tfg4k

That is a wonderful idea that hadn't occurred to me. Although I don't respect anyone in the Security field because I don't know anyone in the field. Will work for free though. Respect or not.

I'm actually working on (and have been for about a year now) #3. But you're absolutely right. It's by far the toughest route.

No, I found it helpful. It's good to know what other people get from the post. I was super nervous because it was my first OP and I hit this site daily for a few hours at least. My post was poorly written and I appreciate any criticism as well as any advice or even just busting my chops! Thanks for your input!

I have started a small DBA in my area to provide services to small businesses here. I have been working on developing it but I am having a hard time selling it without scaring the crap out of the prospective clients.

I guess what I am saying is that I have been doing the job for years. Just not getting paid for it and was trying to dig out two things in the OP:

1)What the disconnect between working on your own and getting paid for doing the work was.

2)there was a different area I could/should focus on given my disadvantages(financial, disabled, etc.)

Big data and analytics are fascinating to me for example, but only because of the implications and uses of those kinds of skills I can see in a Security related capacity.

I wanted to find out if someone would yell, "You need to learn 'X' because it's useful both in some Security roles and you can work doing that as your day job at the same time." Hope that makes sense.

Hey, no, thank you very much. I was looking at Angular earlier this morning. I played around with Node when it was new, dropped it because anything within reach at the time in my job market were for things like pulling cable, fixing people's computers for a small MSP, and that was about it. At least I have something to work on in the meantime. I started playing with JS and Python when I considered being a programmer. I stopped because everyone said Python (which is awesome) and I just had a rougher time learning it than JS.

Mind if I send you an email?

This is one avenue I have never tried.... and will begin doing this evening. Thanks guys!

Done and Done.

This is something I will look in to. Thanks for the comment!

I feel like I should say this. Saying things like: > I always bluffed my way in to jobs I was completely unqualified for and pulled it off quite well are usually red flags for me, personality-wise.

I have worked with people like the person you probably think I am because of how that came across. I was just trying to honestly express one of the few things that I do have going for me as opposed to just listing things that I don't.

Thank you for the input. While Pen Testing has always been my goal, I have started looking at things like Database Development or Full-stack web dev training. Problem is, my financial situation doesn't always allow for me to get access to structured learning.

I understand. I was nervous about using the right terminology when rambling out the OP. Pen Testing was the area I had been focusing on. I have taken online courses and have real-world experience doing that but not in a "professional" capacity. That being said, how much weight do certifications carry when applying for employment in that area?

Yeah, you're right. I suppose you can put talent on your resume. Thanks!

Absolutely valid. I really appreciate any comment with any advice whatsoever. Thank you!

Thank you. That was unexpectedly nerve-wracking.

Update: Sorry if I missed a typo or sentence fragment. Had to edit a lot to get under character limit.