Setting Goals and Accomplishing them in Your time
If you ever talk to someone that is successful, the first thing they will tell you is to set you goals. You need to have short term (the next year) and long term (in the next 5-10 years) and life goals (more about material wants e.g. a mansion, an infinity etc.). Those that tell you that are correct. If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. What does that mean? Well if you don't have something that you are striving for then anything you do will leave you unsatisfied. A few days ago I ran into a picture on Facebook that made me think the about this thing again. I have not set any real goals in years. I have just been floating from thing to thing because that is the type of cards life has dealt me. I wanted to do pen testing full time, but there are very limited opportunity for me to break into the business. I wanted to be a Professor at one of the local colleges, but I was not on "the short list" during the hiring process. That actually hurt a little because that is the one thing I really want to do. I digress. So I saw this picture that says "Decide what you want to do, Write that shit down, Make a fucking plan, and... work on it, every, single, day. I thought that was profound. Here I am with all this education and all this experience and all these certifications and I am still trying to figure out what direction I want to go in life. So I decided to write about how to do this thing. How do you or anyone else set goals. Well the first thing that we have to remember is that your goals have to be SMART. SMART is an acronym in project management that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, and time bound.
Get to Know your Credit
Part 1 Getting to know your Credit
I will also say that I am not the originator of this line of thought. I listen to a very money, power respect oriented talk show called "The Karen Hunter Show." She has only been on XM for about two years, but the value she brings to the table is can not be measured. She has been talking to guest for the last two years about how to get your great game straight. The first thing you need to do is get a copy of your credit report and look at what is on it. The companies that create these credit reports are not concerned with the accuracy of the report, but you need to be. Something as simple as having two spellings of your name, one with your middle initial and one without, can lower your credit score by 2 or 3 points. You need to review your credit report monthly to make sure everything is going the way it needs to go. DO NOT, I SAY AGAIN, DO NOT hire a credit cleaning service, unless you have no time to take care of your own credit. I say it like that because I truly believe in the saying, either you have the time or you have the money. Those services can get really expense really fast. Everything they do, you can do yourself. This article is not about disputing items on your report, but note that this is something that may need to be done. After you have cleaned up your credit report, then you can start this process. You can start it earlier, but you want to try to get everything in order first.
So we reached the point where I will talk about my plan to increase my credit. The first revelation came when one of Karen's guest said that even though you pay your bills, creditors can't see your payments unless you are paying a creditor that reports to a credit bureau. When making a credit decision, the creditor wants to see that you pay your bills. You pay a cell phone bill, light bill, water bill, other utilities, and miscellaneous bills. None of those companies report to the credit bureau unless your account goes to collection. If you are paying your bills on time or at least before it is 30 days late it will never show up in your report. The question then becomes how do I get this information in my credit report?
Part 2 Now you know, time to grow
Here comes the good part. The key to getting these bills seen is to use your credit card to pay your bills, then take the money that you would have paid your bills with and pay your credit card. I know, that sounds simple and for some people, it is a no-duh statement, but this is a way to increase your credit score. The co-star of the show, Cousin Syl gave this tactic a few months ago, but it did not make as much sense to me then. I also have a co-worker that uses his Best Buy card to buy everything. I asked him why he did it and he either didn't know or did not want to tell me why he did it. I was always told, only use the credit card for emergencies. If you have more than one credit card, it is a good idea to have one that has a zero balance that you only use in case of emergencies. You will need to have at least one credit card that you can use to execute the technique.
So let me tell you how I am executing this. First, I paid down my largest credit card down to 30% utilization. This means that 70% of my credit on this card is available for use. The next thing I did was I went through my budget very carefully to understand how much I can pay to my credit card every payday. The thing to remember when coming up with the amount you will pay every payday is that you are not going to pay for bills out of your paycheck anymore. You are going to pay for them on your credit card. I set up an automatic payment each week (I get paid weekly, but you would need to set it up for the time that is comfortable to you).
