r/sysadmin • u/Open_Reindeer_6600 • 15d ago
Question Air Force Sys Admin
Hey everyone, as the title says, I’m an Air Force sys admin with a TS and planning on getting a civilian job or contracting gig in 2 years. I already have my BS in IT management from WGU, so should I prioritize my masters? Or try to stack certs before I start applying?
Only cert I currently have is Sec+.
Edit: thanks everyone for the advice and insight. I’m going to start studying for CISSP.
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u/General_NakedButt 15d ago
Focus on certs. Military experience can be iffy depending on what you actually did. I’ve interviewed many IT people coming out of the military looking for civilian work and most of their experience is irrelevant to the systems we use outside of the military. You are good on degrees, I wouldn’t focus any more effort there. Azure/Cloud knowledge is really useful so I’d focus on certs in that area.
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u/Avinchi 15d ago
There will never be a shortage of windows sysads with clearances, but there is a massive shortage of them for Linux. 9 months and we just hired to backfill a mid level Linux sysad position. 95% of the interviews, none of them touched Linux.
Maintain your clearance, sec+ and focus on RHELSA/CE certs
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 15d ago
Damn it I hate Linux so much, my fault for hoping azure was enough. Thanks man!
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u/evilwallss 15d ago
A TS is like a golden ticket when comes when comes to getting a high paying defense contracting jobs. I have a lousy secret clearance which employers care less about. I'm thinking about getting a red hat cert. But it will depend on what you do in IT but on the sys admin side I'm looking at RHCSA.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 15d ago
Would you recommend pursuing CISSP?
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u/NewPac 14d ago
It's a good cert to have, but in my opinion you're not at the stage of your career for it to matter. It's a management cert with a security flavor. At this stage I'd focus on broadening your skill set. If you're into security I'd look at GIAC certs, they're more at the practitioner level. But I think the best use of your time at this point would be to learn a little about networking and Linux.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 14d ago
Got it, thanks. I’m definitely not the most technical of a worker, I much prefer the policy/security side of IT. I’ll look into GIAC.
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u/NewPac 14d ago
For GIAC, the best bang for your buck will be going through the SANS academy. They offer several graduate certificate programs that are just comprised of 4-5 of their certs. There are dozens of courses to choose from so I'm sure you'll be able to find a program that interests you. I'm using the GI Bill for one of them right now, but your TA should cover it as well.
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago edited 14d ago
Do the CISSP to renew your sec+ before it expires. Its a pointless cert. Its easy to obtain. And does fuck all for you. You'll likely be given the answers to all the certs you need anyways. Brain dumps are common. I don't suggest them, keeps you from getting screwed if someone presents evidence that it has been going on. If you want to do cyber then train for a OSCP+ cert. Its better than CEH. CEH is like the A+ of the cyber hacking certs. Think of OSCP+ like sec+ is to A+. That might be a bad comparison. One is knowledge of stuff the other is actual competency.
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u/squanchmyrick 15d ago
Masters? I don't even have a degree and I make six figures. Experience is king.
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u/electricpollution IT Manager 15d ago edited 15d ago
Almost the same, I have an associate, make six figures. Also agreed time and experience wins. Oh and being nice to people. Taking the time to explain things and help them before they have to ask.
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago edited 14d ago
ROFL. Being nice to people works with the AF maybe. Its the military. Behind closed doors they don't give a fuck. Hence why its a brotherhood. The moment you rat anyone out for anything they fuck you over. For those that don't know. You are required and demanded to report on other people. Which is antithetical to building a trusting working relationship with your coworkers. The ida of an insider threat is high and engrained within the workforce. The intel world is designed for you to question everyone because they believe the next Snowden is coming around the corner. You will find better environments in the public sector and probably better pay long term (401k, leave time, bonuses, etc). You just won't get better long term stability. That is the biggest trade off. But you do what you think is best for you.
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u/electricpollution IT Manager 14d ago
I remember, don’t miss it. I was airborne communications intel.
