I need help! IT field people please respond!

[sind0821]

I have a degree in criminal justice and somehow I just got landed a job in the IT field. I am learning all the basics such as database/ network/ programs., etc.. I am looking towards getting a job as a security specialist.

I have no basic knowledge in the IT field. Therefore I am thinking of either getting another degree or obtaining a certification.

Realistically what should I do?!...

 

[Darkbreeze]

What you should DO, is decline the job and explain to them that you have no experience in the IT field. It takes YEARS of experience to adequately assimilate the concepts required for even a small business network in IT management. If it is a larger company, you are simply going to make yourself look foolish. You can't just go take a short course and call it good. You might even end up with some legal entanglements if the company decides your credentials and involvement were fraudulent.

 

[sind0821]

Thank you for the heads up. The company that I got hired from was willing to train me while having no experience or educational background. For the long run, I know I should get some type of education in the future. Am I better off just getting another degree in that case?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Let me have somebody who specializes, specifically in these types of situations chime in. He'll have better career advise than I do.

 

[velocityg4]

Get books on whatever areas you need to know for your job and get certifications to backup your reading, keep getting certifications for the remainder of your working life. Not much point in getting another degree. Once you have IT experience. That's all future employers really care about mainly experience and partially up to date certifications. Showing you can do the job and you keep abreast of the field. Sort of like no one cares how well you did in high school once you have a college degree.

 

[sind0821]

You guys are great, thank you so much. Yea.. Just looking at current job positions, they require both related college degrees and certs.

Some people say get both but it's really difficult for me due to financial reasons/ workload and I am confused towards where I should start. Get certs? Or Start School? sigh..... But most recommendations I received was getting your degree since that what they first look at. am I not thinking correctly?

 

[sind0821]

By the way, this all relates to me moving into a different company after gaining experience in the current company. Yes, while I'm working for this company, I have to read books and support whatever I'm doing and get certifications. But I'm concerned about my next step towards becoming a security specialist.

Thank you.

 

[USAFRet]

Disclaimer: This is what my office does. Database, networking, application development, and lately (most importantly) security.
This is for a major component of the DoD...couple hundred thousand users.


First off - this is a major learning curve.
How large is the IT dept? Currently, you are, at best, a Year 0 apprentice. Qualified to touch absolutely nothing.

"I have no basic knowledge in the IT field."
Another degree is not what you want....you need experience, and secondarily, certs. Possibly multiple certs, depending on your specific role. Security+, MCSE, Network+...those are just the basics.

In the past, we've hired people with NO degree, and turned away PhD's.

Not knowing your specific company and what they expect of you, and your particular role...it's tough to get more specific.
But you need to glom onto someone else, and suck everything out of their brain that you can.

If you are in a 1 deep role, you are absolutely screwed. Unless you've been doing this since you were 10 years old simply for the love of it, you cannot learn it at a corporate level by yourself. Even then...
You WILL get something badly wrong. And "corporate wrong" is bad. Jailtime bad.

Additionally, personal relations are a key factor as well.
You need to be able to tell a high level manager why the stupid thing they want to do Will Not Work. (I did that just today...lol)
And make him or her feel good about the "No".


Bottom line - Go slow.
"the basics" of database is just enough to get you in major trouble. Or any other aspect of the IT field.
Witness all the security breaches we see at least weekly. A server admin with no idea what he is doing.

The idiot applications out in the field...why oh why does a flashlight app need access to your contact list? A clueless "programmer".

 

[Darkbreeze]

See, that's WHY I wanted your input here.

 

[USAFRet]

See, that's WHY I wanted your input here.

 

[albatrosscrack]

I've just landed an IT job after studying social science and finishing two years of Ph.D., which I didn't enjoy at all and decided to switch direction. Yeah, it's hard, but the way I started was: I asked my friends in IT should I pay for a course (which are really expensive) or learn myself, they advised to start learning ASAP and look for junior positions, but those are really hard to land if you're as green as I was. But I kept searching and found some companies do few months length camps, where they teach you for free while you're working with a team on some "non-rush" project. I coded with JavaScript for two and a half months and got a certificate of finishing 400+ hours courses successfully. Of course, that was not enough to land me a front-end job but it opened me doors to IT sector overall, I looked for technical support roles and found one. At the moment I'm continually learning to code after work hours.