From scratch career change-info pls

Hey all,

I'm TRYING to make a career change from Law Enforcement into Cyber Security and have no formal or informal education/ knowledge of this information involving Network+ or really computers.

I did buy a Cert Guide by Anthony Sequeira CompTia Network+ 10-007 but was wondering what sites, methods, study companions or anything you used to help you understand/ retain ALL this information...

Any help would be greatly appreciated more than you know.. I'm just finishing up Chapter 1 and trying to retain all the characteristics, benefits and drawbacks of the topologies and need a way to help retain all this info, especially moving forward..

Have any of you, self educated through books and Certs without formal schooling? Want to know what you did that made things easier for you.

Thank you,

Rob

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johndoee

irishmick wrote: »

Hey all,

I'm TRYING to make a career change from Law Enforcement into Cyber Security and have no formal or informal education/ knowledge of this information involving Network+ or really computers.

I did buy a Cert Guide by Anthony Sequeira CompTia Network+ 10-007 but was wondering what sites, methods, study companions or anything you used to help you understand/ retain ALL this information...

Any help would be greatly appreciated more than you know.. I'm just finishing up Chapter 1 and trying to retain all the characteristics, benefits and drawbacks of the topologies and need a way to help retain all this info, especially moving forward..

Have any of you, self educated through books and Certs without formal schooling? Want to know what you did that made things easier for you.

Thank you,

Rob

I will assume this is a rhetorical question if you have skimmed through the forum. But, the answer is yes. The self-study method yields results. A book is cheaper than any classroom/video instruction. With that being said, people learn differently. What works for one might not work for another as far as understanding the material.

I think that Network+ is a decent certification. But, on the other hand I feel as though the knowledge of Network+ can be gained through reading a book without the certification. Since you have already purchased the book, then either you can read it or pursue the certification.

If you are having an issue with retaining information, it's a lot of free video series that exist to bring you up to a comfort level. In all honesty, you can just search YouTube until 2029 and watch videos pertaining to the information.

I will have to say though, that I have never seen a Cyber Security position asking for Network+. I am not saying that nowhere in the world a company is looking for a "cyber" role that requires Network+. I am just saying I have never seen it.

Good Luck

irishmick

If you don'd me asking.. what is your title in the field you work in and as far as jobs go in cyber security (with the focus on the security side of operations, hackers, protecting data, etc) what are the main certifications you believe should be the focus?..... I did have a director say that Network+ and CCNA were the two to begin with... u disagree? I don't want you to take my response as challenging you but more so information gathering for me... trying to get opinions from anyone that will give them out and see whats the common ground.

irishmick

if you don't *mind me asking (correction)*

Spiegel

irishmick wrote: »

Hey all,

I'm TRYING to make a career change from Law Enforcement into Cyber Security and have no formal or informal education/ knowledge of this information involving Network+ or really computers.

I did buy a Cert Guide by Anthony Sequeira CompTia Network+ 10-007 but was wondering what sites, methods, study companions or anything you used to help you understand/ retain ALL this information...

Any help would be greatly appreciated more than you know.. I'm just finishing up Chapter 1 and trying to retain all the characteristics, benefits and drawbacks of the topologies and need a way to help retain all this info, especially moving forward..

Have any of you, self educated through books and Certs without formal schooling? Want to know what you did that made things easier for you.

Thank you,

Rob

If you're coming completely brand new into the field of IT with zero experience, hands on or otherwise, I recommend reading the book and taking notes along the way. I high recommend taking notes with paper and pencil/pen as it helps reinforce the material you're reading. I would apply some of the other standard studying methods to this as well, such as creating flash cards to help with memorizing and understanding all the acronyms and definitions that will be coming your way. It also helps specifically with Network+ when you're learning about all the different protocols and their associated port numbers such as HTTP(port 80), FTP (ports 20/21), NetBIOS (Ports 137, 138, 139), SSH (port 22), SMTP (port 25), etc...

Another well known study method for retaining a high volume of information is mind mapping. This link will provide more information and how to using mind mapping effectively: Mind Mapping - How to Mind Map

I've self-studied all of my current certs for the most. A great majority of your entry level certs can be obtained by self-study in fact such as A+, Network+ Security+, CCNA, MCSA, just to name a few but it all depends on you. I'm a high proponent for self-study. Mainly it's cheaper and for a lot of the entry level certs you'll be getting at first there are already a tone of resources for you only. If you really need a teacher, there are tons of videos out there from Professor Messer, CBT Nuggets, Total Sems, and just plain old You Tube.

Cyber Security isn't my area of study but from what I've read and experienced you'll need more than a Network+ to get into the field. Since you have zero experience in IT I believe it's a good start but you'll definitely want to move to Security+ soon after and start looking at some of the other security focused certifications. And at your level labbing will also need to be your new best friend. The best teacher is hands-on experience so you'll definitely want to look at doing a lot of practicing with simulations and possible home built virtual setups.

I hope that answered some of your questions.

irishmick

Thank you Spiegel, very helpful indeed. I believe my path is Network+ and then (from my source) Linux+.... then focus on Security aspect/certs (GCIA,GCIH, CEH, etc)

MiniBella

I'm also a career changer (from meeting/event planning) going into the Cyber Security field. If you're a vet (or spouse) SANS has a program designed specifically for people with little to no experience. If you aren't eligible for that program, you can always volunteer to work at a SANS conference and get a huge discount ($1,500 for the class, study materials and exam attempt). I'm in the program and just finished the GSEC bootcamp last week. My mind was like jello for a few days afterward but they did go over networking and linux in the class. While I did have to take an 'infosec aptitude' test, I think if you're generally tech savvy and a fast learner you can probably do the same thing on your own.
I did do their free Cyber Aces tutorials online before went to the bootcamp which was a huge help. Actually, depending on what kind of learner you are, the networking section of the Cyber Aces might help with your Network+ studying. My current path is GSEC -> GCIH, learn on the job!
I actually ended up on this thread because I was wondering if I should try to get my Network+ after I finish the program to compensate for my lack of IT experience. <--- any thoughts??

Good Luck!
Cyber Aces
SANS volunteer/workstudy

JamesBarker

That's really awesome to hear, I kinda feel I'm stuck in a Support bottleneck at the moment but would like to work my way in to IT Infrastructure and then build myself up to work in Cyber Security, I'm very interested in auditing.

Lunchbocks

I'm haven't done the security track yet, but have done quite a bit of security work in my time in IT. I'm not sure if the Network+ will give you the network foundation you need to get into security. I agree with starting out with it, and I also agree that the Linux+ is another great resource, but I think the CCNA routing and switching would be necessary. Even though the CCNA is not vendor neutral, it teaches networking at a pretty deep level, something I think would be necessary to be able to do network security.

Good luck!

ThePawofRizzo

Network+ is a good foundational start. Sure you could just read about it in a book, and forget the certification, however, if you're making a career change having some "paperwork" on your resume is where the certifications are useful. Understanding Linux is certainly helpful as well. As you make the transition, if you can't first get into cybersecurity, but can find something in server or network support, even desktop, I'd say you should consider it. Anything training or experience you get working with systems in a general support role will also help you in a cybersecurity role down the road. I work with a couple CISSPs who really could have used more experience in IT support roles.

I'm actually working on another degree in general IT, but the school does have a new cybersecurity emphasis on another degree. A couple of the courses are not IT courses, but criminology courses so your background in criminal justice could be helpful.