I didn't start my career with an identity and access management roadmap.
I was delivering pizzas and trying to figure out how to make a better living.
At one point, I searched for how to make six figures without a degree. That search pushed me toward IT.
I eventually built a six-figure remote career in identity and security, but it didn't happen through one certification or one lucky job application.
It happened across several roles, with each move giving me experience I could use in the next one.
My first IT experience wasn't a paid security job
I volunteered to help install network switches.
That meant working around actual equipment, learning how networks were put together, and getting a chance to do technical work instead of only reading about it.
I wouldn't tell everyone to work for free. Not everyone can afford to, and unpaid arrangements aren't always appropriate.
The valuable part of that opportunity was getting legitimate experience I could explain to someone hiring.
Afterward, “I'm interested in networking” wasn't the only thing I could say. I'd been involved in the work.
That first piece of experience didn't make me an expert. It gave me somewhere to start.
Network support taught me how to investigate problems
My next steps included network support and technical security work.
What carried forward wasn't just a list of commands or product names. It was the habit of working through a problem:
- What is the user trying to accomplish?
- What should the system be doing?
- Where does the behavior stop matching expectations?
- Which check would narrow down the cause?
- What evidence would confirm the fix?
Those questions are useful in networking. They're also useful when an employee can't authenticate, loses access, or encounters a security policy.
The earlier work didn't become irrelevant when I moved into a new specialty.
Security software led me toward identity problems
As I worked in security software, I became more familiar with the systems and decisions behind employee access.
Accounts, authentication, endpoint behavior, and enterprise security started fitting together as connected problems.
Eventually, I specialized in identity.
That gave my career a clearer direction. Instead of trying to become equally knowledgeable about every IT topic, I could go deeper into a set of problems organizations needed solved.
Specializing didn't erase my previous experience. It gave me a way to use it.
If you're in support, networking, or systems administration now, that matters. Your current job may contain skills that transfer into a more specialized role.
The key is understanding which ones transfer—and which ones you still need to learn.
The six-figure part came after several career moves
It's easy to turn a career story into an unrealistic before-and-after.
“Delivered pizzas. Found IAM. Made six figures.”
That leaves out the part people actually need: the jobs in between, the problems I learned to solve, and the experience that made the next opportunity possible.
There was no guarantee that following my exact steps would produce the same salary for someone else.
Your location, timing, experience, and priorities will differ. You also might discover another IT specialty is a better fit.
What you can copy is the decision process, not the biography.
How I'd approach the next move if I were already in IT
Start with what you can honestly demonstrate today.
For example, have you:
- Managed Active Directory accounts and security groups?
- Supported MFA or employee sign-in?
- Investigated access problems?
- Worked with systems that connect devices, users, and applications?
Then look for IAM job postings where those responsibilities are relevant.
Choose one gap that matters to the roles you want. Build a lab, find an approved opportunity at work, or begin applying if you already meet enough requirements.
I put that process into The Six-Figure IAM Career Playbook. The $9 ebook covers IAM paths, targeted skill development, three portfolio labs, and a 90-day career plan.
My first career move involved network switches. Your next one can start by identifying a single job worth working toward.