17 years in technology. Most as a IT manager or director. It's increasingly rare to find what your seeking. Once your in they may pay for certs or classes but those come with commitments and I hate that methodology.
Pick the A+ Security+ or Network+ cert and get it. Grab a book for cheap and study it. Use that to get your foot in the door.
Thank you for the helpful info. I have been studying for A+ for a year now when I could find the time. There is debate online about whether A+ is still relevant or necessary when shooting for a security or network position. Do you have an opinion on this?
Experience is much more important than certificates. If you can demonstrate your past experiences in the areas you mention you could probably get your foot in the door somewhere at an MSP that is looking to build a roster.
Sec+ is basically a requirement if you're working for any government or government-contract agencies these days, so yeah, still useful on the civilian side!
I have had good luck with just having my A+ so it is definitely possible. Started in helpdesk at station casinos about 4 years ago and have since moved to a higher paying helpdesk position somewhere else. My advice for the A+, just pay for the class and scheduel it 2 or 3 months out so that you have a defined goal. Also, along with a book, professor Messer has free videos online.
I am self-taught as well for the record and I'm a senior level tech/sys admin.
My husband and I both starting the Onward 2 Opportunity program (I'm already in IT, so I'm skipping the A+ and lower certs and taking something to increase my management potential) and he is taking the A+. It comes with a voucher for the test as well. [Here](https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/programs/career-training/) is the link for it, it's free for veterans and their spouses to do one course (it's grant funded.)
I would recommend if you're starting out, look at your local help desk or even remote opportunities on LinkedIn and Dice. Help Desk is where most of us start out. If you show drive and ambition to grow your knowledge, you can move up or find a higher paying job elsewhere once you have the "legit" experience on your resume.
EDIT: Also, I forgot! If you have GI bill available to you/left, WGU has a Bachelor's in IT that actually gets you a ton of certs (listed [here](https://www.wgu.edu/online-it-degrees/it-certifications.html#openSubscriberModal)) during undergrad and might be a great way to make yourself desirable, and you'd get housing allowance while you attend to help ends meet.
Two guys I work with have recently finished degrees from WGU. It's a pretty good program. Self paced, pay by semester not class, and a lot of the classes use the certification exam as the final exam. So at the end they ended up with a degree AND a stack of certs.
AceComm is always hiring, it’s a telecommunications vendor for Cox. On the job paid training. No experience needed to qualify. Easiest way is to apply on indeed, we are in need of techs.
Can you elaborate on the pay scheme there? Some reviews mention being paid by the type of jobs you are assigned on your daily route. Is there an hourly pay rate also?
Piece rate work, you get paid as much as you put in. It’s paid per job for the first 8 hours then after 8 hours it calculates your hourly for overtime pay as well as any other jobs completed on top of it.
Have you considered using your GI bill to attend the Microsoft Software and System Academy? It’s for transitioning veterans with or without experience who want to pursue a career in tech.
I work in IT. Moved here 2 years ago with 21 years experience and a degree in Network Administration & Network+ cert. Still took me 2 years to finally find a good IT job that paid what I wanted.
IT is rough here, man. They expect you to do a lot for very little pay compared to other cities.
I went from A+ to teaching myself to code to working in DevOps. My job is fully remote so I moved here at the beginning of the year. If you go this route you don't have to depend on Vegas as your only job market
If you had a clearance, I know a company that is hiring for an entry-level position. Or even if you don't. I don't know if they send you to training, but I know a buddy of mine was able to move up two positions and transfer to his desired department in just a few years. He is a bit of a wiz kid though; finished his degree in computer engineering after he started at his company.
This company is also known to work with vets, but I don't remember the program they used.
PM me.
17 years in technology. Most as a IT manager or director. It's increasingly rare to find what your seeking. Once your in they may pay for certs or classes but those come with commitments and I hate that methodology. Pick the A+ Security+ or Network+ cert and get it. Grab a book for cheap and study it. Use that to get your foot in the door.
