As a follow up to the last post, I thought it'd be fitting to provide you all with a more actionable list of next steps. Keep reading to find a break-down of links and resources for peeps looking to start a career in cyber security.
Identify the role you want
Before working towards a career in cyber, you need to define what that means. There are a number of different cyber security focused roles which are very well outlined in the following article. Keep in mind, this list is not comprehensive.
Click here to learn about different roles in cyber
Read the Literature
Cyber security is a broad and ever-changing space. There are new vulnerabilities, tools and breaches announced every day and it can feel pretty overwhelming trying to keep up with everything. I highly recommend creating a Feedly account and subscribing to different blogs to have an ever-updating and curated news source. They have a website and an app so getting the news you need becomes trivial.
Start here to create a Feedly Account
Click here to see some of the feeds I follow
If the role is technical in nature, build a lab
If you’re aiming for any role that will involve you being hands-on-keyboard conducting investigations, implementing software, responding to alerts etc, you should start by building a lab. Further, if you are aiming for a role that’s more business focused but have a desire to understand how things work under the hood, you should also build a lab.
You have a ton of options but we’ll cover how to do it the free way using Virtual Box. The other option would be to use VMWare Workstation (if you’re running Windows) or VMware Fusion (if you’re on a Mac). I use Fusion and I prefer it, but it requires purchasing the software.
Start here to build a lab using VirtualBox (free software)
Start looking for digital conferences & recordings of past conferences
There are a ton of conferences that have been transitioned to online as a result of the shelter in place regulations. While some do require paid admission, others are completely free and equally as valuable. Additionally, many past in-person conferences have shared the recordings of their presentations online! Jump on YouTube and search for “defcon” and some keyword and you’re bound to get hits.
Click here to find upcoming InfoSec conferences
This should give you a good starting point as you’re navigating a new career in cyber security. Remember to keep a notebook (physical or digital) and write down the terms / tools you don’t know so that you can dig into them. As you’re getting started, a Wikipedia-level depth is fine for all of this newfound knowledge. You’ll eventually start to find out what excited you and you can dig deeper in that direction.
Join my Slack workspace
I cannot stress how important it is to build a community as you're navigating a new career. Not only will you build a network of resources that can help open doors, but you'll gain new friends and knowledge along the way. I created a Slack space with channels for folks in different walks of their career, for different interests, for different cities etc. When you join, shoot me a DM and I can point you towards channels you might be interested in!
Click here to join Slack
Happy hunting, friends. <3