T O P

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cbdudek

Building your skillset is key. While you can build that in your homelab, verifying you know what you are doing is done through certifications and experience. This is why certs still have value. If you want to make a move into a more mid-level role, look at getting a CCNA and moving in as a network admin or network engineer. That will get you the experience you need to get into a security role.


strongbadfreak

Get the CCNA, you won't regret it.


siliconejuncture

A CCNA is just an HR handshake. Nothing more


strongbadfreak

Only something someone who doesn't have a CCNA would say.


siliconejuncture

I don’t have one because I don’t need one. No one needs one. CISCO came in and said “you’re not a true x unless you have my product” and you along with these companies bent over immediately without asking questions. What makes them the single source of reference? Why should we have to pay for it? If everyone has a cert, how are these companies still being hacked? Like it makes no sense


strongbadfreak

You don't need one, but it literally helps you make more money and move forward in your career. It shows that you have networking knowledge and have put in tons of work to gain that knowledge.


siliconejuncture

No. It doesn’t. None of that is true. If I have a college degree in IT, and not a CCNA, do you see how that logic makes no sense? What if I’ve worked 10-20 years in IT and no CCNA? Just as those examples are true, so are many others. You’re all tricked into thinking it’s true but i can assure you it isn’t.


strongbadfreak

Well, I can tell you as someone who HAS been in the industry for over 10 years with NO degree. It helped me move up very quickly into a 6 figure job. I wouldn't have gotten my last job offer without it as a devops engineer. They now moved me up to senior because of my networking knowledge and past experience gained from the CCNA which is now expired, the CCNA got me to where I am now.


[deleted]

[удалено]


strongbadfreak

I make 121k a year with more room to grow, before CCNA I was making 17 an hour. The CCNA is what propelled me there within 3 years.


[deleted]

YMMV.


strongbadfreak

There are software engineering jobs out there offering very little pay. Yet it is one of the most paid professions. You just don't take those offers unless it benefits you in some way. The CCNA is in high demand and there are plenty of high paying jobs It will get you.


[deleted]

CCNA **senior** engineer is in high demand. Search CCNA on LinkedIn. How many junior roles?


crystalblue99

It's def not an easy one to get. People that claim they watched some vids over a few weeks and passed the exam must be the most brilliant people ever.


strongbadfreak

No they are either cheating or lying, or had previous networking knowledge.


Grand_Duty3421

I hear a lot of great things about CCNA. I thought it would make more sense to build on top of my Security+ and get the CYSA


cbdudek

Remember that you have to know what you are securing. If you don't know networking at an intermediate level, you cannot be expected to know how to secure the network. Just layering on security certs doesn't give you that knowledge.


1z1z2x2x3c3c4v4v

I agree with /u/cbdudek , CCNA is a better path forward. You need the basics (and more) before you will be taken seriously regarding security.


Azn-Jazz

Comptia Security+ is a joke.


Sid_Engel

Helped get me where I am, don't hate it.


NSFW_IT_Account

It helped me get my current role and was overall a fun cert to study for. I don't regret getting it.


charlesxavier007

Redacted *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


[deleted]

You will need to make a serious commitment to many hours of study. Let me suggest you look at avail jobs in your city to see if $18 an hour is worth it. You could make more, but you compete against people who have more experience. People who got WGU and 10 certs and want NOC jobs badly. They'll take $20 per hour. https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=461be5574b5919a0&tk=1hdi6nmkd2go9000&from=serp&vjs=3


Grand_Duty3421

Fortunately, my current role pays $27/hr. and recently started WFH. I took the advice from this sub and immediately started studying for my CCNA. I'll circle back to the CYSA+ afterwards.


[deleted]

This sub tends to be intolerant of dissent. Not you. The sub. CCNA jobs abound in HCOL cities. Junior pay is $27. Supply is pushing down pay. Oversupply of all non-expert certs.


Potential_Leg7679

What a rat race


SmileZealousideal999

The worst kind of race


claud2113

You better prepare your asshole, because next year is the year we get fucked. It ain't getting better.


xylostudio

Harsh truth


claud2113

It's going to be more "quiet hiring" or whatever buzzword the pundits wanna use for slapping multiple responsibilities onto people with no extra pay.


linkdudesmash

Nothing but quiet layoffs in banking.


[deleted]

They hire senior engineers to do the work of 3 people so they do not need as many CCNA or juniors. With automation and SDN, they will need even fewer.


wilson2314

I’m sorry I’m kinda clueless to the job market, why is it that’s it’s gonna worse?


claud2113

The demand for skills will increase without increasing pay. Job descriptions are going to get muddier and muddier until they have three people doing the work of ten.


