I am interested in pursuing a career in computer network security?
What certifications should i pursue to achieve this and start my career? I live in Richmond, VA but am considering moving to a bigger city like Washington DC Metro area (Northern, VA or southern Maryland). What is the job outlook for someone in this field? And is there anyone who is in this field who has some real-world experience
Please be detailed in giving your answer…not just stats.
Thank you in advance
I’m not in your area so I can’t help you with specifics for your locale.
This field is what I am in and it has been good for me. In the short term, there are many IT pros on the street looking for work. If you apply and they apply today they will get the job because many have years of experience and certs you don’t have. In the long term, computing secuity is not going away and should be good for you in the future.
The holy grail of IT employment is having a 4 year computer related degree, having some industry certs like Microsoft and Cisco and having some years of experience. If you have all three you should be good. If you have only one or two it will be harder to break into the field.
If you want to get some entry level certs then the COMPTIA ones like A+, Network+ and Security+. These can be self-studied and are the beginning certs many IT pros get.