You must have noticed time flies when you are playing your favorite game on Xbox but when you start reading the subject you don’t like, then the time freezes. The concept is simple – you enjoy and find it easy to do what you love and what you have an interest in. Similarly, if you don’t like anything, you will find all the excuses to avoid that task. You will find it difficult, you will find it boring and do it half-heartedly. That’s why people say everyone is unique and that they must do what they are good at.
So, if you are considering getting into a cybersecurity career and wondering if it is hard to learn cybersecurity skills then you must first check if you are truly interested in this career. Here we will check what cybersecurity consultants and experts do which will help you decide if you really want to get in this career and how you can easily learn the fundamental and advanced concepts of cybersecurity.
What do cybersecurity professionals do?
A lot of students are attracted to the job because of the lucrative salary that offers and not because of the roles and responsibilities that the job has to offer. And that is why, after some point of time in their career, they start losing interest in their job, find it monotonous as well as challenging, and regret their career choice.
Therefore, students looking to make a career in cybersecurity must know what cybersecurity professionals do. Here are a few tasks that constitute their day-to-day work.
- Security Planning and Implementation
- Securing network
- Assess the vulnerability and do penetration testing also known as ethical hacking
- They respond to cybersecurity attacks and do digital forensics
- They monitor, design, and audit security within the organization
If you find these kinds of roles and responsibilities then a cybersecurity career is a good match for you.
How do you find interest in Cybersecurity?
Well, the job of cybersecurity consultants and professionals sounds interesting. But how do you find out if you can do that easily and will enjoy doing those throughout your life? You can find it by doing all these practices and getting a hands-on feel of the job. You can do this by:
- Set up a lab environment: Create a safe and controlled lab environment to practice cybersecurity techniques. You can use virtual machines or dedicated hardware to simulate various scenarios.
- Participate in Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions: CTF competitions are cybersecurity challenges that simulate real-world scenarios. They allow you to apply your knowledge and skills to solve security-related puzzles and capture flags as evidence of success.
- Work on real-world projects: Collaborate with others or undertake personal projects to gain hands-on experience. Build a secure web application, set up a secure network, or conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on your own systems (with proper authorization).
- Seek mentorship or internships: Connect with experienced professionals in the cybersecurity industry who can guide you and provide mentorship. Consider internships or entry-level positions at organizations where you can gain practical experience under the supervision of experts.
With these live applications of your cybersecurity skills, you can gauge the difficulty of a cybersecurity job and decide whether you want to pursue a career in this field.
How can you learn Cybersecurity?
But before you could apply the knowledge practically you have to learn them. Here are a few ways to gain cybersecurity skills and knowledge:
- Free online courses: Start by learning the fundamentals of cybersecurity. Understand concepts like network security, operating systems, encryption, web technologies, and common security vulnerabilities
- Join cybersecurity communities and forums: Engage with the cybersecurity community, interact with experienced professionals, ask questions, and learn from their expertise.
- Get certified: With the help of top cybersecurity certifications, you will learn the fundamental and advanced concepts in depth and also get to practice them in real-world scenarios.
- Full-time cybersecurity courses: If you have already finalized to get into this field, then many universities offer full-time courses which you can enroll in to.
Top Cybersecurity certifications offered by USCSI®
Now, that you know you are interested in a cybersecurity career and have knowledge of cybersecurity, then you must consider getting certified. United States Cybersecurity Institute (USCSI®) offers the best cybersecurity certification course for students and professionals at various levels as follows:
- Certified Cybersecurity General Practitioner (CCGP™) – For students and professionals looking to start their cybersecurity career
- Certified Cybersecurity Consultant (CCC™) certification – For professionals who are looking to advance in their career as Cybersecurity consultants and analysts.
- Certified Senior Cybersecurity Specialist (CSCS™) – For experienced cybersecurity professionals who want to manage and lead the cybersecurity department of their company.
With these top cybersecurity certifications, you can learn cybersecurity concepts in detail, practice them with live applications as well as get your skills and knowledge validated by this prestigious certification.
Conclusion
If you love and enjoy what you are doing, you will find it easy and effortless to learn and practice that. The same is the case with cybersecurity as well. Here we have guided you on everything about what cybersecurity professionals do, how to learn what they do, and where to practice all these in real-world scenarios as well. Though a few cybersecurity concepts can be difficult and challenging, if you have a true interest in safeguarding the company’s assets, you won’t find it difficult instead, enjoy your job.
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