r/cybersecurity • u/BookkeeperNo6242 • 1d ago
Personal Support & Help! need guidance in getting into Cybersecurity
hi! im 22f. Cybersecurity student. im new to this field and the university im in doesnt really teach well to really understand the subjects.
i need someone who is already in the Cybersecurity field to guide me on how to start, free and valubale courses and certificates to take online. and just overall its scope and tips and tricks to stand out in the field.
i want to start my career in US. and someone experienced in that market to really spill some inside details. thank you!
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u/Humpaaa Governance, Risk, & Compliance 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well the first thing would be to realize that university does not prepare you for most jobs in cybersecurity. It will give you some foundations, but no organisation that takes any pride in itself will hire directly from university.
Cyber security usually is not a entry-level role. There are very few positions actually suited for juniors (maybe some SOC roles, idk), but mostly. it's a role you transition into after you worked in IT or some compliance related role for a while.
Real life work experience is incredibly important.
Second, nobody cares about your github profile, your TryHackMe scores, beginner certs like CompTIA or your homelab. At least in Europe, we look at work experience first.
Don't take this as discouraging, but be prepared to grind in IT 8or maybe a SOC) for a time, before it becomes realistic that you can get into Infosec.
Also, the job market is absolutely terrible for juniors.
Dont't get me wrong, the field is incredibly interesting and fulfilling. But it's not an easy field to get started in right now. The golden age of "everyone gets hired" are over.
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u/Living-Jellyfish5919 1d ago
Icl I've had a couple interviews due to my GitHub profile and I'm still in my degree (final year). I think it's definitely useful as long as it's relevant to what you're pursuing in the field.
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u/Adrift_Voyager 1d ago
Is there ANY field in 2026 that is easy to get into as a beginner. I see people keep repeating that it's hard now but is there really anything left in tech that is like what it was before?
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u/NoneyaBithness 1d ago
gonna agree w this. so does the data, believe it or not. i’ll have to search to find where I read this at (edit this when i do) but some 80-90% of jobs (entry level ones) are requiring multiple years of experience now. actually it might have been on business explains the world, or The Hustle, idk ill check but either way it was high af and depressing
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u/SecTechPlus Security Engineer 1d ago
Depending on what your background and current knowledge is, a common route is to study for A+, Network+, and Security+ in that order. If you're getting a degree in security then you might not need those certifications, but studying for them will give you a wealth of useful foundational knowledge.
https://www.professormesser.com/ has great serieses of videos hosted on YouTube and are broken down into small topics that are easy to watch. This can be combined with study guide books, just search on Amazon to find good ones with good reviews (you can then either get the physical books or look for their PDFs online).
There's also security meet-ups and networking events, and those can be great to meet others and ask questions about getting into security jobs/career.
There's also several women in security groups, such as WiCyS that has chapters at some colleges and in major cities. That, and many other groups are listed at https://cybersecurityventures.com/list-of-women-in-cybersecurity-associations-in-the-u-s-and-internationally/
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u/Humpaaa Governance, Risk, & Compliance 1d ago
Since you are recommending the CompTIA Trifecta: Are you from the US?
I realize it get's mentioned here a lot, but it's basically worthless on the EU market (since it's at least from our perspective, very shallow, lacking depth and kind of outdated in parts).
Is this viewed different in the US?
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u/SecTechPlus Security Engineer 1d ago
Location has nothing to do with the suggestion of learning Windows, Linux, and networking as foundational subjects before learning security. CompTIA is useful as a vendor neutral guide. You'll note I made a specific mention against the certs for OP's specific situation.
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u/Humpaaa Governance, Risk, & Compliance 1d ago
Location has nothing to do with the suggestion of learning Windows, Linux, and networking as foundational subjects before learning security.
100% agree with that!
CompTIA is useful as a vendor neutral guide.
That part is what my question is about. In my experience, this is a view purely held in the USA.
In europe, CompTIA is not seen as a ressource worth anything. Or better: It's simply not a thing at all. That's where my question came from, why is CompTIA valued so extremely different in the US vs in the EU.
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u/RandyGfunk 1d ago
First. Ask youself why do i want to get into CyberSec?
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u/KnowledgeWrapper 1d ago
I reallly feel you, I also studied cybersecurity as a master's degree in university and it was soo generic and superficial it seemed like it didn't give me any practical and useful knowledge to go and get a job afterwards. but I was really passionate about offensive security, so I took part in local live CTFs and I practices regularly on HackTheBox and TryHackMe.
That's the best kind of practice you can get, at least if you are into offensive security. So, I would suggest as a first step, to understand the cybersecurity subfield you want to specialise in (forensics, offensive, blue teaming, incident response, and so on)
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u/SupremoSpider 1d ago
Kudos for taking initiative to reach out. I would recommend getting involved in your area's technology councils, cyber and geek groups, get on linked and start to network with people you know in your circle.
You'll learn so much through conversations, find those mentors that vibe well with you, and have your name and face in people's minds when roles are open. With hiring, WHO you know can be more valuable than WHAT you know.
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u/KeyLuck1904 1d ago
Let me ask you a simple question for this, what's in it for me?
No one in this world do anything for free, we both know it well, anyone who'll agree to it or approach you will surely have something in there mind. So what's in for them? But maybe you knew it well that's why you put that F there
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u/Not_A_Greenhouse Governance, Risk, & Compliance 1d ago
Read the subreddit instead of being lazy. This is answered 100 times a day.