
Originally Posted by
MissMynxx
*dies laughing* Oh my god. I never thought I would see someone put those two words in a sentence except me!
I've been in the Network Security industry for nearly 5 years. I'm A+, Net+, Security+, SANS 503, MCNA and MCSE certified, headed for another SANS and my CISSP (hopefully adding an ISSEP at the end of that soon!) I'm, I guess, what you'd call a "white hat" hacker, though I'm not fond of the names. I participate in several conventions nation-wide, my two favorites being Black Hat and DEFCON.
It's not the easiest industry to break into. Luckily, you're right. It's one of the few where the people just ... don't give a shit. And the guys you work with will (the majority of the time) ABSOLUTELY LOVE that you are/were a stripper, if you decide to share the info. Geeky girls are the sexiest thing alive.
I work as the IT Manager for a holdings corporation here in town for my "day job", and my primary job is exactly what a calssic White Hat or Tiger Team would do - our other IT people set up the networks, encryption, etc; and then sic me on them to see just how easy/hard it would be to get through them. Some of the tests are blind - I'll sit at a computer and just go for it, not having any idea of what I'm up against, only what I"m looking for. Sometimes, I know exactly what's been set up, what encryption is being used ... I'll know the entire back-end system and still look for ways in to get financial information, SS numbers, whatever.
The big thing in this industry is experience. I'm still in school, and what really mattered was my "real world" experience (participating in events through DEFCON, for instance) and my certifications to back up my technical knowledge. Be prepared to work your way up through the bottom, especially if you want your co-workers to respect you. I started as a lowly A+ certified computer tech, working for minimum wage and getting walked all over.
HOWEVER, my perk? I still strip (obviously), and have been known to go on calls to our sister businesses in full make-up and hair. The people LOVE it. Our CEO adores me, and has actually come to see me at the club. I have to really work to get the respect of female co-workers; since many of them take Tyra's outlook and think I'm degrading myself. But then I just grin when I see them eyeing that new pair of shoes online and I know that my 4 hours of working last night would buy me those shoes three times over.
And the rush of satisfaction when they have to stoop to asking the "IT Stripper" for help is just awesome.
Best of luck to you, and let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I'd be happy to point you in the right direction!
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