Week 8 - Journal

#3: Develop a plan and implement basic steps in establishing an effective networking/job search strategy.

 This week I was already working in expanding my job networking and search strategy, and I am already seeing the results. I have been talking with various people who I know that work in the tech field or recently retired from it, and I have a number of contacts. Finding entry level jobs in my area is more difficult than I anticipated, there are many jobs that require 3 - 5 years of experience though.

 I have learned of more employment opportunities nearby at interesting organizations, such as Celeris Systems and Raytheon. I am also very interested in working for the NSA, and a position that I am currently applying for is essentially right up my alley. I do not wish to move out of state for a job position, but for something like this it is very hard to pass up. For example, they have a position for a Cyber Developer, which requires high level math (upper calculus and discrete), programming experience, knowledge of network security and sockets, and more. This almost perfectly matches my experience, and although I would rather find a local job it is hard to resist such an interesting job, with great pay, and at one of the top three letter government agencies.

 I am continuing to monitor jobs in the Puget Sound area, as well as opportunities further away.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 3 - Journal

Today I am going to take a look at my personal professional IT strengths, look at my goals, and then see how well they align. To start, my IT strengths: Adaptable programmer. I've programmed in a variety of languages from C# to Java and PHP, and I've never felt like there was a problem that I couldn't overcome. Picking up new languages is not difficult for me. I've dabbled in graphics with the XNA development kit. Full stack web development, although not my focus, is something that I feel capable of doing. Security focused. I like to think that I have a fairly decent understanding of the mechanics, advantages, and limitations of the various security implementations out there. Group focused. Working well with groups is a critical part of getting things done, so my ability to be flexible when working with others will come in very handy. Detail oriented. Figuring out the finer details can often make or break a project, especially in one in the sensitive area of sec...
Read more

Week 2 - Journal

The second week has gone by, and I am gearing up in order to be prepared for what will be my first CompTIA exam. I have the books on hand, some other online study materials, and the TotalTester test banks for both exams. As mentioned previously, my project is to study for and take both the CompTIA Network+ and Security+ exams. Both exams have a maximum of 90 questions and give you 90 minutes to take them. A passing score is 720 out of 900 points. Network+ covers 5 domains: Network Architecture Network Operations Network Security Troubleshooting Industrial Standards, Practices, and Network Theory Security+ has 6 domains: Network Security Compliance and Operational Security Threats and Vulnerabilities Application, Data and Host Security Access Control and Identity Management Cryptography I have given myself 4 weeks to complete the Network+ exam and then 3 weeks to complete Security+.
Read more