changing career please help

[Possien]

You didn't go to a very good school then.

Meh the certs dident really help anyway. im a network/sys administrator now

 

[damarius]

hi guys,

basically let me explain my currrent situation. I am currently a waiter for a well known british restaurant
with benefits i earn roughly 25k a year after tax (vast proportion of this is due to tips), i have 3 kids all under 5 and have been married for 7 years.

My issue is i am 28 and really cant progress any further in my current job, I love computers games/hardware setting them up and fixing them although my knowledge is limited at best (i mainly use forums for guides on fixing stuff) but i love the idea of having a job involving computing. I work 3 days a week thurs/fri and sat all day night and have 4 days off.

My question is does anyone no the best way to get into the industry without giving up the money i.e. i could do a course in my spare time. All my money is acccounted for so to take a cut in money would be quite damaging. I do not no what field in computing would suit me best or even at my age wether it is possible but seen as the vast proportion of people on these forums must have some computer knowledge i thought i would ask here.

Thanks in advance for any ideas/suggestions

Laurence,

Let me first tell you a little about my background, I currently work for NASA as a network security manager however I have not always had this great of a job. I started working at a call center helpdesk and since then moved from administration, to engineering, to security. I have done just about every type of computing under the sun and am one of the top security experts on the east coast. I do not want to discuss salaries openly on this forum but I will if you PM so you have some insight. If there is one thing I could advise you to do is get certifications; Most Comptia certifications are a joke, however they are a good stepping stone. I would recommend getting a Security + certification to start with and then work on your CCSP or CISSP. You should focus your efforts in security, why you ask. Well security is one of the highest paying field and with all of the advancing technology the intrusion and hacking problems will continue to get worse thus you should not have to worry about job security. Next I would suggest getting some sort of goverment clearance, start off at a lower salary if you have to but it is well worth it. Also be prepared to move go where the money is. Most people do not make big salaries because they get stuck at their current job. If you are not scared, study hard, and dont have limits then your dreams will be fulfilled.

Feel free to reach out,
Damarius