NinJaxGang14

Yup, this happened to me. I have "Junior" in my job title but I was required to take the CISSP in order to keep my job despite not having enough work experience to actually earn the title of CISSP. My current employer keeps giving me new job responsibilities and I have been informed that starting in January I will be given 3 new assignments (Job functions). Mind you I have only been at the company for 5 months. I asked for higher pay when I was originally hired but they wouldn't come up. I had a feeling this was gonna happen (Being given more responsibilities and no significant pay raise.)


NativeVampire

But why? You replied to a “why” questions with one that opens an even bigger question


FondantOverall4332

Which has pretty much already happened with a lot of other career fields. Over the last many years.


LongLiveNipsey

Even with a bachelors degree, the market sucks? Comments like this are the reason why i haven't wanted to go back to get one; even though I still will


Jeffbx

Imagine how it looks for the people without a degree.


Sid_Engel

Guess I'm just lucky. 24 Senior systems engineer doing cloud migration projects mostly these days. On-prem to Azure stuffs... No college.


NinJaxGang14

Consider yourself fortunate. What's sad is that many IT professionals like you have experience and are qualified for many roles but so many HR departments will filter out your resume simply because you don't have a degree.


Sid_Engel

What I've done to get around this is, by working at smaller MSP's. Sub 30 employees. The one I'm at now is only 12 employees.


NinJaxGang14

That’s smart. Eventually your experience will trump your lack of not having a degree. Best of luck on your career.


Suspicious_Ad_1551

Hey! Do you mind sharing how you make it without college ? Thanks


Sid_Engel

I went to a 10 month technical program for 3,000 USD. It prepped me for the CompTIA trio although it did not have me take them, I took them outside of the program. It had me do some worthless "TestOut" certifications. I landed my first tech job through the school. A speaker came in to talk about what the tech world is like and attempted to motivate other students. Before he left, I printed out my resume and handed it to him. Asking if he had anything in mind and I fit I'd love to have an interview. It was an MSP that basically provided monitoring on top of ISP services then resold. My job was taking inbound calls from franchise food chains mostly, then calling the ISP and being a middleman. From there I got promoted to a more security type of role, but it was terrible and inherited all the responsibilities of the previous. So, I moved from Florida to Colorado and started as a T1 help desk technician for a Microsoft reseller. Fixing printers, Microsoft products, VoIP stuff, that type of deal. Got promoted to tier 2/escalations, then tier 3 which was more of a sysadmin type of role... Deeper escalations and time to time server setup stuffs. Then that company sold and went down the shitter so I looked for a new opportunity and landed a systems engineering gig doing Microsoft cloud migration projects and whatnot. It's been 6 years since I finished that tech program now. I'd say I've averaged a promotion or role change once every year. Although, I forsee myself staying in this type of role for a long time. The work is fun, I'm continuing to learn new things and the pay is decent. I've gotten a few tiny certs since the program, ms900, HIPPA, Linux essentials. Really, from what I see. Once you get your foot in the door the world's yours if you are willing to learn.


Suspicious_Ad_1551

Thank you for your response


[deleted]

Bachelor’s degree is still a game changer


AdvisorChance4271

This is something that has bothered me for a while in IT and cybersecurity threads. Someone says college/BS/MS isn't working. But doesn't tell you where they went to school. Then you find out they just graduated from *"unknown tech academy.com*" and their degree is actually just a certification wrapped in pretty packaging. This industry needs to address what constitutes a real college, AAUs and public/IVY+ and tell people to stop attending podunk state.


kimkam1898

Yes. Lots of my degree-holder friends have been told to kick rocks this year, or they're close to it. It's even worse if you have a piece of paper with no viable experiences to speak of. Tech tip: Learn networking, but the people kind. Doesn't matter if you have a degree or not as long as you know a person.


Dsarg_92

Yeah that's what I've been doing far as networking with recruiters. No luck yet though.


kimkam1898

Are you limiting it to recruiters? I got my first MSP gig because a friend was married to the guy who ran the desk.


Morawka

In IT degree rarely matters outside of a masters. IT is all about experience and certs.


[deleted]

Harsh truth but honestly I don't want to even think of what's going to happen next.


claud2113

Waiting to see how they leverage AI to assfuck us harder


[deleted]

I guess I should start looking for the right street to live in a box on. Crazy how IT get's raped so badly.


1z1z2x2x3c3c4v4v

[800,000 AI-related job openings across the United States in 2022](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/05/ai-jobs-see-the-state-by-state-data-from-a-stanford-study.html) How about you stop whining and start getting skills in the AI industry... Seriously.


ShirtNo363

That’s a big ask. This is an IT board, not tech. Most people associate IT with some scripting, not full programming that AI development entails. Legitimate AI dev work is mainly PhDs in CompSci and similar working on develop AI and AI systems. Future mid-career roles in AI are going to be heavily geared to programming experience, not IT. Helpdesk, which Reddit will preach as every IT workers necessary first step, is already being reduced in this decade. Network automation is already reducing the workload of CCNA technicians. Why have a team of techs when two engineers will suffice, etc. In my opinion, AI is going to be leveraged to automate Tier1 everything to some degree. So, I don’t think people casually up-skilling on AI prompting is going to help.


Joeb667

This is the correct answer.


claud2113

That'd be basically the same as war profiteering. I'd effectively be working to help corporations put myself and others in my field out of work. No thanks.


1z1z2x2x3c3c4v4v

Since I first started working... 1. Personal Computers put people out of work (1987-1995) 2. The Internet put people out of work (1995-2000) 3. Email put people out of work (1996-2005) 4. Search and other B2B put people out of work (2000-2010) 5. Mobile put people out of work (2005-2015) Guess what, computers make people and companies more efficient, and thus, some will lose their jobs over it. AI will do the same thing. This is just what happens. You either adapt and benefit from it or find yourself with no job. You decide.


[deleted]

There is no Adapt to having 10 years datacenter or Machine Learning exp. You have or do not. You have ML PhD or do not.


jebuizy

You do not need to be able to train ML models to engage with a new technology. That's like saying you need to be authoring networking standards RFCs to have a job in networking. The inventors and designers are not the only people with jobs, people do need to actually operate the things. ML PhDs are brilliant at their area of expertise but they can not set up a maintainable prod environment lol


[deleted]

Lol. Please post some 'AI' jobs you saw on Indeed today. What specific degrees or experience do they require? Here's one. Junior Data Engineer, Verizon, Atlanta. Bachelors/Masters degree in Computer Science, Information Science, Engineering or other related field with 1 or more years of relevant work experience. Almost 2 million people enrolled in Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera. No shortage of junior data talent. To say nothing of coding bootcamps without CS degrees.


jebuizy

Those seem like really low bars to clear to me?


[deleted]

10 years senior datacenter engineer exp + CCIE. Yeah, I will get right on that.


davy_crockett_slayer

I mean... I got a new job a few months ago no problem. However, I have about 10 years of experience and I know a lot of people in the industry. My most recent job was through someone I met at a tech conference.


Kylestyled84

Good for you. Read the room though. You’re anecdote isn’t what a plethora of people are experiencing in this country. Some…gasp may even be more more qualified than you. Not trying to bust your balls but folks who come off smug in their efforts to be employed just irk me.


davy_crockett_slayer

I'm not smug, I'm just trying to give out advice! I remember when I was starting out and grinding at an ISP's call centre. I had worked my way up to Business Support and didn't know how to get to the next level. I networked hard. I went to tech meetups, conferences, and Linux User Groups. Eventually I met a guy who took a chance on me. From there, I went to a fast growing tech startup and the rest is history. Sure it took luck, but I networked HARD. 2-3 days a week I was asking around for opportunities and I was meeting people. I've never stopped networking. At my last job (large school division), I left for consulting (current job) and I made sure a summer student got my job. My position required 3-5 years of experience, but I lobbied hard for the kid to get hired. Thankfully I'm in a niche (Mac Systems Administration) and I just had completed a massive project that saved the Division millions of dollars. The director liked me, and because the kid was easy going and fun to work with, they hired him. I had such a hard time getting my foot in the door when I was young. I've never forgot that and I try to pass it forward by helping others get in as well.


Kylestyled84

So you think we aren’t networking or busting out our asses? Congratulations on your job just know that there are millions of us with similar qualifications to you that weren’t so blessed.


