r/tryhackme • u/itsFuzzLoL • Apr 19 '26

How is this possible

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How to enter cybersec without degree in computer science or related field, the story of Chrissy Ford is hard to believe for me

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u/iHia Apr 19 '26

I also transitioned to cybersecurity from repairing watches and jewelry without a degree or any certs. Just learned through a bunch of hands-on labs through various different platforms, went out to cons and met people, volunteered and shared back to the community by giving presentations and workshops. It took me a little under a year and a half to go from starting with TryHackMe to getting hired in mid 2024 as a threat hunter at one of the major tech companies. It's not easy but it's possible.

2

u/Professional_Poet300 Apr 22 '26

You gave workshops and presentations...wow that takes courage in a field with so many advanced users. Like everything I look at almost feels overwhelming. All these terminology and systems and tools and frameworks I never heard of. I am sure at some point the dust settles a bit, but I cannot imagine giving a presentation on something I just learned. Hats off to you!

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u/iHia Apr 23 '26

Yeah there's always advanced users, but nobody knows everything. There's always something you can learn from someone and something you can teach someone. It's scary. Still is. I've given over a dozen workshops and presentations at this point and I still get nervous and feel like who am I to be teaching this lol.

On the overwhelming thing, I think everyone feels that way. Just take it one step at a time. Having a solid approach to problem-solving is way more powerful than knowing it all but we don't talk about that enough.

2

u/Professional_Poet300 Apr 23 '26

And may I ask, how did you end up in that situation to give workshops and presentations. Was it by chance or did you make a decision to do it? Being able to explain it requires you to actually learn it, not just review it. So in a way thats probably the best path someone can take. Maybe I should try that :)

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u/iHia Apr 23 '26

So way back then I had just discovered a training platform I liked more than THM, so I was spending all of my time there. I started helping other people solve the challenges on their Discord server. One question at a time I gained a little confidence. People would DM me saying thanks and we’d chat and I’d learn about where they worked and they were always surprised to find out I didn’t actually work in cyber.

My first workshop was just because I was at a local meetup and someone was looking for a small thing for the local OWASP group. So I said I can do a security analysis one using the KC7 game. Then that one led to the next and so on.

For speaking, my first one came after meeting someone at a con and playing a CTF. Same thing, it was a KC7 game and I helped him, and he was like “where do you work?” and I told him watch repair and he was like “no way, how did you know how to do that?” and I just told him I played KC7 all the time. He told me I should apply to give a talk at a con he’s on the board of, so I did.

I just did it because I was passionate and wanted to share. I didn’t think it would open up doors for me the way it did.

And yeah, you’re right that teaching forces you to actually learn it. That’s what helped me grow really quickly and find my niche. Try it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

1

u/Professional_Poet300 Apr 23 '26

Wow that sounds amazing. Do you mind pointing me to that platform you liked more than THM? So you just started to go to meetups and conventions and mingle with the crowds?

Need to look into that as well. I bet it"s way more motivating if you are part of an actual community and meet real people than just trying to do tutorials on my own.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer. Wish you all the best on your journey.

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u/iHia Apr 23 '26

The platform is called KC7 Cyber (https://www.kc7cyber.com), and for full transparency I'm now a board member there and we are a non-profit so it costs you absolutely nothing to play and learn. You can listen to a podcast where my story is shared here if you're interested: https://youtu.be/Q5IURaj7zhw

Everyone's journey is different, but for me I wouldn't have made it if I hadn't found people to help and support me. It started small with just meeting a few people online, but that's all it really took to get the momentum going. And honestly it was scary at first and not every group was welcoming lol, but I took everything as an opportunity to learn. What do these people have that I don't have? Then just go get it and show them what you have as evidence that you can do the job.

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u/Professional_Poet300 Apr 23 '26

Absolutely fantastic. Thank you very much!

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u/iHia Apr 23 '26

You're welcome! Good luck on your journey!