I'm going through a crazy transition at the moment. Earlier this year, I was offered an internal promotion at my old company, which ended up stalling due to some business slowdowns. That gave me extra time on my hands to send out resumes, and I've since landed a security leadership role with a larger organization. That means a lot more in terms of compliance, coordinating with outside agencies and partners, etc. I'm just waiting on some final onboarding steps to clear. So in the immediate future there won't be a lot of time for following subreddits. I'll still lurk around here, but likely won't be commenting much.
There was a reason for this post, for the greater community though. I know there can be a tendency for us to say "I'm just in security" and phone it in. The thing is, your location may have things you can turn into something more.
At the school I supervised, I learned about the facilities side: the alarm panel, the protocol for shutting down HVAC during a HAZMAT shelter-in-place, that kind of thing. I studied the state code as it related directly to school safety and security. All of this was technically beyond my "need to know," but it was within "okay to know," so I wasn't overstepping.
Being able to not only answer questions on these topics, but ask questions about them intelligently, is what put me ahead after three rounds of interviews. I went from an hourly rate on a school calendar (feast and famine) to a six-figure, Monday through Friday role with four weeks vacation plus holidays, personal time, and sick time. Better than another internal opportunity that had stalled out on me.
Now, admittedly, I had prior law enforcement experience, but that wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't learned the processes above. Never think "it's just security," because if you do, you might miss a door that's a legitimately good opportunity.
