Here is another cybersecurity career guide. What if you are a newbie in the industry, do you find it overwhelming to begin the learning? With a plethora of information available, make sure to learn from the right sources and modes.
So here are tips and strategies in starting to learn cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Career Guide: Tips on Learning Cybersecurity (for Beginners)
1. Learn the basics of Information Technology (IT) and Computer Science
First and foremost, you need to know the basics of Information Technology (IT) and Computer Science. Information technology, in short, is a technology that supports information and data processing and computer science is the study of how to design and implement software and hardware systems that store, compute, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate information. These two fields will help you understand the concepts behind cybersecurity.
2. Learn about cybersecurity topics online
Once you have familiarity with the basic concepts of IT and Computer Science, focus on learning about cybersecurity topics online. The internet has a plethora of information regarding security engineering. Learn from credible sources such as MIT’s OpenCourseWare site. MIT offers free lectures and course materials for its undergraduate and graduate courses in various subjects including computer science and electrical engineering.
If you want to be successful in a cybersecurity career, it would be best to read books related to the field. It will help you gain a better understanding of how security works in general so that you can get a good grasp on how it will affect your everyday life as well as your career.
4. Get hands-on experience
Once you have learned the basics of cybersecurity through online resources or books, get hands-on experience by enrolling in a cyber security certification course to obtain formal training on how to use these skills in real-world situations. Some schools offer short-term courses that allow students to obtain certifications upon completion without having to pursue a degree program or obtain an academic certificate.
Other schools offer entire degree programs with specializations in cyber security which requires students to earn a degree from said school before being allowed to take their certification exams.
5. Get real-world experience by interning or volunteering at cybersecurity firms
If you want a real-world experience instead of an internship or volunteering at a cybersecurity firm. You can do this while working full-time at another job while going through school. Also, you can consider going to school at night or while working while going through school.
6. Get a job in the industry
After obtaining a formal education in cyber security or after working at a firm for several years while obtaining real work experience, you can apply for jobs within the industry by finding employers that offer entry-level positions within cyber security departments which includes jobs like security analysts and security engineers.
Keep on learning
Once you have obtained a job in the cybersecurity industry, there are still many things that you can learn to help you progress within this industry. You can still learn more about security engineering by attending seminars, reading books, watching webinars, and taking training courses.
