OK, so Uncle Sugar has shot hisself in the foot (this is my surprised face ...), but industry needs security guys (and gals). The money is good, and by the looks of things the problem will be around for decades. I've been writing about this for a while now. There's lots of good free training.Rigid hiring processes and low pay for specialized employees have kept the U.S. government from developing the type of cyber workforce it needs to keep up with growing attacks, according to an independent analysis.The Partnership for Public Service released a report on Tuesday saying the federal government has positioned itself poorly for recruiting cybersecurity personnel at a time when the nation as a whole is already facing a shortage.
One great thing about this field is that nobody cares about which college you went to (or even if you went) - there are industry certifications that carry much more weight. Young readers (or children of older readers) can get good paying jobs without a ton of student debt.
My brain treatment is going moderately well, but I suspect I will never go back into IT or Security in general. I already paid my dues, worked my way up and all that jazz. Someone would simply have to throw stupid silly amounts of money for me to ever go back into that much stress and that many hours a week, on call, CERT response all of it. It can go -redacted- itself.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, if you like a challenge, like to learn, have a logical and creative mind, and can work with a team and solo, it is not a bad gig to get into. I am just not going to do it a 2nd time.
Heck, I will go to medical school for 6 years+ before I get back on the IT mill a 2nd time.
Just saying.
It isn't so much that FedGov can't find good people. It's that the good people have left FedGov after becoming FedUp with managers who don't understand cyber tech, refuse to learn, and refuse to allow the experts to do their [redacted]ing jobs.
ReplyDeleteFor instance: why should a cyber security person be called "on the carpet" to explain why he required that password or passphrase must be changed periodically (90 days), users can't reuse their last 5 passwords, and that the rules require mixed-case / special characters / non-repeating numbers, etc?
And that's only the beginning.
FedGov complains about needing cyber experts and having "holes in the network" while simultaneously permitting high-level functionaries to violate every security procedure by using personal devices on secure networks and/or using their own hardware on open networks for official government purposes (ahem).
The Chinese are laughing at us. Heck, some 16 year olds are laughing too.
Thanks for doing this, Borepatch. I think its a sign that you really do care.
ReplyDeleteIts great advice - search for high paying jobs where they are available, at the lowest cost of entry possible.
Seems simple, but for our current crop of youngguns it seems all too difficult.
Mainly because of the lies us older folk have been feeding them all their lives.