What does this do for you? The first thing is that you will never be late on your credit card payment. Second, if you set up your utilities for automatic payment, then you will not be late with those bills either. The third thing it does is it helps you to get your balance down to zero by paying more into the card than the minimum payment. In the end, your credit score will increase. I have seen a 50 point increase since I started this process. I will update this blog as my credit increase.
Tips for finding gainful employment in Information Technology
Finding a job in IT can be tough, especially for those of you getting out of the military or those of you that are making a career change. Even though it can be a challenge, there are a few things that will make all the difference in your job search. Following the tenants in this article will not guarantee you a job, but it will help you as you get started in your IT career. The major factors that affect your job-seeking success include qualifications, experience and the strength of your network.
The first factor to consider is your qualifications. In other words, ask yourself, "Am I qualified for the job?" Being qualified means different things for different segments, but in general, you will need to possess the skills for the job. Working with the government will require you to have certifications in your specific area of interest along with a bachelorette degree from an accredited four-year college or university. Usually, where you get your degree does not make a huge difference, but the school must be an accredited school. If you have the required education, the next qualification you have to pay attention to are certifications.
Certifications can be a delimiter when competing for a position. If the job requires a Security + certification and you do not have that certification, you may not be qualified for that job. However, if you have what is considered a higher certification like the CISM or CISSP, you may be overqualified. Some organizations may opt to hire you and give you a period of time, usually six months, to obtain the necessary certifications, but that is not a guarantee. Private companies, may not take as much stock in either your education or certifications. I will discuss this point later. Government positions are their own animal and many of the challenges you will face in the private sector are the same with government positions. In contracting or consulting, you have to be aware of the fact that the contract will dictate what qualifications each position must have. Again I say MUST because the contracting companies make an agreement that they will supply personnel that meet stated required qualifications for that position. In some cases, experience can get your foot in the door.
Experience in the IT world is a bit of a catch 22. On one hand, you are new to IT, but on the other hand, the company expects you to have a defined number of years working in that discipline. As a new IT professional, you have to find ways to increase your experience. I do not have the magic bullet that will get you the experience you need, but I do have a few suggestions. Volunteer your time to gain some experience. If you belong to an organization, volunteer to be a part of the IT team. If you don’t belong to an organization, seek out non-profit organizations and ask them if you can volunteer as a part of their IT team. Apply for entry-level jobs. If you are in your 20’s, this is a no-brainer. If you are on your second career, starting at the bottom may not be appealing to you, but it may be necessary. Being qualified and having experience are both important, but the one thing that can get you over the hump is having a strong network.
I, like most IT types, tend to be more of an introvert. I’m not good at making small talk about random topics and I naturally don’t smile much so people do not feel like I am approachable. Those are my flaws that I work on continuously to help me build my network. For you, building a network will be crucial to your success. Having a relationship with people that work in government and in private companies can get your foot in the door. As I said before, qualifications and experience are important, but having personal relationships with people in the industry are just as important. It is important for a few reasons. First, there is an old saying, “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” In my experience, that saying is only partially true. My view is it’s not what you know or who you know, but who knows you. When you have relationships with people, they can speak on your behalf. Hiring managers will take a recommendation by a current employee into consideration while making hiring decisions. Since I got out of the military in 2011, I have not gotten a job where I applied, even though I have worked for five different companies. So how did I get a job? My network. When I was looking for work, I let my network know. When they heard of open positions, they gave me a call and asked if I was interested. In some cases, I lobbied my network to help me get a certain job. For me, my network was like a fly on the wall that fed me information about possible positions in their company. The moral of the story is your network can be your best asset. Grow it, build it, participate in it and doors will open for you.
The advice I give to those looking for work is to join a local IT organization like the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), The International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), or ISACA, formerly known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association. The people in your area that are good resources for jobs are members of these organizations. Even if cybersecurity is not your discipline, there is value in being in the room with people that are already in the IT field.
In closing, finding a job in any sector, private or public, or any discipline in IT, you have to be qualified, have some experience and have a strong network. As you go through your job search, be mindful of these factors. I cannot guarantee you will find gainful employment if you do all of these things, but I will say that your likelihood of finding a position will increase significantly if you do.