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Hi All.

I’m considering moving into the cyber security side of IT and am looking for advice/guidance on any qualifications/training that is necessary or would be useful in following this career path.

I have been in IT for almost 7 years and I’m a desktop support technician in my current role, but I am also responsible for AV, backups, patch management, server maintenance, basic networking and minor firewall admin.

I have looked at various qualifications for this, but don’t know where to start. I know I will need to expand my experience in networking and firewalls, but not sure what else.

Anyone work in cyber security or know what route to take?

Thanks

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7 Years IT is good as basics. Get started with a deeper look into Networking.

Maybe CompTIA /+

Then take a look at the Kali Site, there are some very good explanations for getting a certificate on that. https://www.kali.org/penetration-testing-with-kali-linux/

In general I’d suggest a deep look into Networking and Firewalling would be always good to have. As well as the IT basics… Powershell, Linux Basics / -advanced.

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There’s a few courses of action you could take. Plenty of colleges offer online cyber security programs so if academia is your thing that’s something to look into. (Just make sure you vet their program and talk to people IN the program and don’t just go by their shiny marketing materials. Ask me how I know…)

Option 2 is the certification route. Start with Comptia Security+ for a nice little crash course into infosec. After that you could pursue some of the more hands on certs like Certified Ethical Hacker. People have strong opinions on this one but it still seems like a good starting point to get your foot in the door.

Cybersecurity is a broad spectrum of paths so do some research on each concentration. If you haven’t already, build a home lab and start with some Kali Linux tutorials and then just keep going down that rabbit hole. This applies to any IT career path, certs and a degree look good to HR but if you can talk about I did XYZ in my home lab with the technical person, that counts for a whole lot.

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Lots of good advice in this article: How to Build a Cybersecurity Career [ 2019 Update ]

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Hey Michael - Have you checked out what (ISC)2 offers in terms of certifications ? Our certifications, such as the CISSP , are efficient ways to validate your skills and move you in the direction towards a cyber security career path.

You could also look into the SSCP . Obtaining the SSCP shows you have the skills to implement, monitor, and administer IT infrastructure using information security policies and procedures all while ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data. Might be a good stepping stone for where you’re heading!

Feel free to reach out if you need any additional guidance! Happy to help if I can. :slight_smile:

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Thanks for the replies. I will take a look at the link/info provided.

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Checkout this month’s SANS Ouch! Newsletter: A Career in Cybersecurity | OUCH! May 2019 | SANS Security Awareness

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Networking and firewall administration is a great way to get your foot in the door as a security professional! If this is the path you’re looking to take, your experience will work well for you. I totally agree with Kelly for (ISC)2: certifications are the way to go, and the SSCP is a great choice! Other security certs out there would be CompTIA’s CySA+ and Pentest+, or EC-Council’s CEH. For traditional defensive security roles, the SSCP and CySA+ are both great choices.

If you’re looking for some training resources, check out our boot camp platform, Infosec Flex ! We offer a ton of IT and security certification courses with an exam pass guarantee, so you can make sure your investment is worthwhile. If that’s not really your jam, we also have a on-demand video learning platform called Infosec Skills . This features a lot of content curated from our boot camps and presented as bite-size 10-15 minute videos.

Best of luck with your career goals, and let me know if you have any questions!

@kelly-for-isc2

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CCNP is a good option.