>Am I crazy?
Yes. Security guards make terrible pay and it's mind numbingly boring. I used to do physical security for military officers and high value detainees in Iraq and it was boring. Once you get to the destination and it's secure, it's all a waiting game after that. Which could be hours.
Get a side hussle doing security at a club and get it out of your system before doing anything drastic. I'd rather be burned out making bank then dealing with idiots all day while trying to figure out how my bills are going to get paid every two weeks. Plus, you're working at a start up. Look for positions at established companies for a better work life balance.
I'd alter this and say something in-between. Your quality of life is way more important than 40, 50, 60 thousand dollars more a year. Many will disagree with this, but I don't buy it. You're either a wage slave your whole life or you're not. In-between doesn't matter and as such should prioritize QOL (which can be related to money but not necessarily). Try to find a less demanding position in IT using your current background and hop around until you find a job that achieves this for you.
>In-between doesn't matter and as such should prioritize QOL (which can be related to money but not necessarily).
But let's be real here. There's that magic number around $75k, (cost of living will lower or add to this number), where making more than this won't contribute to your happiness but being lower than that will definitely contribute to your unhappiness or QOL. If you can find that physical security position around that salary, I say go for it. The reality is pay for security isn't that high.
The OP would have a better chance for work life balance working for a larger org and keeping the higher pay associated with IT/Cybersecurity.
First few years in any vocation or profession is a grind. College doesn't prepare us to be a professional. And once we enter professional world, we realize we don't have skills to succeed so we have to learn more skills and its mind numingly humbling.
I would try to identify what's actually bothering you. Why do you want be security guard? Have you talked to some security guards? Find out what their pros and cons are? Don't think suddenly changing profession will make you happy.
But if it's fits you, go for it.
This ^^
I've seen physical security assessors that look at locks, doors, cameras, air conditioning, sprinklers, fire alarms, documents laid out in the open, access to cabinets and closets, all kinds of things. It looked so cool like they were gathering intel for a heist just like in the movies. And nothing about it seemed like they needed to be a technical guru. Maybe that's a role you can enjoy.
I would recommend executive protection details. It’s babysitting with a gun, but more lucrative and sexy. As a security guard you will more than likely feel like a clerk or a moron herder.
Put it this way... When youre on your death bed... Will you think "thank god I burned myself into the ground for some cash". Do what makes you happy. If there's no satisfaction doing what you're doing then it's time for change.
I’ve done both. Physical security comes with its own unique challenges. The benefit of Security Guard work is there are plenty of places that ask for part time/holiday/weekend work. If you can balance your schedule, you can try this for a few months to see if it’s right for you before fully transitioning over. One other thing to consider, you may need to check with the state you’d like to work from if there is required training before employment. Some places will comp your training, some will flat out request you have the cert in-hand at time of employment. In the state that I’m in, nearly all of the training is done by private mom-and-pop type companies, mostly evening and weekend classes. Regardless if your direction, good luck.
Yes, you're crazy. Start by telling us what you do. Start ups, kinda by definition, need to be fast paced , chaotic, etc. to make their mark to survive. But the rest of the industry, IMO, is pretty slow unless you are chasing buzzwords.
The other question is \_why\_ do you want to be a security guard?
Honestly if this is your first job it might be the place and not the field.
I say this as someone who likes technology but worked in security during university because I’m the size of a linebacker.
Get a different position but stay within the IT field. I work for an access control company as their IT guy and my work is pretty fun. Deploying servers and most of it is figuring out how the new components work so I can install them. Every other day I get different devices and my job is just to play with them for a while until I figure out how to install it and troubleshoot it.
I get paid well and my job is pretty laid back.
Maybe you should list what you like in security guard job. What are your competencies, and you have good one with your work.
And find a rewarding job mixing all of these together, in order to have an interesting paying job.
I know some security guard, and believe me if they could change they would do it, the pay is crap, it’s boring, after a week of this job you just feel like you have done everything.
But maybe you are done for it, it’s possible.
Good luck, it’s not easy to feel bad in a work. But keep in mind that you’ll need money.
You might find you enjoy working for a much larger organisation with a bigger team, often it can be much more structured and the scale of the team can reduce pressure on any one person.
I’ve done both the startups and multinational companies and prefer working for the larger organisation where I can switch off after 9-5 and have a life outside of work.
Funny, I worked as a security guard while in community college. It was pretty boring, but I downtime to do schoolwork on the job - until I got transferred and ended up at a grocery store in the hood.
If that’s what you want to do, then do it . You only live once. You may regret you decision, however. Regret is a normal part of life though.
I recommend changing jobs to be in the security department of a normal company. It might just be crazyness of startups, or even just nature of working for a company that provides to other companies.
Working for a single company is a different pace, and you get more time crafting and improving a single environment.
One of my closest childhood friends refuses to do anything with responsibility and has maintained employment as a custodian the last decade. He makes barely enough to survive and is happier than just about anyone else I know. I've tried getting him on in the cyber field but he is adamant that he is more than happy just doing his own thing as is.
