You can get experience in cybersecurity without getting hired.
If you’re trying to get into cybersecurity, gaining experience is important, but you don’t need to get hired by someone to get that experience. If you have a decent laptop and an internet connection, you can get experience on your own and you don’t need to pay for anything.
Here’s how you can do it…
- Build a solid foundation in the basics of computer networking, Linux, Windows, and general computer science or coding.
- Watch talks and read blogs of people that are actively working in the field. While teachers/professors have great academic knowledge, I recommend learning from career cybersecurity experts who may give you more of a hands-on and real-world focused learning experience. George Bernard Shaw said, “Those who can, do; those that can’t, teach.” While there are a few outliers, I think that quote is mostly accurate because it’s hard to find time to do both. If you want to be really good in cybersecurity, there is a lot to learn and do.
- Build your own virtual lab on your laptop. Don’t pay for a lab that is already built and don’t use tools that have a cost either. This is where you start getting the experience, and why it’s really important to build your own.
- Start tinkering in the lab and blog/vlog about the things you’re doing, and make sure to share your blog/vlog on your social media accounts. The blogging/vlogging is one of the most important parts of the experience because it will be a form of peer review. Message a few people that are working in the field and ask if they would be willing to look at what you did and provide some feedback.
- Start participating in CTF events and write about your results, what you did in the CTF, what you learned, and what you would do different next time.
- If you want to be a penetration tester or red teamer, try to get some bug bounties on HackerOne or Bugcrowd and write about the bugs you find after you get permission to disclose.
I think doing this is more valuable experience than someone that’s working in the field but doesn’t do any self-development.
If you want a job in cybersecurity, you’re going to have to work for it. There’s probably very few employers that will offer you a job and pay you if you don’t know what you’re doing and haven’t shown that you’re willing to put in the work to learn on your own. It might not be easy but you can do it!
#entrylevel #cybersecurity #skilldevelopment #transitioningveterans #cybersecuritycareers
