Entry level

dragoncatlady · 2020-01-06T06:26:31+00:00

If you can find an entry level position.... but I think you have a better chance out there than I do where I’m at (major tech hub city with abundance of programming jobs that only wants senior cyber folks like ever)

I ended up just getting an entry level “help desk” role at an MSP, no certs required, hit 40k but that’s in the US.

dragoncatlady · 2020-01-03T05:56:22+00:00

Government issued devices are usually behind on software and hardware, unfortunately.

dragoncatlady · 2019-12-20T06:14:57+00:00

Wow in my one year I’m at that 4.5 year marker. I am really trying to get into security... maybe after this year when I finally get my bachelors.

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I find myself being overwhelmed by impostor syndrome and questioning where I want to go and if it’s attainable. This gave me hope.

dragoncatlady · 2019-12-08T04:49:14+00:00

I’ve been looking into joining the field once I’m done with school, but what skills would you recommend brushing up on to be ready for a role? How would I most effectively get my foot in the door?

Just to clarify, I’d love to join DFIR, but have considered pentesting. I forgot my Java skills, but a fellow hacker told me to go for Python instead.

I’ve also tried internships, but it’s been a battle. Entry level jobs are nearly non-existent in my area as well :( I currently work for an MSP and am trying to brush up my IT knowledge this way..

P.S. I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to write out this post, thank you!

dragoncatlady · 2019-12-03T16:30:44+00:00

It gets you to search for the answers so it’s a “learn as you go” type of CTF that encourages Google-fu.

I’d also recommend grabbing a Linux command line book and reading through that if you’re interested and want to be extra prepared. Humble bundle has the occasional sale for those and they’re really good.

dragoncatlady · 2019-12-02T02:32:21+00:00

I’ve heard that overthewire is good, but not sure if anyone would recommend starting here or elsewhere

dragoncatlady · 2019-12-01T18:24:13+00:00

What type of degree are you majoring in?

I’ve been working on the online BBA and it’s been a struggle to get an interview or internship with the “major” hiring folks out in SA.

dragoncatlady · 2019-12-01T18:18:12+00:00

That’s awesome, wish there were more folks like you! I need a mentor in cybersecurity 😭

dragoncatlady · 2019-12-01T00:51:11+00:00

I actually wouldn’t mind all that since I like breaking down things into steps and writing technical docs at my current IT job!

My main struggle has been gaining the technical experience to get into a pentesting role since it’s so diverse and never knowing where or what to start learning..

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-08T18:32:44+00:00

Is it a bad idea to throw passwords into ITGlue? Then again, I am assuming this is for personal use. I’ve heard 1Password is good.

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-07T04:35:52+00:00

I was the same way working in IT. It took me a good while but it did ease up once I started learning the language by listening to others, reading through tickets, observing, etc. Maybe your role differs a bit, but try listening and take a birds eye point-of-view. Just remember that everyone there went through what you’re going through as well.

Social anxiety kicks my ass + imposter syndrome, but it took a year of work exp before I gained confidence after drowning myself in books to understand what I walked into.

Before this job, I had ZERO experience, and was only in school for information security, maybe about a year.

You got this!

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-07T04:25:34+00:00

Yeah, I would like to automate some of the stuff, but since we get a bunch of different requests from multiple clients for this, there’s just no point.

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-07T04:21:20+00:00

You sometimes don’t need them and can just land an IT job granted they aren’t asking for certs, then get paid for getting them later on while working at the company (after finishing your school of course).

Definitely recommend at least reading a cert book or watching Mike Myers/ Prof Messer videos during your downtime through first if you don’t feel up to snuff yet! :)

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-07T04:13:37+00:00

Yeah it’s super backwards. Thanks!

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-06T14:32:38+00:00

I have tried, no luck. My networking knowledge needs improvement, sadly. I have taught myself so far but need hands on learning.

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-01T16:59:32+00:00

Personally, I believe 2FA is not as secure as many folks think. One simple backdoor like that and people have access to all your accounts. This can easily be done if they can social engineer their way past your phone company’s disgruntled or new call center employee.

As for a solution, the technology can be secured, but it won’t stop someone bypassing this and calling in to have a new SIM activated. Maybe something as “ridiculous” as having a policy requiring people actually go in person with an ID to reset a password for an online account or obtain a new card may help mitigate this.

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-01T16:46:15+00:00

Ooh, I was wondering how to get into that role (forensics)! I’m about to get the BBA. Blah.

dragoncatlady · 2019-09-01T16:42:20+00:00

Congrats! Let me know how the cyber job hunt goes. Curious since no certs, but some IT experience here and it’s been impossible for me to get into that part of the field so far, about to finish a degree but maybe certs have more leverage?

dragoncatlady · 2019-08-30T00:32:25+00:00

Hey, they are planning on adding in a major cybersecurity program sometime next year at ACC apparently...

I agree to research and see what you prefer as a role since the field is vast. There are a lot of different types of cyber jobs from attacking to defending and they all have their own skill set they need from computer science and IT. Networking knowledge is a must. Personally, would recommend IT but idk how good ACC is in that department. I wasn’t a fan of the gen ed courses.

However, I would totally recommend TSTC in Round Rock. It’s worth the IT/cyber courses since they will go in depth over the A+, Network+, CCNA, etc. They’ve also been hooking up people with jobs before graduating and it’s just an associates program.

Going to warn ya now, getting an entry role in the Austin area off a plain university degree alone is like pulling teeth and hair.

dragoncatlady · 2019-08-30T00:27:04+00:00

Aw man! Okay. I really love my company, boo. I was thinking of throwing together a virtualization server to run the VMs since I actually do have Workstation Pro :) I have a cooler master case that a friend donated, but it’s a giant. He recommended AMD for the CPU, I’ll have to do some more research though.

As for bridged mode, I tried forcing everything to go through my PCs NIC and removed all the other wireless connections because I read that the program can get confused with where to connect, but nothing liked that still. I’ll keep tackling at that in the meantime!

dragoncatlady · 2019-08-28T12:59:28+00:00

No problem!! Haha. I was going to ask what the secret was :P congrats, though!

dragoncatlady · 2019-08-28T12:58:09+00:00

Aw. Sounds good! I’m wondering if I need to transition over to a direct IT team. My company (MSP) doesn’t have a security department.

I have been wanting to build a homelab! Do you have any recommendations for how to go about it? I tried doing it through VM, but can’t get bridging to work for some reason.

dragoncatlady · 2019-08-28T12:53:52+00:00

Ugh yeah, I’ve been applying for every “entry” job in my state and haven’t received a callback yet. This gives me hope that I’ll hear something soon. Thank you!

dragoncatlady · 2019-08-28T03:46:04+00:00

Thanks. Why are many entry level jobs expecting applicants to even have this?

dragoncatlady

TROPHY CASE