Looking for some direction

I'm a rising senior in the CS program at my university. My GPA isn't great (2.7) and I hold the A+ cert. I'm working as an IT intern over the summer and this is my first job in my field. I really didn't know anything about computers until I came to college so I often feel like I'm behind the curve.

I'm planning on studying for Security+ and taking it towards the end of the summer. From what I've read about the exam, it covers more theory than technical knowledge. In general, discussions seem to agree that certs are not good for teaching technical skill.

My college experience so far has given me a good foundation in programming, but nothing more than that. I'm looking for resources over the summer that will help increase my knowledge and technical skill. What books/websites/projects have you used that you found to be good learning resources?

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Comments

iBrokeIT

That's an incredibly broad question. What do you want to do with your CS degree? Write software? Manage and build networks? Do security? What IT specialization interests you the most? Do you want to work for a big corporation or a small MSP? What is your ideal position?

Maybe it would be a good idea to sit down with your career counselor to discuss the various career paths and further define where you want to be as professional.

N2IT

Sounds lilke you have a nice plan in place. Getting a CS degree is a awesome thing. That right there is awesome!

Don't over analyze yourself. Security + is a good goal. I would let experience guide you and make decision then. If you find something interesting then deep dive into that material.

inverse_one

The great think about a CS degree is you can either take the programming path or get into the IT path. As iBrokeIT says, talk with a career counselor about it. They maybe able to arrange a shadow with someone who does either job.

LionelTeo

Books I had and recommended

Hacking Related/Penetration Testing
Hacking, The Art of Explotation by Jon Erickson
Metasploit, The penetration tester guide
The Shellcoders Handbook
Web Application Hacker Handbook
The Hacker Playbook
Advanced Penetration Testing Guide, The Ultimated Security Handbook
Violent Python

Essentials
Network Security Bible
Linux Adminstration Essentials, Sixth Edition
Windows Administration Essentials

Incident Handing
Counter Hack Reloaded
Incident Response and Computer Forensic, 2nd Edition

Instrusion Analyst
Network Intrusion Detection
Pratical Packet Analysis
The Practice of Network Security Monitoring

CISSP
CISSP Study Guide by Eric Conrad

Books I don't have at the moment but looking at getting it
Network Forensics
Lastest Edition of Hacking Exposed.

Depends what you like, for a start.

The Basics of Penetration Testing
or
Network Security Bible
or
Network Intrusion Detection
or
Counter Hack Reloaded

are great starter books.

Jon_Cisco

I would recommend putting all of your focus into the internship. This is not only a time to learn about the day to day responsibilities at work. This is your time to stand out and make an impression. Even if you find you don't like the work or don't fit in dedicate the time to doing the job right.

At night review the day, keep a log and research unfamiliar topics. You might find the direction you are looking for through real work that does not present itself in the classroom.

I also like the Security+ idea. I have similar plans for my own summer.

Good Luck!

pizzafordinna

Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for! I love book learning but I didn't want to spend a small fortune on books that might be terrible. These recommendations give me a good starting place.

pizzafordinna

Jon_Cisco wrote: »

I would recommend putting all of your focus into the internship. This is not only a time to learn about the day to day responsibilities at work. This is your time to stand out and make an impression. Even if you find you don't like the work or don't fit in dedicate the time to doing the job right.

At night review the day, keep a log and research unfamiliar topics. You might find the direction you are looking for through real work that does not present itself in the classroom.

I also like the Security+ idea. I have similar plans for my own summer.

Good Luck!

A valid point, I want to make sure that I'm focused on the job at hand. My internship is only 30 hours a week so I end up getting off work around 3:30. I should have plenty of time to learn other topics.