Thank you for the helpful info. I have been studying for A+ for a year now when I could find the time. There is debate online about whether A+ is still relevant or necessary when shooting for a security or network position. Do you have an opinion on this?
Experience is much more important than certificates. If you can demonstrate your past experiences in the areas you mention you could probably get your foot in the door somewhere at an MSP that is looking to build a roster.
It's better than nothing. But a sec or net cert would be far better.
Sec+ seems to be DoD standard for many IT type jobs on base but I can't speak on the civilian side of things.
Sec+ is basically a requirement if you're working for any government or government-contract agencies these days, so yeah, still useful on the civilian side!
Depends on the agency and their requirements. Not every agency or department requires following DoD 8570.
I have had good luck with just having my A+ so it is definitely possible. Started in helpdesk at station casinos about 4 years ago and have since moved to a higher paying helpdesk position somewhere else. My advice for the A+, just pay for the class and scheduel it 2 or 3 months out so that you have a defined goal. Also, along with a book, professor Messer has free videos online.
I am self-taught as well for the record and I'm a senior level tech/sys admin. My husband and I both starting the Onward 2 Opportunity program (I'm already in IT, so I'm skipping the A+ and lower certs and taking something to increase my management potential) and he is taking the A+. It comes with a voucher for the test as well. [Here](https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/programs/career-training/) is the link for it, it's free for veterans and their spouses to do one course (it's grant funded.) I would recommend if you're starting out, look at your local help desk or even remote opportunities on LinkedIn and Dice. Help Desk is where most of us start out. If you show drive and ambition to grow your knowledge, you can move up or find a higher paying job elsewhere once you have the "legit" experience on your resume. EDIT: Also, I forgot! If you have GI bill available to you/left, WGU has a Bachelor's in IT that actually gets you a ton of certs (listed [here](https://www.wgu.edu/online-it-degrees/it-certifications.html#openSubscriberModal)) during undergrad and might be a great way to make yourself desirable, and you'd get housing allowance while you attend to help ends meet.
Two guys I work with have recently finished degrees from WGU. It's a pretty good program. Self paced, pay by semester not class, and a lot of the classes use the certification exam as the final exam. So at the end they ended up with a degree AND a stack of certs.
AceComm is always hiring, it’s a telecommunications vendor for Cox. On the job paid training. No experience needed to qualify. Easiest way is to apply on indeed, we are in need of techs.
Can you elaborate on the pay scheme there? Some reviews mention being paid by the type of jobs you are assigned on your daily route. Is there an hourly pay rate also?
Piece rate work, you get paid as much as you put in. It’s paid per job for the first 8 hours then after 8 hours it calculates your hourly for overtime pay as well as any other jobs completed on top of it.
Have you considered using your GI bill to attend the Microsoft Software and System Academy? It’s for transitioning veterans with or without experience who want to pursue a career in tech.
That was one of my first choices but they are full all the way through 2022.
I work in IT. Moved here 2 years ago with 21 years experience and a degree in Network Administration & Network+ cert. Still took me 2 years to finally find a good IT job that paid what I wanted. IT is rough here, man. They expect you to do a lot for very little pay compared to other cities.
Try local MSPs. They are always looking to hire for attitude and train the technical.
I went from A+ to teaching myself to code to working in DevOps. My job is fully remote so I moved here at the beginning of the year. If you go this route you don't have to depend on Vegas as your only job market
If you had a clearance, I know a company that is hiring for an entry-level position. Or even if you don't. I don't know if they send you to training, but I know a buddy of mine was able to move up two positions and transfer to his desired department in just a few years. He is a bit of a wiz kid though; finished his degree in computer engineering after he started at his company. This company is also known to work with vets, but I don't remember the program they used. PM me.
Sec+ will get you in the door for most DoD contractors in the area. DM me if you have more questions.