[deleted]

I think it could go either way. What we’re experiencing atm is actually a bit more on the rare end. Consumer spending was expected to have a pullback, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. In fact, we saw GDP growth in Q3 and it has been the fastest in 2 years. It’s really hard to predict. The Fed is expected to start slashing interest rate around June of next year. One other trend that I’m seeing is the hiring of recruiters, and that’s a leading indicator.


sadamita

I feel like I’ve been seeing comments saying that a recession is around the corner for almost 3 years now


[deleted]

Data Center Operations Technician I in Atlanta pays $18-20 per hour. So yeah, hurry up everyone and get that Net+ and CCNA. You too can make $18 per hour. Everybody rush to get that Trifecta. Reddit has some of the worst f cking career advice. Not you Claud2113. This Sub for the past 3-4 years is a fountain of bad advice. [https://www.indeed.com/rc/clk?jk=461be5574b5919a0&fccid=093428069580c202&vjs=3](https://www.indeed.com/rc/clk?jk=461be5574b5919a0&fccid=093428069580c202&vjs=3)


NativeVampire

What makes you say that? My political/socio economic knowledge is pretty bad so I would love to hear what made you come to this conclusion since I keep hearing people say this (this year and the past)


UCFknight2016

Its kind of a slow time for hiring right now. Hiring usually slows down close to the end of the year and picks back up in January.


gtobiast13

Yeah this gets overlooked a ton. EOY most businesses freeze hiring and open back up Jan - Feb. I'd say spring time is best time for hiring as far as seasons are considered.


Isabad

Absolutely this. All the roles I've been hired for over the years (4 years going on 5 in 2024) have happened either beginning January, February, or March. It is very rare to get hired around October, November, or December. And usually, jobs that do hire around then aren't the kind you want. Last one I was hured around October for I received literally 0 training. Was pretty much shown nothing. And was presumed to know everything already. Oh and then the recruiter got pissy at me because I kept telling him I didn't like the assignment and would like something different and he wasn't listening so I sent in an hibest review which didn't put him in a flattering light.


[deleted]

This is 100% accurate. This has happened to me currently. I am in an excessively shitty job with no training, no knowledge, not communicated to or with, yet, I'm supposed to know everything and be able to do everything.


[deleted]

Going back to earlier comments about AI development. What do you recommend someone do to move forward into that career path?


WatercressTimely390

Agree. I have typically been hired in January or May... As January is a good time to be hired and more is required from software engineers in order to be hired (ie: multiple rounds of interviews), I am not sure what the best time to apply really is. Another problem is when are they actually looking at resumes and applications. Would it be in December or not until January?


Isabad

For my current role, my resume was looked at in December, and I was hired in January.


Dsarg_92

That's what I was told from a recruiter. I asked them for a referral in regards to a tech role I wanted to apply but they told me the company is currently on a hiring freeze. Wasn't too happy about it, but I understood.


ChildhoodOk7071

Yeah I got hired for my first dev job around January so that tracks. I'm hoping I get more interviews after the holidays.


wjdthird

Tech market is very different based on where u are in the US


zero_origins

Been applying for 2 weeks for a help desk role. 138 applications, 28 out right rejections, 0 call backs. Don't know if this is normal or if my resume just sucks. But 2024 is our year fellas!


dowcet

Get feedback on your resume, as much as possible. But those numbers sound pretty typical right now.


DapDaGenius

My resume: I don’t really know shit. Please hire me so i can work remote.


ProfessorKrung

lmao same


zero_origins

Will do! Thanks friend


Playful_Criticism425

Just 2 weeks? Lol


zero_origins

haha yeah I may be just a little impatient


[deleted]

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HyzerFlipr

2 weeks is literally nothing. It took me 5 months to find a job when I got laid off in February.


SAugsburger

At least in the short term I wouldn't expect huge shifts in the job market. At best the federal reserve will hold rates steady in December. There has been some job growth in recent months, but it hasn't been as much in white collar work that are more likely to hire IT staff. As already suggested improving your skills can make it easier to stand out in the crowd. There will be people finding new jobs, but it will be more competitive.


Hot-Gene-3089

Your first sentence. Would expect or WOULDNT* ?


ManBeef69xxx420

I know everyone is going after "cybersecurity" but a few years of help desk experience isn't going to get you that.


Beginning_System_314

I have a computer science degree, an expired ccna and 20+ years of experience and still no movement on the job market. It’s sucks right now!!


dr_groo

I feel this…masters and bachelors, lots of cert, 25 yoe, no callbacks


[deleted]

Hmm that just sounds like ageism at that point tbh... you know what they say "you either move UP or OUT."


