3 Simple (But Effective) Pieces Of Advice I’d Give Anyone Starting In Cyber Security
I have been working in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for 11 years(20 I’ll explain that in a moment)
Behold The Holy Grail of Advice(s):
Advice #1: Don’t Start in Cyber Security
In order to be good at Cyber Security, you need to be good at other domains. The (ISC)² outlines 8 domains and requires that you have hands-on 5 years of paid experience in at least 3 of them before doing their certification (even they don’t recommend starting with cyber security).
So where do we start?
Advice #2: Start Young
I used to work for a PC shop since I was 14(20 years ago) in Manama, Bahrain. Although the gentleman only paid for a shawarma and a Pepsi at the end of the day, I got to visit my first pro company called the Paragon Advisory in Safir Hotel, and at that age, I found people who would call a Mercedes a small car while I had a hard time convincing my mother for a bicycle.
Advice #3: Choose Wisely
If you choose a secretary certification- you end up as a secretary
If you choose a managerial course- you end up as a manager(someday)
If you choose a Helpdesk course or network engineering- you end up with a small pay cheque.
If you choose a course from the likes of ISACA and (ISC)²- you end up with a good pay and benefits