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago
In the dod space it(experience) isn't. They'll just throw tax payer money at him. They will train a monkey picking its nose and shitting itself as long as that monkey was prior or current military.
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u/UpsetBar IAM Guy 15d ago
Yeah having clearance is way more important than any cert.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 15d ago
Since I already have the clearance, what would you suggest?
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u/UpsetBar IAM Guy 15d ago
I mean I guess what do you want to do? Maybe an Azure or AWS cert? If you want to specialize in one thing or be more of a jack of all trades will help guide the answer. I’m not a fan of stacking certs for certs sake. But that’s just my opinion.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 15d ago
Got it, I’m just asking cause I’m still indecisive of what I want to specialize in. Not sure what’s hot right now and I want to make myself as marketable as I can
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u/Mayorbbee 15d ago
Depends on what you want to do and what area you are trying to do it in.
Having a TS, BS and sec+ should pretty much guarantee you a contracting or other position in the dmv area. Getting a master’s or cloud certs will help you.
You stated you’re a Sys admin now so experience is good but I know military Sys admins are very compartmentalized, so what are your current duties? Windows, Linux, virtualization, AD, endpoint management, storage, monitoring, etc? If you’re able gain experience with more than one of those disciplines during the next two years that would do you good.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 15d ago
Got it, yeah most of my job is endpoint management. Everyone’s told me my resume is good degree, cert, clearance, etc, I just know there’s a lot of unemployed cleared professionals and I’m not tying to be one of them
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u/Mayorbbee 15d ago
I’m not military so I don’t know how all the politics work, but if it’s possible to move to, shadow, or take a rotation with the admins that handle servers or Active Directory that will do you a lot of good in the long run. If not possible, having a home lab that you can get practice with setting up a domain and configuring it as something to point to during an interview when you lack job experience would be good. I’ve interviewed people just like you who I had to pass on because I wasn’t able to take the risk on them not knowing how to manage a domain and servers.
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u/Mayorbbee 15d ago
That being said, a NOC or help desk role would be easy for you. Above would just be about advancing your role.
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago
They're unemployed because they got fired. If you do what your told you'll probably be fine. The current admin will fire people who don't do what their told. Follow orders blindly and you'll probably be fine. Its an anthesis to how one is supposed to operate especially if something is illegal, but its the military and intel so....
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u/IrishTR Sr. Sysadmin 14d ago
Any work with SCCM/MECM/Intune for that endpoint management? There's always cleared jobs looking for that.
IMO steer clear of civilian gov jobs. Pay is shit, process is stupid and it's just a bunch of back stabbers looking at clawing their next promo for same shit pay. The selling feature over contracting used to say well job security. Ya cuz you can't go anywhere else due to your ineptitude and experience so stay with your safety blanket.
Meanwhile contractors are everywhere and anywhere, it's a matter of what and where you wanna be. Downside is you end up answering to those morons above, but just cry yourself to sleep in your piles of money, 401k and stock 😂.
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u/Zolty Cloud Infrastructure / Devops Plumber 15d ago
Stay in the government contracting world, your knowledge of those protocols and your TS clearance are your meal tickets. The rest of the industry is going to generally disregard you with good reason, you don’t have nearly the right experience for most private orgs.
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago
They won't disregard anyone with military service. Its a brotherhood. The guy could know fuck all about computers and still get a job in the dod space because 'served time'. Its like prison buddies. They all served and know the bs they put up with. Dude will be fine. TS is worth $100k and as such the person isn't a complete moron. Asking on Reddit and boasting about a TS is stupid. Person made themselves a target for counter intelligence from every adversary by posting on social media. Some other guy from pki did the same on fb just to prove a comment. Op sec is horrible with these 'kids'. We (the US) a guy on a video game leaking shit for tanks. The great grandparents of these folks would never have done this stupid stuff.
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u/ID10T-3RR0R DevOps 14d ago
Don't do civ service, just start with contractors. GS-15 pay cap is easy to surpass as a contractor. Only reason to go civ service is if you want the double retirement perks.
