Get your foot in the door, then GTFO
Pros
-They hired me with no experience. -This company gave me exposure to cybersecurity. I wouldn't have the job I have now if I didn't start here. -Only company that was fun. Most of the SOC guys and developers arrange breaks to play video games or shoot pool.
Cons
-Atrocious pay. Every coworker I knew had roommates, including my first boss who was there for 4 years. Compared to what I'm paid now, it's downright pathetic. Starting out, you make the same hourly pay, or slightly more, than an In-N-Out employee. -Novacoast might call themselves "tight-knit", but it's really just nepotism. When I started there, the majority of people in my department had some type of friendship/relationship with the manager before they were hired. -If you're not into Reddit-type humor or gaming, you'll feel out of place. Most of the employees are students or recent graduates, because the SOCs are purposely built in college towns so they can farm cheap, naive student labor. -Huge employee turnover. I noticed two types: a) my first manager quit and all his minions followed b) Guys who worked there for a month or two and found out it sucks, either because the rest of the guys on his shift don't pull their weight or because they got stuck on night shift where they're the only employee present. Honestly, I can't blame those guys. I worked in the SOC and we would just keep getting new customers piled on us. A very dangerous formula for an undermanned, underpaid staff that needs to be staffed 24/7. But there is always a fresh stream of students looking to break into cyber, and Novacoast knows that, so it's all good in their eyes. I stayed for 2 years and felt like that was enough. I've scanned all the guys from my department who are in my LinkedIn, and they've all left Novacoast. There is much better money to be had elsewhere. If you land a position in the Kansas or Michigan locations, it might not be so bad because of the cost-of-living.