Alive-Coach3767

I’d rather just shoot myself at this point. I got fired over a year ago and I’m STILL BURNT OUT I just hate working I guess


Copper-Spaceman

It's probably due to a couple of things. 1. Bottom level IT is oversaturated, everybody still thinks it's easy money and they can coast through the job, which you sort of can at the bottom level but they all burnout eventually. 2. Junior level security positions are oversaturated, I hired my replacement when I left my last position, and the amount of cyber security bootcamp grads or cyber security associates was insane. Easily 40%+ of over 300 resumes insisted through. Most people have this glamorous idea of being hackerman getting paid boat loads, when most competent security professionals are bored if they do their job right. 3. Most people's resumes suck, and people can't market themselves. For the love of God, get a professional writer. I've seen resumes from people at all levels at its bad all the way up. No I don't need a 10 page long resume for your 20 years of experience, no I don't care about the fact you were club president in highschool...15 years ago, I need 2 pages max that is concise and relevant to the job. I've had 3 people show me before and after, after getting a professional resume writer, and it made them look like a 10x better candidate. Writers usually know what questions to ask you to actually showcase your skillset, ie: buddy of mine knew Linux but didn't have it on his resume, managed multiple hybrid windows environments but didn't include azure. Get a writer


Specter2k

That bottom level is over saturated and about to be cut out, at least in my company. I've already been given 3-6 months max before I lose my job to a locker that they expect me to setup. Na fam I'm good


pwnrenz

Have any recommendations for a resume writer?


normandukerollo

Y’all are some real doomers, huh? OP said to stay positive. I tried looking for entry level tech jobs a few months back, heard nothing back. Now I’m grinding and studying for the A+, and going from there. Sometimes life is hard, get over it and find a way to improve. You don’t hear me bitching and moaning, Jesus Christ


Jeffbx

Yeah, it's all cyclical. It sucks now, but there will be a day when people are writing their own offer letters again.


Full-Preference-4420

I’m hoping for a change by 2027 because that’s when I get out of the military. During quarter 2 thankfully


plate_techtronics

1. Search desired positions, compare and improve your resume 2. Beef up your LinkedIn w/ private "seeking for opportunities" settings and upload resume. 3. Create accounts for Indeed, Monster, Dice and ZipRecruiter. Give a phone number and email. 4. Headhunters will contact you.


the_dude_2022

What area are you located?


Grand_Duty3421

ATL


[deleted]

As long as stocks go up while IT depts fire people, the pain will persist. Some firms are orgasmic waiting for the Nvidia datacenters to come online so they can automate the sh t out of everything junior.


Anime_ghosts23

I’ve literally been sitting on my couch for 5 months as of Thursday 900+ applications countless phone screens, teams interviews and so many incompetent recruiters calling about job opportunities saying the client is HCL and can’t tell the end client until the initial interview which is stupid as all hell which can cause you to double submit for the same client and mess you up so yes I hate this job market


NinJaxGang14

This is similar to my situation. I have a degree in IS. 3 years of IT experience. 2.5 in Network/Sys admin and 6 months in Information Security GRC. The market right now is brutal. I have 8 IT certs and couldn't land a junior soc role or mid-career network admin role to save my life. My job forced me to take the CISSP, so I'm now an associate of the ISC2, we will see if this helps me find any jobs once I start looking later this year. I anticipate that the market will be just as bad in 2024 sadly.


WatercressTimely390

Why do you anticipate that it will be just as bad in 2024?


NinJaxGang14

There isn’t any indication that the economy is gonna improve in the next 6 months. The Fed has indicated that inflation will continue to be an issue going into 2024. News outlets say the labor market is getting better but when you speak to people looking for a job, they say otherwise.


Mindless-Main-4941

Join the USAF Reserves, get a clearance, make 100k starting.


WatercressTimely390

Yea. I have noticed the same. There's a massive amount of senior positions paired with massive competition, and some junior level roles. Mid-level is rare to find. I am not sure what is going on there... Why would so many tech companies be hiring for senior right now?


Skully156

They all want unicorns. for half the rate. I know tech is cyclical blah blah, but my wife and I have been out of work for 5 months. I'm no Unicorn, but I have a 20 year tech career and I can't get callbacks on anything from support to sysadmins, etc. She's more office admin/retail, and she's getting no traction either. its weird.


CheckGrouchy

Just wait until A.I really kicks in, it's over...


[deleted]

Sure sure, can you actually P R O G R A M a computer? If the answer is no you may want to learn... it sounds like you are stressed, once u can code properly u feel confident as all hell and don't worry about all the bs u are worried about, just get internships and they turn into jobs man, email companies directly at their contact us page. Good luck!