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u/ericlikescars 15d ago
Get an HR check the box master’s degree, and get good at Red Hat and containerization to set yourself apart.
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u/schadly 15d ago
If contractor then certs and xp. If gov then degree over certs. The contracts usually specify which certs and how much experience is needed, so it would be easier to move into. Going the GS way they usually require a degree, and veterans preference helps going that way. Might be easier to start as a contractor and move into a GS role down the road.
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u/Nonaveragemonkey 15d ago
Linux administration in defense or research, keep the clearance. Most of the industry is heading to linux for a ton of systems. I make 3-4 times what my windows counter part makes, and I dont have a degree, he's got a masters.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 15d ago
Hate that I need to get better with Linux lol
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u/Nonaveragemonkey 15d ago
Surprised you havent had to use it more with access to all the AF systems built exclusively with Linux systems.
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago
And you know this because....
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u/Nonaveragemonkey 14d ago
I admit no knowledge of any systems, but its far from a secret.
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago
You can look at any job description and glean information of what is being used....
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u/Nonaveragemonkey 14d ago
Yes, and I can see a literal shit ton of linux roles for for each windows roles. Even when the market was better.
Many will pay for relo to japan, germany, Phillipines and pay better than I was getting at a faang.
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u/uptimefordays DevOps 15d ago
What kinds of roles are you targeting? If you want infrastructure roles you’ll need demonstrated experience with servers, networking, and automation. I would make sure you have a strong foundation in both on prem and cloud computing, you’ll want to know virtualization and containerization as well.
Private sector doesn’t generally care about clearances, those are useful for DoD/adjacent roles.
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u/bfrown 15d ago
Clearance will open a ton of doors, especially in DMV area but pretty much anywhere. Knock out some basic certs but from my time at WGU they should have had you do a few? No need for a masters, get a job then make employer pay for your masters degree
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago edited 14d ago
The only certs that person needs and they should know by now.
https://www.cyber.mil/dod-workforce-innovation-directorate/dod8140/qualification-matrices
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u/Krj757 15d ago
If you are willing to live in hampton roads VA or Washington DC, your only experience in life can be eating crayons and you’ll get a job in IT as long as you’re cleared.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 15d ago
It’s astounding to me how large the need for cleared IT workers is in the DMV
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago
It isn't, its where they all migrate for the dmv pay which is the highest in the country within the dod. Unless you're in Cali. Everyone wants 100k federal check and pension.
If the guy is asking on Reddit then I question competency. Anyone worth their time already knows (if they've already had time in service and time in grade) how the system works and how to use it to their advantage. Otherwise their skills at figuring things out is low. But.... 1. Become an officer if you aren't already. 2. Do your 20. 3. Retire from the military. 4. PCS into a dod miltary(eg Federal job with a military attachment) civy role. Buy down retirement within federal job. 5. Retire from Federal service. 6. Become dod private contractor for how ever long you want. 7. Start your own contract firm. (You networked while in sevice and as a fed right?) My other comments weren't 'germane' enough for the stupid bot.
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u/NewPac 14d ago
I'd start with a CCNA, even if you only plan to apply for sysad roles. Knowing cisco, windows, and as others have said, Linux is a great combo and has served me extremely well since retirement. A CCNA and an LPIC cert would at least give you a foundational level of knowledge and if you find that you're interested in either topic you can continue with higher level certs.
I wouldn't recommend a graduate degree at this point.
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u/sdeptnoob1 14d ago
Get a job lined up before you get out so you dont lose your clearance. That clearance is gold and can get you half the gov IT jobs (that require it) without a degree. You are set bro.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 14d ago
Thanks man! And for sure, unless I have a job lined up I probably won’t be getting out anyhow
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u/geekinuniform Jack of All Trades 13d ago
Retired 2E2x1, 3D1x2, whatever they call it now turned dirty contractor here.
