Wandering in the dark
A question that is often asked when trying to start out in the field of cybersecurity. Often the answers are never direct and it can be frustrating to hear others already in the field never really have an answer to the question. It turns out though that there really isn’t a traditional way to start out in this field. The information security field is pretty vast and filled with many specialized fields. From the red team side to the blue team side, purple teams and other colors that may be mentioned it really depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be a pentester or do you prefer to work with the defensive side of things? Besides the technical side of things there is also the management/policy side of the cybersecurity such as GRC or Governance, Risk and Compliance. Personally I prefer the more technical side over the legal and policy side of things.
So with all this in mind there are multiple paths to take. There is the traditional path such as gaining a college degree and there are more non-traditional paths such as getting a certification or boot camps. From my experience college education does provide a structured learning environment that can keep you focused on the material and achieving milestones. The drawback is often cost. Certifications on the other hand can be a more affordable option however it requires some self discipline to achieve one’s goal. Some even state to forgo all of this and just simply “get out and network” with people. Networking is definitely a promising path however I do feel that in order to network with people in the field you need some sort of credibility to talk shop. Maybe this is just the imposter syndrome that always seems to be hovering over many of us in the field. If you have the gift of gab by all means this is definitely going to help you when it comes to networking.
As for final thoughts the place to start is simply pick a path and go with it. If you are in high school and in position to go to college it may work well for you with a more structured learning environment and with time and even a scholarship can definitely be a good path. A college degree on a resume can go a long way even later in life too. Certifications can help get by some HR filters at least and in some ways have a bit more of a streamlined focus on the topic you want to learn as to a college degree which tends to be a bit more broad. For your first certification I would pursue one that seems easy enough to obtain just to get your feet wet and then pursue others later. Whichever you choose just pick one and go with it. Some of us probably wish we had a Jedi master who would take us in as a Padawan learner but there really isn’t one. Whatever path we choose there will always be someone who says it’s a waste of money/time. Sometimes we need to learn on our own if that is true in order to advance. If you spend all your time trying to listen to everyone you will be here a year from now still asking the same question “where do I start?”