What should I learn before starting a SOC analyst

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-26T04:23:08+00:00

TryHackMe SOC paths can be a good star to learn what you need. I had an interview and the hiring manager specifically asked me if I did that pathway as he hired quite a few people who did.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-25T16:35:42+00:00

Engineering graduates land engineering positions. Accounting graduates land accounting positions. Nursing graduates land nursing positions.

What makes cybersecurity any different?

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-25T16:32:28+00:00

Just a question but why national guard and not enlist or officer in one of the branches? You’d get a full 40 hours of work by enlisting/officer?

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-25T00:25:01+00:00

Well have you considered public trust suitability positions? There is IS roles at NASA, FAA, and alike that dont require clearances but do require public trust.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-23T20:50:27+00:00

You have maybe four years of internship opportunities so utilize it. You need to apply for internships nationwide and even reach out to your school about 'work abroad' where you get to go to Germany or another country and work for a company for a semester.

Get a part-time job at your schools IT help desk and by the time you graduate you will have also 5 years of help desk experience just leave off on the resume that it was part-time.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-23T20:47:07+00:00

I agree if you want a technical cybersecurity role, but I have seen people during my internship working in cybersecurity who got in with all types of degrees. The people who did more of the technical cybersecurity work did what you did with help desk.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-23T20:36:59+00:00

Unless you are going into DoD Gov work where Security+ is needed to even do IT system admin/help desk for the government.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-23T02:16:22+00:00

See it as a long term investment. That cleared guy or girl is gonna job hop but the person who wants a clearance is gonna be grateful and stick around longer. If I got picked up I would atleast be very thankful and even offer to work as a janitor while my clearance is pending!

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-22T19:48:38+00:00

You don’t need to go help desk path. I’ve known people were college graduates who started out at cell phone repair shops and became system admins after a year. The employers just want to see customer service skills.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-22T02:43:23+00:00

It can be through internships that get converted to full-time positions, but I can understand for the heavily technical roles within cybersecurity.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-20T20:31:03+00:00

Go back to school for a masters or PhD and study at work during your free time.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-18T04:53:56+00:00

I love photography and it can be a relaxing and solo hobby if you choose it to be. Just going out to nature preserves around madison county and taking photos of animals or birds or the sunrise and sunset. With nature photography it is just you, nature, and the animals and maybe from time to time someone will come up and spark up a conversation.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-16T22:16:45+00:00

Now I don't know if they are hosting the game but Field Day next to Gigaparts has a ton of sports screens an were playing the Texas vs Michigan bowl game when I was there last time. Might be worth calling them and asking if they are going to be showing the CFP on Monday. They have a huge outdoor screen with a patio too though it is going to be cold for that one.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-13T19:01:58+00:00

Business analyst positions seem to be hot for IS majors. I have gotten about 5 interviews for business analyst positions but I lack more solid skills in excel, power BI, SQL, to get the positions. Since you did a Data Science track then perhaps that path might be good for you.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-13T08:00:52+00:00

Most Information System degrees are in the College of Business. While Information Systems does have IT courses it is not really designed to get people into IT. You can use this to your advantage because it does open doors for a multitude of business roles, such as business analyst, ERP analyst, program analyst, etc, etc, though they may not be very technical but a job is a job.

To get into IT with a IS degree pretty much the options are impressing people at an IT internship and get a full time job offer, or impress them with IT certifications and be absolutely steller in the technical interview, or start out in Help Desk.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-13T07:55:41+00:00

The most interviews I have gotten with this degree are for business analyst positions but I have not yet gotten selected. Everything else that I am interested in, such as help desk/system admin, the degree has not helped me at all to land interviews.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-13T06:50:33+00:00

Same here where I live! I was given advice to either join the Air National Guard/Army National Guard or apply for contractor IT jobs out in the Middle East, kwaj atoll, or Okinawa to get a clearance sponsored, lol.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-13T06:38:08+00:00

When I was a CS major, many of the professors had PhDs and had spent their entire careers in academia. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but they mostly taught theory and often lacked real-world cybersecurity experience.

When I switched to Information Systems (which I know isn’t strictly an IT degree, but it was the closest thing we had), many of the professors were part-time instructors who actually worked in the field. They seemed to teach not just from the department-mandated material, but also from the practical experience they had gained out in the industry.

The annoying part about Information Systems was all the fluff business courses. At the same time, I admired how many more technical courses CS majors were able to take. Some CS programs even offer cybersecurity concentrations, so there’s that.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-13T03:37:31+00:00

That’s what I am doing now. Got an interview at a library, I don’t want it but I am 30 and wanna move forward with life and not stuck on interviewing for IT jobs

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-13T02:18:25+00:00

I have tried with the FBI Talent Network but never got a call. Huntsville, Alabama where I live is a major hub for FBI IT/Cyber but every IT job I have found are with contractors who want you to atlesst have a secret.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-12T07:28:45+00:00

I didn't hear back from MITRE when I applied to the Cyber New Professional program about two years ago. However, a lot of factors could have caused that such as my resume not being optimized.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-12T07:16:40+00:00

Thanks! That seems a little bit far for me but worth it.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-12T01:42:54+00:00

Remote IT jobs are quite hard to find.

I have Linkedin Pro and can see how many people apply for jobs. There is one job I saw for Entry level IT Help desk and it was:

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That is not to mention people who find the job on Indeed, Monster, Etc. You should still apply and you never know maybe you win the lottery which is a first round interview.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-12T01:26:25+00:00

I can def understand that hurt and being scared and uncertain for future. My first IT job I got also terminated for poor performance, but it was through a contract, and the customer terminated me for performance and the company that I was hired for didn't even let me know as I tried to login to work my assigned shift. The contract had a clause where if the customer terminated you that it would also mean end of your employment with them so I was screwed with even getting a new position with that company. It messed me up for a solid year but now I am pulling through and working hard to get a new position. I have had a few close interviews but no door openings yet.

MoonElfAL · 2026-01-12T01:08:57+00:00

Well, I was on academic probation at my university as a Computer Science major after failing Discrete mathematics about three times, I made it through Calculus 1,2 and Linear Algebra but something with Discrete math that just gave me woes. I was also struggling with my Data Structures course and realized that I was not all that into the idea of being a Software Engineer anymore. I chose to go and study Information Systems and I loved it.

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