NIT (Ninja in Training) looking for guidance.

[rsreese at gmail.com (Stephen Reese)]

> I am young (at heart, not in body) aspiring Security Professional. ?I
> am currently in a blue collar job (good job just not my passion) and I
> am wanting to work my way into the Information Security career space.
> I am looking for a little advice and guidance in my first steps. ?I
> was a silly youth and didn't make my way through college (I have a
> handful of credits). ?Since dropping out I have grown a little family,
> wife and 16 month old daughter, so my choices are guided by that a lot
> (both money and time commitment wise). ?Currently I am enrolled in an
> online B.S. in Information Technology degree from University of
> Massachusetts though I am finding the $300 plus a credit hour (about
> 6k a year on my current plan), the time in which it will take to
> complete (about 5 years at 2 classes every semester), and the lack of
> focus to the information security field disheartening and making me
> re-evaluating my choice. ?While I don't mind devoting time and money I
> would prefer to do it toward something more relevant and focused to
> where I want to be.
> I know that I will want take classes from SANS in time but I do not
> feel that I have the fundamentals yet. ?I also almost religiously
> listen to PaulDotCom Security Weekly.
>
> So I am hoping that you all will grace me with your earned wisdom and
> give me a few nudges in the right direction so I don't waist too much
> time and money.
> I'm looking for advice on mainly on what are the best building blocks
> to develop a solid foundation for my Ninja skills. ?Any programs,
> certs, classes, books, websites, podcasts, video tutorials that you
> can think of would be appreciated.
>
> In advance, thank you for your time, energies and knowledge.
>
> Sincerely,
> Nick G
> Your friendly UPS man (though hopefully not for long)

Not sure if anyone mentioned this: http://www.sans.org/training/volunteer.php