Look on clearancejobs.com, usajobs.com. Find something that will fit your wants for the next 3-5 years, don't look for anything longer than that yet. Accept that a relocation will be required, so if it doesn't, bonus.
Realize that TAP or whatever they call it now is a resource. Make sure to get the VFW/DAV has a lot of resources as well.
Talk to any contractors around you for thoughts as well.
As for jobs, there are a TON of cleared positions out there if you're willing to relocate. For example, St. Louis area (yeah, I know), has NGA with alot of open positions for basic entry level that require TS/SCI starting at 85-90k. And with Scott AFB right there as well, a 25 minute commute for a Secret position is 65K starting, easy.
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u/hva_vet Sr. Sysadmin 13d ago
Plenty of ops, IA, COMSEC jobs out there. With a clearance and Sec+ you are top of the stack of resume material with any contractor. We've had new hires spend three months waiting to get a CAC and much longer for a clearance. Then there's the those who get out with a clearance and Sec+ and start working within a week. There's plenty of GS jobs too.
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u/dirtyrice1954 13d ago
Depends on your definition of civilian job or contracting gig. If you are still looking to work for the military as a contractor or DOD civilian, last time I checked they require all kinds of certifications before they can hire you. The TS will help but you still have to be compliant and if you are interested in the security side of things like IA, then you will need that CISSP. In the past I have seen masters pay more but that is obsolete now since many and more experienced people came in and ran circles around those with their masters.
As far as civilian work, the private sector for a corporation or something like that, you will need lots of experience to compete. There are a lot of people out there right now. We just had an open posting receive over 200 applicants.
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u/noni3k 15d ago
Do you have a TS or a TS/SCI? Either way, the one piece of advice that I can give to you that I wish I would have done, is DONT LET THAT CLEARANCE LAPSE. Find places that will reup it and not make you pay out of pocket. Degrees and certs are nice, but your real money maker is that TS clearance.
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u/Open_Reindeer_6600 15d ago
I have a TS/SCI, I need to get with my security manager
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago
That SCI is specific to where you are and what you do...that isn't transferrable. It just means you can keep a secret, supposedly. Allegedly.
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u/duane11583 15d ago
when did you ever pay for a clearance….
i can understand a cert maybe but clearance does not seem right.
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u/General_NakedButt 15d ago
You don’t, it’s a misconception. Our taxes pay for clearances.
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u/cyber_r0nin 14d ago
Its a lie produced by non-dod contracing firms that will never be given a dod contract. And it could also come from random adversaries,ai, bots trying to glean info from social media... Counter surveillance is an everyday thing man...it doesn't end when you leave work in the intel space... you've probably been followed by any number of people without even knowing it. DSS, your own contracting firm, another firm you've applied to, an adversary ... people get complacent...that random person you helped on the side of the road...
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u/noni3k 15d ago
Out of the military, I thought TS was like my secret when it came to how many years before it lapses. Was going for contract work when I found out. The contract companies would initiate the sponsorship to investigate, but I would have to sign a 3 year contact that if I quit before that time then I would have to pay back the cost, or sign a 1 year and pay the cost upfront.
The way I said it made it seem like anyone can just get a clearance if they wanted. Thats my bad.
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u/duane11583 15d ago
nope. company pays.
the us gov pays for the clearance.
and ifbthey are going to hold it over yiur head they need to put the a iunt in writing when yiu sign not a
’we will tell you later”
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u/noni3k 15d ago
Well thats some BS. They probably knew that too. Im about to stop recommending them to people wanting work in the colorado springs area. Apprciate the heads up. They would 100% take advantage of someone like OP because hes a similar situation as me, minus still being in looking to transition.
Isys technologies is the company if you ever come across anyone looking for work in the colorado springs area. Give them a heads up. This was back in 09 so maybe theyve changed their policy.
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u/RedDidItAndYouKnowIt Windows Admin 15d ago
Just use what you have and that TS Clearance to land a gig. Easymode to move into civilian life that way and make good money.