Career Advice- Need help with Cybersecurity Certifications
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Career Advice- Need help with Cybersecurity Certifications
Hey everyone, so I`m a fresher with no experience having a CS degree, few months back I got some job offers to work as IT helpdesk/associate but I thought the payout was very less so I decided to go for networking (even tho it was not the first thing I like to do) and started learning CCNA topics, last month I cleared CCNA R&S in first attempt and started looking for job again, got some offers but still no good payout (300$ a month). Ik it`s very low as compared to global standards but job market is over saturated here.
Anyways, now I have a degree & CCNA, I started searching about cybersecurity and came to know about CEH/Associate ISC2 certifications, so right now I`m stuck deciding if I should go for CEH (will take around 2 months or so) or just get a IT support/Networking job to gain some experience and then after 6 months or so look towards cybersecurity? As I said, networking is fine but I do prefer working in security areas anytime over configuring routers/switches all day.
I wouldn't really recommend CEH, whilst what you learn may be useful to you the certification is a joke amongst security professionals where I come from. OSCP is the way to go if you have chosen to pursue ethical hacking. Lots of material online to help prepare for it and of their journey completing it.
Originally Posted by asha101
I wouldn't really recommend CEH, whilst what you learn may be useful to you the certification is a joke amongst security professionals where I come from. OSCP is the way to go if you have chosen to pursue ethical hacking. Lots of material online to help prepare for it and of their journey completing it.
Thanks for the reply, I understand OSCP is among the top dogs in security field but as I said I don`t have any realtime job experience right now & even if I do CEH I`ll be looking at some entry level security positions to start, do you think a CEH will hold good with a CCNA for entry level security jobs? I`m considering this as I would prefer starting my career with security position instead of networking.
There are pros and cons with each of the choices you have. Gaining a certification (IF you pass 1st time) will require time to learn and revise the subject matter. From what you have said it seems like maybe you will have a bit of work to do on the Security side of things - 2-3 months by your guestimate). This is time during which you won`t be earning any kind of significant money; you may be able to fit your studies around flipping burgers at Mickey D`s but realistically you`ll want to focus your thinking on your studies to ensure you don`t have the added downtime of a retake. Also remember that having professional certs whilst undoubtedly beneficial, do not provide an instant "get rich quick". You`ll still have to start in a basic role and get a few years experience before any kind of significant salaries can be anticipated.
Taking an IT/Support role is a valid choice. You may not be earning a fortune but you will be gaining valuable experience and quite a few of the Security Certs require security-related experience. Depending on the work you do in the IT role you may be able to "massage" the roles etc to suit your requirements. Whatever else you`ll be pulling down some cash which whilst not what you may ultimately aspire to, will be considerably more than the f**k all you`ll get when taking the study path.
The days when pieces of paper meant everything seem to be increasingly a thing of the past and employers undoubtedly look favourably upon experience providing it is in an appropriate field.
Ultimately both choice have benefits and drawbacks and it depends on your own personal inclination. Most of all do what you want, what you feel would be best. Ponder long and hard before hand and consider all that is involved with the potential choices and then make your decision. But once you've made your decision stick with it, be disciplined and put the graft in and I`m sure your efforts will be rewarded.
Failing that sack it all, travel to the Amazon and drop a trip or two in the form of some native plantlife and see where that takes you. It`s all up to you mate ... try it and see!
Originally Posted by Ez-E
There are pros and cons with each of the choices you have. Gaining a certification (IF you pass 1st time) will require time to learn and revise the subject matter. From what you have said it seems like maybe you will have a bit of work to do on the Security side of things - 2-3 months by your guestimate). This is time during which you won`t be earning any kind of significant money; you may be able to fit your studies around flipping burgers at Mickey D`s but realistically you`ll want to focus your thinking on your studies to ensure you don`t have the added downtime of a retake. Also remember that having professional certs whilst undoubtedly beneficial, do not provide an instant "get rich quick". You`ll still have to start in a basic role and get a few years experience before any kind of significant salaries can be anticipated.
Taking an IT/Support role is a valid choice. You may not be earning a fortune but you will be gaining valuable experience and quite a few of the Security Certs require security-related experience. Depending on the work you do in the IT role you may be able to "massage" the roles etc to suit your requirements. Whatever else you`ll be pulling down some cash which whilst not what you may ultimately aspire to, will be considerably more than the f**k all you`ll get when taking the study path.
The days when pieces of paper meant everything seem to be increasingly a thing of the past and employers undoubtedly look favourably upon experience providing it is in an appropriate field.
Ultimately both choice have benefits and drawbacks and it depends on your own personal inclination. Most of all do what you want, what you feel would be best. Ponder long and hard before hand and consider all that is involved with the potential choices and then make your decision. But once you've made your decision stick with it, be disciplined and put the graft in and I`m sure your efforts will be rewarded.
Failing that sack it all, travel to the Amazon and drop a trip or two in the form of some native plantlife and see where that takes you. It`s all up to you mate ... try it and see!
Really appreciate your advice I think I`ll get support/helpdesk level job first to gain some experience & then look forward to a more security focused position. Thanks for your help.
I would say take the networking job first.
Also, not sure if this roadmap would help you, but maybe instead of getting the CEH one you could settle for other certificates that would equip you for more general IT, which can help you get other positions that you can have whilst moving forward with cyber security? https://comptiacdn.azureedge.net/web...rsn=4798ecf9_2
I plan on getting the A+ and/or ITF+ certs.
most companies will reimburse you for getting certs if it aligns with ur job role
Get the certifications. They will help you in the long run (i.e. education).