>2 yr IT degree >little-related job experience >weak

Almost all IT operations people start out in help desk, apply for level 1 help desk positions and work your way out to your preferred path from there.
CCNA isn't required for your first job, A+ can't hurt but its very basic.
You do want to tackle as many certs as possible in your first few years of your career though, network+ and server+ are ok for generic roles and CCNA is a highly sought after cert but some people find it very difficult when just starting out.
MCSA is a good one to start with if you find the comptia certifications boring or too easy.

I've been in IT 10 years currently network and security operations, any other questions?

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>>17905326
I have my sec+, net+, ITIL and a 4 year IT degree with experience but I still feel like I know nothing. I don't get to do much besides monitor and report for my job and I want to move up or out of this company. I've been here for 3 years without any changes in responsibility. What's the best way to go about this when you're starting out in the security industry?

Yes, I've done some help desk work for a few months, but that's about it when it comes to any related work experience.

Should that be the only thing I mention as for past job experience on my resume?

As for progressing through the IT field, I would eventually like to do some sysadmin/network admin work and perhaps later move into security related stuff.

>>17905337
Oh trust me the feeling like you know nothing doesn't go away, some people call it imposter syndrome where you feel like you don't belong but its a normal thing in IT especially.
You just have to use that to keep upskilling and learning more.. I'm currently trying to learn malware analysis/RE and I feel completely out of my depth but you just chip away at something until you are more confident with it.

Security can be tough because there are a lot of sub-types, for security i reccomend starting out in a SOC/analyst role and branch out from there but ITIL is a good start if you want to try and jump right in to jnr security admin / auditor roles.
Most people think everyone in security is a pentester/redteam, but the truth is most are auditors doing vuln scanning and reporting so you probably have a good grasp of the basics of that already.
I highly reccomend going to security meetups in your area and networking, the security community are mostly great people who love teaching and learning from eachother.
Also try some pentest labs or vulnerable VMs to learn some new tricks and how vulnerabilities work.

as for your current employer, tell them in your performance review you want more responsibility and work variation and if they comply then great but if not then keep your eyes open for a better opportunity.

>>17905339
>might consider getting a four-year CIS degree

Continuing on from that what are some practical part-time jobs that would benefit me in this area or is that not a viable option?

>>17905339
It depends where you are applying but always try to keep your experience relevant to the role you want, with that said level 1 helpdesk is as much about customer service skills as it is IT skills so any retail or hospitality work can be beneficial but try not to focus on them.
If possible send your resume to a recruiter who fills for IT roles and ask for feedback, a good recruiter will fill in the blanks and give advice but good recruiters can be few and far between so if you find a great one always keep them on your linkedin (or whatever) for when you are ready to move on.

Also never lie on a resume, i've seen so many people get way out of their depth through making up skills they don't have so just be honest but try to put a positive spin on everything.

Sysadmin and netadmin jobs are a great second step after a year or two (maybe more depending on how fast you learn) of helpdesk. This is where CCNA and MCSA become pretty important to have, so tackle them while you are in helpdesk if you can.

Helpdesk.
Call centers.
Literally anything to put on a resume.

IT is pretty fucking cut-throat due to the lack of "real" degrees for it. Get certifications, get a job and get experience.
Good people skills is a big plus too, especially now that a lot of previously internal IT jobs are getting outsource to "remote" IT companies.

>>17905358
It really depends on what interests you, anything customer service related is good along with any desk jobs that have some use of IT but that will really only get your foot in the door even with a CS degree and you will still likely start out in level 1 helpdesk.

CS in my opinion is a bit overrated but that said I didn't do it so I don't know.

>>17905377
Well, it's technically called Computer Information Systems and people usually branch off to many things from this degree.

>>17905382
Ah ok, I haven't seen much on that degree but most Computer Science students come out with very little from their degrees if they plan on IT operations or similar.

>>17905350
This seems like great advice e, thanks for replying g.

I'm doing a bit of SOC/NOC work now but I've grown bored with it and will do anything to fight stagnation. I never thought of attending meetups because I don't think I'm at the level where I could contribute or converse but if it's as you say it's worth a shot. I'll have to find some VMS and study material in the meantime.

>>17905394
No problem, always happy to see more people interested in security.
Don't be disauded from going to meetups or cons because you aren't an expert, they are there for everyone no matter how much experience you have so that everyone can learn and socialise together. Go along and say hi to people and ask questions and you will meet some cool people and learn a bunch.

It might be worth checking out pentestlab dot com for some VMs, i've been told they are really good but haven't had a chance to do them myself yet.

>>17905406
Yeah, thanks so much for your advice.

I feel more relaxed now knowing that help desk will be the area of gaining basic experience and after a few years moving on to either sysadmin or netadmin.