12-10-2012, 08:51 PM
Alright, I'll chime in here with some thoughts....
Depending on your career aspirations, be careful what path you are going to go down with network stuff. Working on hardware/help desk definitely has a ceiling as to how far up you can go. The better you are at your job, the more likely the company is going to want to keep you in your position and its hard to get promoted/moved out of that. And if you are tired of dealing with assholes from sales, it may not be any better if you have to work in some kind of service capacity. But, if you want to be in some kind of infosec work, some hands on experience could be very valuable. Job experience will trump certifications all day long.
I've been working as a BA/PM for the past 5-6 years, and its been good work. It can be interesting, and it can also be a giant pain in the ass, customers can be assholes, and if you're good at it, you can grow into program management and above, if the company is large enough. I've enjoyed it but you have to be able to deal with customers and not let their shit bother you (until they're out of earshot).
Do you (or your dad) have contacts at DoS that can get you started into an entry level job? I brushed off the idea of looking at fed work when I got out of school, and in some ways I regret it. The pay sucks when you start but you can move up pay grade fairly quickly, you will have a stable place to work, good benefits - this is important - private sector health care costs are going to get expensive soon.
The company I'm at is always hiring sales/support people, if you just need a job. The work is probably pretty shitty (lots of turnover) though.
Depending on your career aspirations, be careful what path you are going to go down with network stuff. Working on hardware/help desk definitely has a ceiling as to how far up you can go. The better you are at your job, the more likely the company is going to want to keep you in your position and its hard to get promoted/moved out of that. And if you are tired of dealing with assholes from sales, it may not be any better if you have to work in some kind of service capacity. But, if you want to be in some kind of infosec work, some hands on experience could be very valuable. Job experience will trump certifications all day long.
I've been working as a BA/PM for the past 5-6 years, and its been good work. It can be interesting, and it can also be a giant pain in the ass, customers can be assholes, and if you're good at it, you can grow into program management and above, if the company is large enough. I've enjoyed it but you have to be able to deal with customers and not let their shit bother you (until they're out of earshot).
Do you (or your dad) have contacts at DoS that can get you started into an entry level job? I brushed off the idea of looking at fed work when I got out of school, and in some ways I regret it. The pay sucks when you start but you can move up pay grade fairly quickly, you will have a stable place to work, good benefits - this is important - private sector health care costs are going to get expensive soon.
The company I'm at is always hiring sales/support people, if you just need a job. The work is probably pretty shitty (lots of turnover) though.