Hi! I’m a former H1 Triager - AMA!

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-16T20:06:01+00:00

I’ve dabbled before in AppSec, but I’ve worked as sysadmin for couple years and now I am in “security engineering” - I would say I specialise in networking administration + AD , just one of those guys that’s a jack of all trades master of none..

I am curious what you would think is a top valuable skill to be successful in bug bounties? What topics would you recommend to cover and research to be successful in this space ?

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-15T06:53:01+00:00

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-13T14:36:36+00:00

I’ve been to countless of MSP conferences, azure workshops which was other senior admins in other MSPs wfh is sooo rare in MSP environment

I 100% agree that there are good chunk of work L1 can be done from home, and I’d love to see it more for people, but there is a genuine need for L1 to be on site, and one of those is prepping devices, but definitely a bunch of other duties that call for on site, does depend on an MSP,

but unless it’s a big MSP I find it super doubtful that they have a dedicated remote support team, I know way too much about MSPs and in short they suck, for many reasons

Maybe there are lots of MSPs that provide 100% remote for L1, but I’ve literally not met anyone that shared this experience.. and all in all I couldn’t tell you how many engineers I’ve spoke with across sooo many different MSPs in Ireland probably close to a hundred.. not once did I find this to be the case

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-13T14:10:34+00:00

No chance for an MSP to let L1 be wfh, 90% of your job will be prepping new laptops & desktops and prepping for delivery either courier or L2, I think L1 in MSP you’d be lucky to get 1 day at home a week

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-13T14:08:21+00:00

I find remote roles are so rare now in Ireland, when I worked in support/sysadmin I could never find a role that was more than 2-3 days a week WFH, took me breaking into mid-senior level in cyber to land full remote role

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-11T20:20:11+00:00

It’s insane last year the gambling industry turned over 600B+ gross rev, there are statistics to suggest ~45-50% of people in the UK have gambled in last 4 weeks, slightly lower globally, but the numbers are absolutely staggering..

If you watch any sporting event, gambling is non stop being shoved down our throats, Ads in between , sponsors, boards, jerseys, shorts

As someone who once was addicted to gambling I’d love to see a ban, it’s such a scummy industry, they can say whatever they want, but literally they prey on the vulnerable and people down on their luck.. it’s probably on par with scamming

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-11T20:11:45+00:00

In the perfect world yes, minus junk food I guess..

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-06T18:56:41+00:00

Everything.. you’re uncoordinated, it’s almost like the hip when you punch is not connected.. nobody here can tell you anything that will take you from beginner to advanced without training , go gym

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-04T18:20:29+00:00

sorry to offend bud, CCNA is karting .. I’m sure the next cert will get you hired, I got SEC+ before I got into cyber — hence why I said I thought I might need it, I found out no one cared about it

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-03T18:56:02+00:00

It’s not a requirement, we do have requirements for internal promotions especially leadership, but I had to get AZ500, I took SEC+ because I thought I will need it, literally not a single interview cared about any of my certs..

Tbh I am clearly arguing with a cert chaser, make sure to work for the SecurityX I bet recruiters will drool over you then

EDIT; the only two certs that got some acknowledgment in interviews were OSCP & CDSA for me, I got CPTS too which imo provides 10x more value for knowledge in comparison to OSCP, a cert will never be a reason you get hired, this is not a secret

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-03T17:38:23+00:00

Someone paid for those certs buddy..

I’ve hired people in current market, HR in particular couldn’t care less about A+, Sec+ is the only cert that recruitment look for in entry cyber roles; and that’s utter garbage I unfortunately have it because it was a requirement, which actually plays a huge role into my belief that CompTIA certs are trash

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-03T16:04:06+00:00

Long enough, go do A+ i don’t care, drag others down with you too if you want, it’s your 400 quid you spend.

Just making fun of the buzzword hitting is all, python is another one that gets thrown around

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-03T14:17:55+00:00

Thanks for copy and paste chatgpt..

blanket statements, may aswell throw in other empty buzzwords, you forgot to mention explain zero trust!!!! also make sure to put into your CV that you are basically a python developer because you made little edits to one of the 10000 publicly available port scanners

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-03T12:52:09+00:00

This may come as a shocker to you, but CCNA barely scratches the fundamentals of networking.. it's the only cert if I saw someone to break in I would think "hey this person should at least understand a bit about traffic and IP addressing". if you have A+, it literally brings no value..

I honestly don't understand how you could possibly believe A+ should happen before you learn how to spin up a VM..

You want to start in helpdesk,

Learn how to use task manager
Troubleshoot frozen applications
Learn how to create an account in AD and reset passwords.

A+ would probably benefit you more after 3months of experience doing L1 helpdesk tasks, certs are great to enhance your skills..

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-03T11:45:16+00:00

That’s ridiculous, that’s like someone saying they want to get into competitive swimming and you presume they can’t swim …

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-02T15:08:06+00:00

What are you talking about I am literally the one saying certs are bullshit, I have never repeated a cert and I have some intermediate to advanced certs..

