Change in plans - should I pursue a different career?

[Az]

So here's the deal. I am almost done with my BA in chemistry, and my grades are not too hot. The prospect of slaving away at a boring industrial chemical laboratory (not a R&D one) is quite scary to me, to be honest, and the prospective job offers in the field look quite poor: bad career opportunities, and doubtful benefits.

Buuuut, there is a window of opportunity: I've been offered a job with a very solid crew of people, who want me as an Information Security specialist, due to some networks and computers background I've got from highschool. It's quite the lucrative place, and they're going to give me a professional training in networks and information security. They're after me because my background in chemistry can assist them with their customers. I think I'll get the job... but should I get it? I am very excited about all of this, however your input is always appreciated.

[Starchild]

Go for it. It sounds fun, sounds like you're qualified, and sounds like they want you. If it goes tits up, you can always fall back on your BA and work in the chem lab.

[BeBMan]

Sounds good, although from here it is hard to say how much you're influenced by your own excitement about the new opportunity....
But even if it doesn't work - couldn't you always go back into chemistry?

[Eli]

What about the army?

[Az]

We'll see.

[pchang]

Info Sec appears to have a much better future than industrial chemistry. I would make the switch in a femtosecond.

[Wernazuma III]

Sure go for it - unless you have a similar good offer in Chemistry! Especially when you don't really feel comfortable with that career anymore. Don't miss this - it's not as if you'd have to chose between 2 good opportunities, is it?

[Az]

Could someone please tell me how does a daily routine in such a job look like?

[pchang]

Firefighting. You havew a set schedule of things that you want to accomplish, but 75% of the time is spent correcting emergent network problems.

[Az]

does this inlcude the "not doing anything a major chunk of the time" part?

[pchang]

The time not spent firfighting is the time you try to accomplish those scheduled tasks. However, since you know all the passwords, no one else will know exactly how diligently you are working when you are not fighting fires.

[Az]

I can imagine the firefighting tasks, but what are these scheduled tasks?

[pchang]

Network upgrades, firewall installs, instrusion detection installs, data backups, setting up passwords/e-mail/computer systems for new employees, etc. stuff like that.

[Urban Ranger]

What is "information security?"

[pchang]

Broad term - usually means the guy in charge of the firewalls and setting user access. In rare cases, it means a guy who actually writes code/designs hardware to perpetrate network intrusions or foil network intrusions.