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Hi everybody! I’m 18 years old and my career goal was to become a mechanic, but due to an illness that I have been recently diagnosed with I have lost the physical capabilities to preform that type of work. I am now seeking a career in IT because I have always had an interest in IT, especially security. I do not have any professional experience in IT, nor do I have any formal education in it. My ultimate goal to pursue a career in security, more specifically penetration testing. I am wonder what is the best way for me to get started in an IT career? Should I first obtain a certification first such as a MCSA or a CCNA to get started in IT, and with more experience and time to put on my resume, work up to security (such as a CISSP and then a CEH). Or is there a way for me to start directly in security. Or is there another path that would work better?

All input will be taken into deep consideration and is greatly appreciated!

Thank you a million!!

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Hey Spicehead-61nnt,

If I were 18 and getting started in networking and network security I would start with the CompTIA certs first; Network+ and Security+.

The Security+ will give you a good foundation before jumping into the CEH.

The Network+ will give you a networking foundation to start off of. This will help get you ready for the CCNA which I would recommend.

These certs will help you greatly to get your foot in the door with employers while you gain experience that extends your certifications.

Which ever route you decide good luck, keep us informed and I am glad to see you looking at the IT field for your career.

Curtis

@Cisco @CompTIA

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You want to do that the other way around the CISSP is definitely harder.

For pen testing, look into the OSCP

Especially security is tough to get in, let alone starting from scratch. I’d say for pentesting/security network knowledge is important, so the CCNA definitely helps.

I’d say get an entry level job with an MSP, learn all the things and then specialize and focus on security stuff.

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Definitely start with an Associates Degree, it will show how dedicated you are in advancing in the IT Field. Some of the Study books come with disks or information on how to gain Certs and sometimes you can get a discount.

Once you start gaining book knowledge you are more employable and more likely to get interviews than without a Degree.

I have heard Symantec is huge on hiring folks with just basic computer knowledge, as long as you have a positive attitude, and they will train you.

Good LUCK!

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For Networking and Security training, there are a lot of resources at the Networking Academy site netacad.com

Some are free like the first 2 Security modules.

Introduction to Cybersecurity - 15 hours

Cybersecurity Essentials - 30 hours

There are many study groups you can join for free.

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/learning_center/featured-groups

Great that you are getting into IT early.

Craig

@spiceuser-61nnt

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is a good start also - I agree with going for the Net+ and/or Sec+, if you have ZERO experience, you might want to get your A+ first because that’ll give you basic troubleshooting and repair skills. I wouldn’t go for the MCSA at this point, something to consider down the road as it is best to get the basic certs first, then build on getting your hard skills up before delving into the higher certs. Other places to look at training is edX and Udemy - both have free or cheap (NEVER pay full price on Udemy - you can usually get the courses for $10-12) courses you can take. I’m actually going through Azure and Powershell courses via the Microsoft Professional Program which is actually hosted via edX as mentioned above. You can audit the course(s) (i.e. just do the course) or get the certificate of completion ($99 per course). I’m cheap, so I’m just auditing the courses - lol.

Just a few thoughts and good luck!

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I switched from pursuing a degree in the medical field after 5 years, to pursuing IT with no prior experience or training (Was 24 when I switched). I graduated late 2016 with an associates degree in IT security. I would definitely recommend starting out with school and not jumping straight to the certs. Also, you can usually get huge discounts on cert exams if you take a college class for it or have a .edu email to register with, so they work well with each other. For me, I was able to get my foot in the door with an entry level IT job through the help of one of my professors. The on-the job training was the best way for me to learn real world IT, and it helped solidify my future career goals. Without the experience or prior background it is hard to decide a definite career path you want to take unless you know you enjoy it or it interests you first. So in short, I’d say start with school because it gives you the time and resources you need to guide yourself into a career.

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I would go to a community college (cheap) and get an A.S in something like Computer Information Technology. Obviously compare programs but start with an A.S because they usually have most of what you needed to get a good start in the field (IT helpdesk is easier to get into and an associates is valued more than in other fields); many of these programs will allow you to take classes that offer vouchers so you can take a certification test for free (when I started, I got my CompTIA A+ through my college, then used that alone to start working at Comcast as business class tech support at 30K).

Look at the job postings in your area for positions like: helpdesk support, IT support, Desktop Support Engineer, System administrator, etc… then take note of what they want. Also, look at positions related to security and see what they want, but keep in mind that’s typically at the upper level of IT work and I highly doubt that’ll be your 1st IT job. Even as a pentester or ethical hacker or secops, you’ll need experience with troubleshooting and general IT support, you may also want to pick up a programming language or two.

Certification wise I’d go in this order:

CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ together these certs stack to make you an infrastructure specialist. You can get your 1st gig after your A+ while working on the others (it’ll immerse you into the IT world and make it easier to learn). CCNA R&S is great whether you want to be a network admin/engineer or even if you want to go into security/hacking; you need the CCNA R&S before you can get your CCNA Security or any of the other Cisco certs.

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In all honesty, in the degree vs certification debate it really doesn’t matter which way you go in your situation. They essentially serve the same purpose: Getting you an interview.

Your challenge is finding experience. Whatever educational path you take, couple it with some kind of practical experience. It may be some kind of internship or volunteer work at a church or non-profit of some kind. Maybe you can luck out and find a first-line help desk position. When it all boils down, in IT we care more about what you do than what you know.

Tie that all up with a pretty bow consisting of great customer service skills and a desire to never stop learning, and you’ve got a career ahead of you.

If you decide to start with the certifications, pursue the “+” certs. They’ll lay a lot of foundational knowledge on you. Many of the more advanced ones you mentioned recommend having at least that body of knowledge under your belt anyway.

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Definitely start by looking at Community College. Since you did not indicate where you live (country, etc) it can be difficult to give much more specific advice. If you were in Arizona I would encourage you to visit.

Arizona Cyber Warfare Range

They have a ton of help there and great program. It “may” be something you could do remotely but I am not sure.

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Check out professormesser.com for free knowledge. He explains things so well, it was a huge help for me when I first started and when I needed to study for certs.

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Thank you all so much for the advice! There is an open house at the local technical college coming up and I am going to that to explore my options there. I am also looking into the various certifications mentioned. I am also very thankful for links provided for the free courses to learn basic skills, I will use those and learn everything I can from them!

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Good luck, gaining experience is important as others have mentioned, maybe volunteering at a local school would be a good way to gain this.

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Hi there! Since you’re just starting out in your career and you mentioned you’re interested in taking the CISSP in the future, the Associate of (ISC)² is an alternative to normal certification processes that we offer. It isn’t an entry-level cybersecurity certification in the traditional sense - You don’t need years of work experience to take any of our certification exams. The Associate of (ISC)² is a designation which proves your knowledge in cybersecurity right away. You can take a certification exam without the work experience, and, if you pass, you simply work to get the experience needed for certification.

Does that seem like a good path for you? Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions.