I really appreciate your honest and candid videos on the IT industry. For the last 10 years I was a technician for a large ISP and finally realized it’s a dead end career path and decided to transition into IT. With the little bit of networking and general computer troubleshooting I did at my current job I started working on my CCNA in august but also started applying to “entry level” IT jobs at the same time. After a handful of interviews and several out right rejections I finally landed a job with a bank as a field support specialist. (After salary negotiations I’m actually making slightly more than my current job of 10 years!) I start 12/19. It’s perfect for me it’s a generalist role with a mix of remote and deskside support. I get to touch a little bit of everything from software hardware networking and VoIP. My goal is at least 2 years here finish my CCNA and move on from there to a higher level network associate or network engineer role. But once again thanks for sharing your perspective I found your channel around the time I decided to start a career change and it’s been very insightful. Good luck with your job search.

Yes this is me right now! I'm the back up to wireless, voip, security, and never specialized in anything. That is until the wireless specialization just opened up, so I'm headed in that direction :)

The HunterxHunter plug!! Love Killua 😊 I felt this - from a fellow Network Engineer

This is so weird I had a little self-reflection today about this job-hunting process. I have been a network engineer for the past i would say 7 years, and recently got my cloud certs along with a master's degree in information technology. I am very proficient with AWS, Azure, and currently developing my python skills for automation since I no longer want to even write one line of java (hate it). However, I have been trying to get a specific job in the cloud field, and man can I tell you it's been frustrating. Getting tired of getting those emails saying they have decided to move on after the second or third interview. i even start presenting my personal cloud projects and other network/system projects that i create on my server-esix but still no luck. My gf brother is huge in cyber at the corporate level security and my cousin is also very huge in google cloud and is also a software developer so i try to ask as many questions as i can to pull from each what i can to make myself more marketable but still no luck. In my current position, I work mostly with APC, extreme network, and cisco in the network and data center roles which require me to touch a little bit of everything. But now i feel like that's not helping me. Don't get me wrong, i get alot of job offers but i won't leave a government for anything less and i actually want a specific job and not just whatever is available. I am trying to get a job in Houston TX at the moment.

Hey what’s up Lise! Thanks for this video. It was super informative and thanks for the advice👍🏽 You’re always on point and I appreciate you and all that you do for us💯 Be well, Be safe, Peace🥳

Look on field nation for private contracts to get experience.

It's a long game, but taking a generalist position at a company that you know has the specialist position you want may be the door in. Good luck and thanks for the video!

Insightful as always. Love the Killua shirt btw :)

IMO the industry is moving away from specialist technology is moving to fast to specialize in one thing. The problem with a lot of generalist is they don't build out a marketable skill set for example all they focus on is Microsoft infrastructure. They refuse to cross train or jump on other projects. If you are a generalist you need to focus on Linux, Cloud, Kubernetes, networking etc. Being a well rounded generalist can separate you from the pack. Even our security guys fall in the category of generalist they work on multiple areas under the security umbrella not just one aspect of security. I will always say the best companies to work for are medium size companies that have a good IT budget you will be placed on a small team and expected to do everything. You really don't learn much when you try to work for these large multi national companies most tech people in those jobs only know how to do one thing. I speak from experience I started at a medium company than went to a large one.

This is somewhat similar to what I'm dealing now. Trying to go from a NOC analyst kind of role where all I do is monitoring and alert the correct people and/or vendors limits me and my skillset. I've been trying to gain experience through labs but hiring managers aren't looking for labs, they want proven experience (this may vary but just my luck) Due to not having the desired experience they use that to justify a pay cut or a title reduction or both. Being so close to the holidays haven't been fun either, I've been met with a lot of rejections due to end of year budget holds or hiring freezes entirely until next year. Hopefully everyone battling the hiring ups and down are met with some luck and become prosperous. Only a matter of time before we all get placed in better positions!!

Being a generalist kinda sucks but its a great way to see what you might wanna do but if you got more than one thing that you enjoy learning about or doing... what do you do? I'm sorta struggling between information security and computer networking but I wanna work remote so I'm all like looking into cloud and Linux stuff.

