Whether a career field is difficult to learn will depend on your own perspective. The same goes for Cybersecurity. There is a misconception that cybersecurity is too technical and challenging, only accessible by those that are gifted with immense talent and are somewhat considered computer gurus who understand everything.
But in reality, it’s the complete opposite…
If you’re curious about technology, have a passion for solving complex problems, and embrace learning new things, then cybersecurity is a worthwhile career to pursue.
Sure, any career can feel intimidated at first. But once you’re set on the right path, with the right mentality to take action, you can build a foundation for a rewarding, high-paying job.
And as you build your skills – Your career will be more fruitful.
1. Building a foundation of your success
Unlike other career fields, cybersecurity doesn’t offer a structured layer of learning. You’ll get experience in this field, as soon as you gain exposure to real-world applications. Use this as an opportunity to build your resume, and combine your information security knowledge to better match your goals and interest.
Here’s how you can start your journey:
- Cybersecurity tools, cloud computing, and attack vectors
- Industry standards and security compliance
- Data security, network, and operating system
- Penetration testing and Incident response
- Cyber threat intelligence
There are multiple books available for each topic ranging from introductory guides for beginners to advanced level students. Reading books will help you understand the nature of the job, and learn great insights about how the communication of different network-enabled devices works.
Read More: Top Cybersecurity Skills In High Demand
2. Don’t stop your learning ever
Building a cybersecurity skill doesn’t mean that you learned a book or got a degree and you’re all set to enter the market. A little time each day of learning can lead to big rewards. Start by setting aside 15-30 minutes of career learning every day. Plan out your learning time in a relaxed environment, when your mind is fresh and the most active in the day.
Besides learning every day, it is also a good idea to make a goal of your learning habits. Be specific about this, for example, if you want to learn how to build a VPN network then watch 2-3 videos every day and you’ll learn how to do this eventually.
3. Make sure your technology passion is alive
There’s a difference between being challenging and difficult. Learning cybersecurity can be challenging, but if you have a passion for technology it doesn’t have to be difficult.
Technology can be anything. It can be your interest in EV cars or how computer works or anything in between. If you’re someone who thrives off the community skills and enthusiasm to learn something new, other than cybersecurity could also be of great help.
Maybe after understanding how EV cars map the self-driving feature, you’ll have a passion for learning networking over the cloud.
Cybersecurity can be challenging, exciting, and well-paying profession, but pairing it with your existing knowledge of technology will reward you in the future.
4. Practice in simulated environments
There’s nothing better than practicing your skills with real-world challenges. Many cybersecurity courses include virtual labs where you can practice your skills in a simulated environment. It’s crucial for individuals to complete these lab sessions as a part of their structured course.
A basic lab environment consists of the following:
- A target machine to launch an attack
- A cloud environment to host everything
- An attack box, where you plan and perform attacks
Although there’s no dedicated cybersecurity simulated tool, you can learn more from reading books or past incidents in the said field.
Also Read: 8 Ways To Improve Your Cloud Security For Business
5. Sharpen your ethical hacking skills
One of the best ways to learn something is by doing it. In cybersecurity, you’ll get a chance to think from outside the box by practicing ethical hacking.
It is a process of detecting vulnerabilities in a system, organization, or application that an attacker can exploit. In other words, it’s a process of breaking into a computer system, application, network, or database.
And it’s legal to learn ethical hacking. Try these websites to get started:
As you learn ethical hacking, you’ll get exposure in this field and a possible chance to find vulnerabilities in a security system. You can also take part in the bug bounty programs by joining sites like HackerOne or Bugcrowd.
Here companies offer cash bonuses if you find security flaws in their system. There’s also a chance you could land a job here if you find a loophole.
6. Take part in the cybersecurity community
You might find it energizing to join groups who are interested in the same field as you are. There are plenty of forums, online communities, and social media groups filled with people who share valuable resources about cybersecurity.
Here you can ask questions, find solutions, find motivation, and possibly a learning curve to upskill your job opportunity. If you’re not interested in joining a professional program, then Reddit is your go-to teacher. Here are some of the popular subreddits regarding cybersecurity:
- r/Cyber to stay up to date with the global security news
- r/cybersecurity for Mentorship Monday and guidelines
- r/CyberSecurityJobs for jobs and general discussion
Join the discussion, contribute to the community and keep on learning new things.
Conclusion
Questions such as ‘Is cybersecurity hard to learn?’ are raised by individuals who either lack knowledge or don’t really know the scope of this field. Today, private organizations and governments worldwide employ thousands of cybersecurity professionals to safeguard their information.
With appropriate education, skills, hard work, training, determination, and interest, you can learn and master anything. The world today runs on the internet and there’s no foreseeable where cybersecurity jobs are ending. Those who claim that cybersecurity is complex are merely living on a myth.
Do follow the space and keep on learning to find interesting topics in the field. There are plenty of certifications, training videos, and courses that can help you out.