, many roles have significant after hours or weekend requirements, most are exempt so no overtime. High turnover.
I would stay in high education, especially if it is a stable, public university.
By the way, I'm 70 and am working in IT for a big international bank. There are companies like Google that have a youth cult going, but there are also plenty of companies. If you have currently marketable skills and put in the effort to keep current, you'll find a job. I'm probably out of here end of May, but they'd like me to stay longer because of my expertise with collaboration software.
So, 30 years old -- I have shirts older than that. If I were 30 I wouldn't be worrying about it. More importantly, I think it's important to ask yourself the question Serious Conversation raised: why IT? There are plenty of other roles you can fill in the high-tech world. IT isn't for everyone -- it's certainly not my cup of tea.
Why IT? I work in IT and it's tough work for the most part. On call rotations, many roles have significant after hours or weekend requirements, most are exempt so no overtime. High turnover.
I would stay in high education, especially if it is a stable, public university.
Help desk and desktop support generally don't have on call or weekend work plus they are hourly especially at a school so needs to be approved but anything after that like system admin, developer, network admin, etc
weekends and after hours are the norm
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