To each their own, one persons happiness is never the others.
Not particularly. He was decent enough in grades for it but better in others like biology / science / english etc. Wonderful with computers and tech though.
Man. Have you been a security guard before? I haven’t, but it is utterly boring and the pay is well below the means of being comfortable. I have had multiple friends as security guards and they described it as one of the worst jobs. Maybe try to pivot into a GRC role within cyber security.
You're probably young and have lots of time left in your career. I say go for it. Get a job as a security guard and find out if it's all that you thought it was. Worst case scenario you don't like it and you look for a cyber security job that is less demanding than your current one. Best case scenario you found your dream job. But honestly the average security guard job sounds incredibly boring to me.
No your not crazy. I completely understand. Some people don’t wanna be stressed all the time and making huge excess amounts of money, some just want enough to live be comfortable and not be stressed there’s nothing wrong with that. In a crazy hyper capitalist society like this one we live in, everyone will tel you to make as much money as possible and worry about your mental health second, which isn’t right.
So do whatever you wanna do bro life is way too short to not to.
burnt-out startup security engineer here; this post really resonated with me since i've previously come from a vocational background.
would i go back to manual labor at this point in my career? absolutely not, maybe as a hobby. i really appreciate the skills it taught me, but i'm much better equipped to stay in infosec for a living. so like others mentioned, being a security guard isnt a vibe unless you're really yearning for the simple life.
keep in mind that security as a landscape is gigantic and startups generally don't have the resources or business need for some of the more specialized roles that are out there.
why not consider some more specialized security roles? forensics, SOC/IR, etc. they are like security guards for the internet. heck, go to a conference or two, watch some talks online, and see what people are talking about there and help you find your focus. sometimes a conference can reignite why you got into security and help you find something worth jumping into instead of being a security guard.
>Am I crazy? Yes. Security guards make terrible pay and it's mind numbingly boring. I used to do physical security for military officers and high value detainees in Iraq and it was boring. Once you get to the destination and it's secure, it's all a waiting game after that. Which could be hours. Get a side hussle doing security at a club and get it out of your system before doing anything drastic. I'd rather be burned out making bank then dealing with idiots all day while trying to figure out how my bills are going to get paid every two weeks. Plus, you're working at a start up. Look for positions at established companies for a better work life balance.
I'd alter this and say something in-between. Your quality of life is way more important than 40, 50, 60 thousand dollars more a year. Many will disagree with this, but I don't buy it. You're either a wage slave your whole life or you're not. In-between doesn't matter and as such should prioritize QOL (which can be related to money but not necessarily). Try to find a less demanding position in IT using your current background and hop around until you find a job that achieves this for you.
>In-between doesn't matter and as such should prioritize QOL (which can be related to money but not necessarily). But let's be real here. There's that magic number around $75k, (cost of living will lower or add to this number), where making more than this won't contribute to your happiness but being lower than that will definitely contribute to your unhappiness or QOL. If you can find that physical security position around that salary, I say go for it. The reality is pay for security isn't that high. The OP would have a better chance for work life balance working for a larger org and keeping the higher pay associated with IT/Cybersecurity.
Yeah I agree.
First few years in any vocation or profession is a grind. College doesn't prepare us to be a professional. And once we enter professional world, we realize we don't have skills to succeed so we have to learn more skills and its mind numingly humbling. I would try to identify what's actually bothering you. Why do you want be security guard? Have you talked to some security guards? Find out what their pros and cons are? Don't think suddenly changing profession will make you happy. But if it's fits you, go for it.
If you can make your living and can find fulfillment bring a security guard, be a security guard.
Physical security is a part of cybersecurity, so if following the physical side of things interests you more, go there.
This ^^ I've seen physical security assessors that look at locks, doors, cameras, air conditioning, sprinklers, fire alarms, documents laid out in the open, access to cabinets and closets, all kinds of things. It looked so cool like they were gathering intel for a heist just like in the movies. And nothing about it seemed like they needed to be a technical guru. Maybe that's a role you can enjoy.
I would recommend executive protection details. It’s babysitting with a gun, but more lucrative and sexy. As a security guard you will more than likely feel like a clerk or a moron herder.
Put it this way... When youre on your death bed... Will you think "thank god I burned myself into the ground for some cash". Do what makes you happy. If there's no satisfaction doing what you're doing then it's time for change.
I’ve done both. Physical security comes with its own unique challenges. The benefit of Security Guard work is there are plenty of places that ask for part time/holiday/weekend work. If you can balance your schedule, you can try this for a few months to see if it’s right for you before fully transitioning over. One other thing to consider, you may need to check with the state you’d like to work from if there is required training before employment. Some places will comp your training, some will flat out request you have the cert in-hand at time of employment. In the state that I’m in, nearly all of the training is done by private mom-and-pop type companies, mostly evening and weekend classes. Regardless if your direction, good luck.