100% Everyone seems to want experience for jobs that there are not enough people with that experience to fill, result we can't get that specific experience. Did you get your NSE4? That opened more doors than anything for me. (NSE5 almost done now)

Security is weird. I was recently promoted to a IAM Engineer position. Some of it is who you know and your network.

I wasn't going to but I feel like it's better for me in the long run to take lower pay now while I don't have many responsibilities so I can gain more experience.

Same situation, I am finishing my degree in Dec and I am looking for job for days and I don’t find job yet

Just remember security means security, in security you will not get to work in firewalls in the way that you think. Security is an auditing role, does not enable you to work on firewall rules like a network engineer role

Hi, I want to specialise in security after my ccna. Any ideas on the best path to go down to get paid without wasting too much time? Thank you,

If you don't have the work exp for the CISSP, I assume you may have looked at the work exp waiver, or associate designation. Not an easy test, but not harder than say, a CCNP, but would be the golden ticket for a lot of security jobs. I did a straight security gig for one year, and that will be my last. Too little $$$ for too much risk, and the companies still cut corners on PCI and HIPAA (won't spend for appropriate tools).

Do you have networking sercuirty certs? You may have to let the certs get you in the door. Im a net engineer as well, but for the security side with the certs , most employers almost seems to over look experience or years. But the problem is you have to retain what you have studied because they grill you in the interviews hahaha

Could I ask your honest opinion (and anyone else is free to chime in). I currently have a job where I've been for 6 years. I have a BS in Computer Forensics and I started out Helpdesk (only job around here), was promoted to Network technician, eventually went back to Helpdesk (hurt my back moving a printer and didn't want to hurt it again), eventually became the Helpdesk lead, then was promoted to Application Support/Cyber Security. In my other roles, I always fell under the manager of that area of IT. Now, even though I answer to the manager over App Support, the director of all of those depts has gotten more involved with me. There was a lot of security software, updates, etc that we have been rolling out (like 3000 PC's or so) so its a large task. Everyone had their piece of the pie to work on. As I chopped away at my "list" to work on, there were days when I did more work than others. All of this is rolled into a ticketing system (ugh) so that way people know what's been done. Some days, I had more tickets than others. The first time, I was approached by this director and was asked my opinion on how things were going with work and if I had noticed any issues with the "process". I didn't realize this was code for "Why aren't you putting in more tickets?" (mind you that I have put in more this year than anyone else in App Support). I told this individual that there were some computers where things like "updates" would be faster than others and even some cases where users needed their devices and they had to postpone, etc. I thought this took care of the issue but a few weeks later, I was once again asked if I was encountering any issues with the process and why fewer tickets on some days than others (no one else is getting this criticism except me that I'm aware of). Once again, I restated everything that I had before. Now... a bit of a side story. We have an anonymous opinion survey at work (like 2,800 employees) and I always fill it out and I'm honest with it. Keeping that survey in mind, lets jump to the week of Thanksgiving. I was here working even though others were already gone and I get a knock on my office door and its this guy, he asked me to come down to his office. He then asks me, "Do we have a problem between the two of us" while he glances at his computer. I realized that opinion survey was NOT anonymous and someone has confirmed to me that directors and administration know who writes what and this guy must have taken my comments as negative towards him. I had criticized the lack of communication in the dept, and the redundant processes that they had in place including in house apps that this guy kept trying to develop for us to troubleshoot PC's and use only to then pull us away from said application and then work on something else and THEN go back to the first application... anyway... I'm sitting there in this office like oh no.... what's about to go down. He then launches into this speech about how I had been "streaking upwards" when I was lead in Helpdesk but am now plateauing. He then asked why there had been one ticket on Monday. I explained that to him and that I had other items I was working on that day as well but I don't think its good enough for him. He continued on about how I needed to be a "pusher vs a puller" and not wait for things to be given to me even though I was actually going out and getting tickets from other people to do if they were sick, etc. I had covered other peoples jobs while they were out for months before this, am doing so now, and he had literally seen me the previous day walking down the hallway with a stack of tablets under my arm to work on. With all that being said... should I be looking for another job? I'm at the place now that when I hear this guy come down the hall, my chest literally gets tight. Its all about the stupid tickets! Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!