From design to coding to data science, there are many areas in the IT sector to explore. Because it's such a wealthy and alluring profession, you might be unsure of which one is ideal for you. This is where cybersecurity comes in, one of the most fascinating fields of them all.
There is a place for everyone in this profession, whether it's protecting a business from threat actors, attacking the business yourself (legally, of course), or raising awareness of the risks associated with technology and the internet.
You will gain a thorough understanding of cybersecurity in this article, along with information on its subfields, how to choose one, and how to get started.
Lets go!
What is Cybersecurity?
As the name suggests, cybersecurity quite literally means securing the cyber world. It is a field that deals with the safety of individuals and their data on the internet.
The internet is the foundation of all technological advancements, and it would be terrible if it isn't properly secured.
Getting Started With Cybersecurity
To become a cybersecurity professional, there are a couple of boxes to be ticked to aid in the transition to the field and a whole lot of options available to help with filling them.
Step 1 - Understanding the Basics
As with any other field, prior to specialization, you must have a thorough understanding of the field, learn basic terminologies, and real-world scenarios where knowledge of the field can be applied.
For cybersecurity, this means understanding fundamental concepts like security best practices, networking, operating systems, the CIA triad, and so on.
Step 2 - Career path Research
Next, it would be good to understand the various career paths in cybersecurity. Research each career path, perhaps watch 'a day in the life videos' to learn what it's like to work in each field and what skills are needed, then choose whichever appeals you the most.
To aid your decision, explore technical fields like threat intelligence, penetration testing, cloud security, as well as non technical fields like GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance), or security education.
Keep in mind that you're still a beginner and you're allowed to change this decision after learning a little more about your chosen career path.
You can check out this career quiz on TryHackMe to help you out.
Step 3 - Choose your Own Route
Once you've decided on your preferred field of interest, you should carry out some further research on the entry criteria of the field and the specific skill requirements needed to successfully pursue a career in it.
Check out the skill requirement of your chosen career path on Google, read articles and watch videos that explain how you can go about learning the required skills and follow a roadmap. There are a lot of quality resources available online, with both free and paid options that cater for whatever your needs may be.
Step 4 - Gain Practical Knowledge
You should test your skills to see if you're prepared for the work force and start applying for job opportunities. Sites like HackTheBox, Pentesterlab, OverTheWire will help with this.
Do this for a while and start applying for jobs once you're good to go.
Step 5 - Additional Tips
Here are a few pointers to make your time in the field more enjoyable and straightforward.
- Join communities and be actively involved: You will inevitably encounter a lot of setbacks when pursuing any dream. A wonderful way to overcome this is to have a community of people to keep you motivated when things are tough and to help you out is a great method to get over these obstacles.
I've received free access to a couple of paid resources simply because I was a part of a community or simply by being active on social media.
Start a blog: Though I might be a bit biased here, I've realized that teaching others (either in written or video form) is a great method to assess and validate your own understanding. Furthermore, it helps to reinforce your talents like a resume.
Build in public: If starting a blog sounds a little too daunting for you, it's also fine to just build in public. By doing this, you're sharing your journey and growth with others and inspiring others to follow suit, all in addition to creating a public portfolio of your work.
Network with others in the industry: You know what they say right?, "your network is your net-worth". It is helpful to network with more people in the field and possibly beyond it, as possibilities can arise just as often through the people you know.
Conclusion
This article explains cybersecurity and its significance for daily life. It also walks you through the procedures to follow if you want to pursue a career in the sector and provides links to resources that can help.
Check out freeCodeCamp's extensive collection of write-ups and materials, and subscribe to my blog to get more articles like this.
Well, that's all the advice I have for now.
Happy learning!