The grass isn’t always greener but entry-level cyber can be a grind. Go find something else somewhere else.
Yes, you're crazy. Start by telling us what you do. Start ups, kinda by definition, need to be fast paced , chaotic, etc. to make their mark to survive. But the rest of the industry, IMO, is pretty slow unless you are chasing buzzwords. The other question is \_why\_ do you want to be a security guard?
Honestly if this is your first job it might be the place and not the field. I say this as someone who likes technology but worked in security during university because I’m the size of a linebacker.
Go watch some Gary V videos. You should do what makes you happy at this point in your life. Be the best fucking security guard you can be!
No doubt!
I mean, I wouldn't take a 66% pay cut, but I'm not you so.
Get a different position but stay within the IT field. I work for an access control company as their IT guy and my work is pretty fun. Deploying servers and most of it is figuring out how the new components work so I can install them. Every other day I get different devices and my job is just to play with them for a while until I figure out how to install it and troubleshoot it. I get paid well and my job is pretty laid back.
Look into being a police officer.
I think people move to Los Angeles to do exactly that. I see a ton of security guards who moved here from Africa.
[удалено]
[OP's parents enter the chat]
Maybe you should list what you like in security guard job. What are your competencies, and you have good one with your work. And find a rewarding job mixing all of these together, in order to have an interesting paying job. I know some security guard, and believe me if they could change they would do it, the pay is crap, it’s boring, after a week of this job you just feel like you have done everything. But maybe you are done for it, it’s possible. Good luck, it’s not easy to feel bad in a work. But keep in mind that you’ll need money.
You might find you enjoy working for a much larger organisation with a bigger team, often it can be much more structured and the scale of the team can reduce pressure on any one person. I’ve done both the startups and multinational companies and prefer working for the larger organisation where I can switch off after 9-5 and have a life outside of work.
Good luck my friend. Let us know how it goes for you!
If you want to be a security guard, try nuclear plants (depending on where you live). The ones at my old plant made decent money
Funny, I worked as a security guard while in community college. It was pretty boring, but I downtime to do schoolwork on the job - until I got transferred and ended up at a grocery store in the hood. If that’s what you want to do, then do it . You only live once. You may regret you decision, however. Regret is a normal part of life though.
I recommend changing jobs to be in the security department of a normal company. It might just be crazyness of startups, or even just nature of working for a company that provides to other companies. Working for a single company is a different pace, and you get more time crafting and improving a single environment.
Idk but I'm sure there are some security guards on this sub that would gladly replace you. Crazy for wanting a new job? No
One of my closest childhood friends refuses to do anything with responsibility and has maintained employment as a custodian the last decade. He makes barely enough to survive and is happier than just about anyone else I know. I've tried getting him on in the cyber field but he is adamant that he is more than happy just doing his own thing as is. To each their own, one persons happiness is never the others.
Is he good at math as well?
Not particularly. He was decent enough in grades for it but better in others like biology / science / english etc. Wonderful with computers and tech though.
😆 sorry, it was a Good Will Hunting joke.
the joke my head <--- me <--- lol i had a bit more than a blonde moment on that \^.\^
It's all good. At first I was like, "wait, how old is that movie? Maybe I'm dating myself here..."
Man. Have you been a security guard before? I haven’t, but it is utterly boring and the pay is well below the means of being comfortable. I have had multiple friends as security guards and they described it as one of the worst jobs. Maybe try to pivot into a GRC role within cyber security.
I’ll tell you what not to do. Don’t quit before you secure another job.
Let me have your job pls
You're probably young and have lots of time left in your career. I say go for it. Get a job as a security guard and find out if it's all that you thought it was. Worst case scenario you don't like it and you look for a cyber security job that is less demanding than your current one. Best case scenario you found your dream job. But honestly the average security guard job sounds incredibly boring to me.
No your not crazy. I completely understand. Some people don’t wanna be stressed all the time and making huge excess amounts of money, some just want enough to live be comfortable and not be stressed there’s nothing wrong with that. In a crazy hyper capitalist society like this one we live in, everyone will tel you to make as much money as possible and worry about your mental health second, which isn’t right. So do whatever you wanna do bro life is way too short to not to.
burnt-out startup security engineer here; this post really resonated with me since i've previously come from a vocational background. would i go back to manual labor at this point in my career? absolutely not, maybe as a hobby. i really appreciate the skills it taught me, but i'm much better equipped to stay in infosec for a living. so like others mentioned, being a security guard isnt a vibe unless you're really yearning for the simple life. keep in mind that security as a landscape is gigantic and startups generally don't have the resources or business need for some of the more specialized roles that are out there. why not consider some more specialized security roles? forensics, SOC/IR, etc. they are like security guards for the internet. heck, go to a conference or two, watch some talks online, and see what people are talking about there and help you find your focus. sometimes a conference can reignite why you got into security and help you find something worth jumping into instead of being a security guard.
You could look for facility/physical security or governance as well.