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New adventure!

Discussion in 'General Open/Public Discussion' started by CrawlingKane, 11 Feb 2015.


  1. I am going to be starting a new adventure starting this summer and I wanted some advice on some online studies to assist me in getting ready.

    I am going for my B.S in Computer Information Systems - with a concentration in Cyber Security. I figured it would go well with my B.S in Criminal Justice. I am not sure where I want to go with it though, meaning entry level jobs. I was wondering if you guys had some insight.

    Thank You

    CK
     
  2. GraniteRok

    GraniteRok Executive Officer Officer

    Officer
    Nice CK! Sounds like you have a plan! Sentrosi would be the man to talk to as Security is right up his alley.
     
  3. DonkeySmiler

    DonkeySmiler Eater of Gnomish Persons DragonWolf

    I'll throw in my 2 cents, although I'm sure others can guide you better. I have a similar background in what you are going for - BS in computer information systems, BA's in criminology and security and intelligence. I ended up opting to entrench myself in working for a major university where cyber security is pretty much an afterthought (so the private sector may be a whole different experience). I did do an internship with the Ohio Bureau of Worker's compensation that had a cyber security team and I'd wager a job like that would probably be your best bet for getting a foot in the door. Despite all the "hacks" and data loss we hear about on the news everyday, places like universities just don't want to spend the money.... at this point. I could see that changing as time goes on. Of all the places I have worked on campus, the one place you would think would have the best security (dental college with tons of patient data), is by far the worse. It is pretty sad actually.

    A friend of mine got a job with the department of defense in some sort of hush hush cyber security related position, but that is a more of a long term goal because he has been in the "application process" for years. Before that he worked in enterprise networking/server infrastructure.

    So yeah, long story short - it may be tough to get your foot in the door and you may have to ease yourself into a true cyber security position out of necessity because entry level cyber security positions seem to be rare.
     
    Last edited: 12 Feb 2015
  4. Sentrosi

    Sentrosi Protocol Officer Officer

    Officer
    Cyber Security positions may seem rare, but they are out there. Just have to know where to look for them.
    Public sector would be the best place for that. State/Federal governments are not going to pay you as much as you would in the private sector. But the lack of pay pays off in job security. Look around for internships at the various government and even education areas around you. Hell, see if your college even has an incident response team and see if you can sit in or get some exposure. Networking, from a personal standpoint...it's what this game is all about.

    Concentrate on Javascript and Python. Those two languages are the heart and soul of any cyber security job.
    If you're looking at network security (Securing the Perimeter) I would suggest getting a real strong grasp on Firewalls, group policy, Active Directory and Switch/Router configurations. If you are looking for more forensic cyber security, definitely look at Windows/Linux event logging. This is where a strong background in Python will work to your advantage. Instead of manually combing through a billion lines of code, write a python script that'll do that for you.

    IT is all about certifications. Do your best to find a shop that'll pay for both the certification and the exam. SANS is a great place to start from.
    Also http://niccs.us-cert.gov/training/tc/framework/specialty-areas is a great resource to help guide you into what 'discipline' of Cybersecurity you want to concentrate on.
     
  5. Thanks Sent, thats the tricky part is findind the jobs it seems, I see them but they aren't as easy achieved as you would think. I wasn't 100% sure on what discipline I wanted to go for. From what I've read it seems that it's really a pick one or two and thats it type of work. I just want to get a leg up since I haven't really been following anything lately. (other than littles ones) haha. Thanks again!
     
  6. Sentrosi

    Sentrosi Protocol Officer Officer

    Officer
    Learning Python / Javascript will help you in most areas of Cybersecurity. I would say concentrate on those areas.
     
  7. You probably are going to have to start in the general IT field out of school to get the necessary experience. I dont care if someone has GIACs and CISSP with 0 years experience you arent getting a job as a security manager or security personnel. With that said I think security is the absolute right field for anyone to begin focusing on joining the IT workforce right now. It will always be growing and the field is still in its infancy. In 10 years we wont necessarily need tons of server admins but security will still be in house and a huge part of every business if they want to stay in business. I work in the energy field right now. Just got my CISSP working on getting a Security Manager job but doing jack of all trades IT work now (focused on networking).

    Good luck man
     
  8. I met with the lead professor at my school, he stated we'll be learning kali linux, anyone else familiar with this? should i get the vm with arm or not?
     

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