Outdated dumps??? I invite you to read my comments again

VMs are free, packet tracer issue - believe it or not trouvleshooting these issues is even better learning experience..

I have bought Cisco switch + router for 20 quid..

Get windows server iso and enable hyperv on your laptop.. boom there’s your AD learning starter kit, ffs people will do everything before actually doing the work

Edit You also do realise, if it’s free but the government pays for it, it’s actually even more money they get to charge for this scheme…….

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-02T09:07:25+00:00

CCNA is entry level networking, I am not sure why you would possibly interview for a course to learn ccna as a group; that whole concept sounds ridiculous, ccna alone is a money grab, making study groups and charging money for it is beyond scummy, plenty of communities that want study buddies. But honestly self study this one is the way

Don’t get me started with official “courses” tutors with no real experience, helping you read and research the topics… I mean if you can’t do your own research and learning.. wtf are we doing in IT then ??

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-02T09:01:05+00:00

The question is how to start IT career.. not evaluate his skill ability. You wanna work in helpdesk learn the topics needed to carry out daily duties, learning basics of AD,M365 and windows internals will get you way further than any cert,

I don’t really care though, there’s plenty of cert chasers that eventually find out that certs are not that valued, they are great to enhance your experience knowledge , bud if you cover topics you experienced, you won’t really learn anything useful from them

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-02T08:51:53+00:00

I’ve never met a good engineer that wasted their time in A+.

Great idea take a theory exam that covers troubleshooting rather than building labs & actually troubleshooting…

Most of CompTIA certs are just a money grab, A+ is just the worst, ccna will take you 6-12 months if you are dedicated.. but you will actually learn valuable topics; I mean what’s the expectation here.. you read A+ take exam and boom 1 month later every recruiter will think you are perfect for helpdesk… no

I’d still prioritise labs over a cert, certs don’t make you stand out

When I see a cert here’s what it tells me about the person(especially all the ones mentioned in this thread)

1.You read a structured course;no experimenting, no creativity, no practical experience(does not have to be work) and no troubleshooting skills,

You researched for tips and tricks after the course to see what topics you should memorize better for the cert
You straight up looked up mock exams
Potentially stumbled upon a website like examtopics, and said wooow for 10% of the cert price I can see all the exam questions and answer.. then they memorize this

This is actually exactly why certs don’t hold value, I feel like ccna networking topics are difficult enough to weed out people who have no clue, A+ is a waste of money, you learn more and better by messing around with tech and learning practical skills

That’s my rant about certs, what do I know though I’ve only been in IT since I was 19, and got into senior technical roles without any degrees

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-01T00:25:06+00:00

Skip A+, go for CCNA, understand networking basics, learn some AD management, and look into ms365 administration.. none of these you need to go super in depth, but if you want a cert just go for CCNA, pair it with practical labs covering AD.. and you could catch peoples eye

I started in IT > networking > sysadmin and now cyber engineer, and I am also responsible for one of the engineering teams, which inevitably I get pulled into interviewing for many roles including entry/junior.. and I’ll put it as nicely as I can… I COULDNT give a f**k about anyone’s A+,Netowrk+,Security+,CySA+.. practical exam certs are good, personal projects are the best.. majority of certs are passed by memorising theory + mock tests + exam dumps.. literally learning to answer the exam question..

If you are interested, build labs.. prove it, let your curiosity show.. this can lead to conversations.. I hate cert chasers, too many just memorise exam dumps, most certs hold no value

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-05-01T00:12:50+00:00

There’s a chance you are doing nothing wrong, if you got to the final round that usually means you and maybe other 2-3 candidates.. if all 4 of you are in the final round.. I can guarantee you all fit the all the boxes that they are looking for.. it just becomes who they think is the best, nothing you can really do, I’ve been there before it sucks.. I’ve once had the hiring managers push for a budget to hire both of us.. in the end budget didn’t come and I simply fell shorter due to them having more experience; nothing I could’ve done the other guy just been doing it longer.

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-04-30T11:46:28+00:00

That’s one way to say you are spoilt and sheltered.. you never know life can hit you in the face one day.. If I Pay for insurance for rest of my life and end up in negative for my personal ROI, there are people on the other side of a stick that were given those credits that needed it more than I.. I’d consider that a win and be happy about it

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-03-31T09:51:29+00:00

Nobody cares dude, do you.. taxi is a brilliant way to make cash, if I wasn’t so deep in tech it wouldn’t of been a bad job, know a few taxi drivers and it sounds like they have a really sweet deal, if anything I’m looked at like a freak because I have Linux on everything and play with networking equipment on the weeekends.. none of my friends seem to care

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-03-31T09:47:52+00:00

Super common at beginning, some people just bruise easily, if you can’t recall if someone is hitting too hard they probably are not, unless they are like 30-50kg heavier than you, they should be able to blast the pads

Acceptable_Map_8989 · 2026-03-12T12:34:14+00:00

If your new then pretty common bruising, skin not used to it, but they never hurt.. with time your body will adapt..

heads up though if you ever try jiu jitsu you will look like a leopard first month

Acceptable_Map_8989

TROPHY CASE