Is it possible to advance in the IT field at 39 without a degree or certifications? Should I pursue Net+ or CCNA first, and then move on to cybersecurity certifications like ISC2 or Sec+? How can I boost my career with certifications, considering my age and experience level? #ITcareer #Certifications #Cybersecurity #CareerGrowth #Networking #ProfessionalDevelopment
You can always learn the material without having to actually go for the certs. I’m doing that with the CCNA
WGU exists exactly for this use case. A seasoned IT professional can knock out their IT BS in a couple months. That will open a lot of doors that might otherwise be closed to you without a degree.
Allow me to clarify a few things for you OP. NO, not too late for you to do anything, you’re only guilty of staying on helpdesk for too long which is not uncommon. You are already fortunate enough to have a career in tech for a few years so you should try and parlay that into your next role. You’ve already mentioned that you want to focus on cybersecurity so I would recommend identifying what area within that interests you and carving a learning plan to get there. There’s no point in other comptia certs at this stage of your career since they only help you land the job that you already have.
Cybersecurity is so competitive right now it’s going to be tough even with a degree and certs. Is there any way you can move up into a security role at your current company? Or ask to intern? If not, you’re probably going to have to network like crazy to land a role. Best of luck in your career pursuit though!
Man you are a mirror of me. I’m 39. No certifications. Been in IT / tech for 11 years. Got networked into web development 5 years ago.
I’m totally lost at this point. I’m 3 months in my unemployment and can’t find work at all. I only have 3 months left of UI.
I’m planning on abandoning Tech entirely and going into HVAC. I have plans to join a union or go to trade school this September. I’ve been wanting to stay in tech but this market is too fucked. I don’t think it’s wise for me stick around waiting. If I do find a job within 3 months great but after this. Forget it. It would be apparent that offshoring, AI and other factors will just be furthering this field down the toilet.
I’m about your age, with 9 years of experience. Currently a senior network engineer, total comp fluctuates a bit since I’m doing OE and had a layoff at my best job so it’s gone down a bit, but I will say my TC for the past 2-3 years have been on average 3-4x what you’ve posted. I only deviated from your trajectory about year 5 or 6.
Anyway, here are the list of certs I’ve got throughout the years.
* Ciena CE-A and CE-P
* This is a Metro Ethernet certification because I was supporting that product at one point in time
* PMI CAPM
* Completely unrelated to my role as a network engineer, but it’s a conversation piece and hiring managers see it as a bonus that I know how project management works
* Juniper JNCIA, JNCIA-SEC
* Network related so this one’s actually related to my job
* MEF SD-WAN Professional
* Again, supported SDWAN for a bit and had a chance to get it so I got it
* Safe Agile Practitioner
* Worked on a scaled agile framework team and I picked up when I had the chance
They’re all over the place, but without them I probably would be right about where you are. It’s not about just any one single cert being a silver bullet, but when you see a list of them and you can tell a story about each certification it can tell a story about your career trajectory and how much you value professional development.
Not a single one of those are professional/expert level certs, granted MEF and Ciena certs were but Ciena certs are open book and MEF certs were pretty basic stuff.
At this point in your career, 11 years in, you better have a damn good explanation of what you’ve been doing to improve yourself and without certs it becomes much harder to tell that story in a convincing manner.
So no, certs aren’t going to magically make you qualified to move up, but it will help ease the doubts in your interviewer’s mind as to “what the hell has this guy been doing for the past 11 years and how would somebody like him be successful the moment I throw something new to learn at him?”
Because the way your profile looks right now, you don’t look like you’d be ready to learn anything new and it’s hard for them to take you seriously when they ask you “Why do you want to work here?” and you give a cliché answer of “I am seeking for an opportunity to learn more and do more” your resume certainly doesn’t seem to back that up.
I can’t stress this part enough: I’ve gotten job offers even after fumbling on a few technical questions because I will respond with “I don’t know the exact answer but I can figure it out by doing XYZ”. In a vacuum that just sounds like an excuse, but when my resume shows that I’ve moved from one position to next, gained certifications along the way and shows clear upward mobility, hiring managers usually take my word for it and trust that I will be able to figure it out. After all, it’s not about what we know, it’s what we can figure out. But other people will only believe you if you give them a reason to believe you.
With all that said though, 70k/yr is enough to get all your bills paid and have some money left over in most parts of the US, so if you’re not in the hole and happy with your job, it’s perfectly fine to coast for the next 20-25 years and retire. I had gone through some stretches of financial insecurity in my teenage years and throughout my 20s so I just got sick and tired of it and started really focusing on it in my late 20s, but money isn’t a big motivator for everyone else out there and that’s perfectly fine.
1. Yes certs will do that
2. You should start with comptia a+ and move from there. Comptia has a whole pathway for certs and what field of IT they’re for. A+ through Security+ are all considered “basic” certs but with your experience will get you into higher positions. Continuing past those are the more field specific certs and comptia offers certs specifically for cybersecurity like Pen+
3. my answer in question 2 partially answers question 3. My biggest recommendation is to study using as many resources as possible (linked in learning; comptia’s web courses if they’re affordable; doing as MANY practice tests as possible; and purchasing the book associated with the cert.) Mind you, i’m only stating to use a bunch of resources with the premise in mind that you truly don’t have a ton of concrete knowledge.
All of this is coming from a 22 yr old working as a mid level service technician currently pursuing the same goal (getting into a more specialized IT position).
1. Can I uncap my career / succeed at this point in my life, at my age, simply by picking up some certifications? -Yes, IT changes weekly. Jump in and don’t stop working on it. Don’t let anyone or anything pull you off track. Just put your head down and work everyday as much as you can, one cert at a time.
2. If yes, should I start with a Net+ / CCNA? -Who cares where you start, just start. That said, CCNA was my jumping in point at the age of 33. (over ten years ago, I’m older than you and just got an MS AI cert last week, never stop learning in IT)
3. I would like to get more into Cybersecurity would I still want to pick up Net+ / CCNA before attempting an ISC2 or Sec+ certs? -Look at open positions and ask recruiters what would be best use of your time.
“Thank you to the future commenters. Please keep the shade to a minimum, I’m aware of how dumb I was not to focus on this earlier. :D” -Don’t make comments like this. You are not dumb, you are asking questions and moving forward. Have self confidence, I manage a T3 team for a national consulting firm. I interview and hire staff, those without self confidence are quickly looked over. If you cannot believe in yourself why should I believe in you.
I’m 47 and just went back to work after raising kids for 15 years. I had some military experience from before that, but went back to school during the pandemic. Got my BS and then MS in cybersecurity from WGU and a month later got a job for $70k. Now at $90k after 6 months. You’re already working in IT so the transition to cybersecurity should be easier for you.
42. No Certs, 16 years in IT, Help Desk – Sys Admin. Experience outweighs certs, every time.
You have experience which is the main thing, anything else will build on that, not too late.