PenTesting / white hat

Hi all,

soon I will have my CCNA. After, I want to take the security path, Pen-testing/offensive security to be exact. What would be the "optimal" certification path? Would CCNA security be the next cert to aim for? My plan was to get Security+ and CCNA security as my two first security certifications after acquiring the CCNA.
I know that I'll need practice experience too, but right now I'm only concerned about the "best" certification path to take.

I also thought about taking the forensic path, but it looks like the job market is even worse than for penetration testers (Canada).

And my next question might sound really stupid;
Is a "white hat" considered a "penetration tester" and vis a versa?

Oh, my ultimate goal is to get the OSCP. But that's just my "dream" certificate

.

Thank you!

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Comments

wes allen

Python and Linux good to know. CCNA Sec and Sec+ are good for the basics if you are not already strong in them. The best advice I see on the subject is to become a solid network engineer first, then look at network security.

White/grey/black hat stuff, to me, is more about intentions then actions - they use all the same tools and skill sets.

wes allen

Also, there are a ton of good threads on here already so just start reading through them. Here is one to get you started:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/security-certifications/35746-security-ceritifications-ramblings.html

ch1vas

wes allen wrote: »

Python and Linux good to know. CCNA Sec and Sec+ are good for the basics if you are not already strong in them.

So I'm on the right path. Good to know

wes allen wrote: »

Also, there are a ton of good threads on here already so just start reading through them. Here is one to get you started:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/security-certifications/35746-security-ceritifications-ramblings.html

Thanks for the link. Good read.

Corrsta

Is the job market really that bad for forensics? It seems to be the only security field I see people getting hired with no experience whatsoever.

ch1vas

Corrsta wrote: »

Is the job market really that bad for forensics? It seems to be the only security field I see people getting hired with no experience whatsoever.

I don't know if it's a good market to get hired without experience or not, but after monitoring the market for a while, I barely could find any forensic jobs postings.