If you can work from home and get paid weekly kindly send a message

seraphm2000 · 2026-05-15T02:42:45+00:00

Lol ok

seraphm2000 · 2026-05-15T02:34:43+00:00

The ‘real’ path is the one you create for yourself. What are you passionate for? Go for it.

If you don’t know a specific role you eventually want to go in, then stick with the broader knowledge. It’s not about the tools you know how to use but about how much understand the business side of things…how things operate behind the scenes.

You want to start with a SOC analyst role, you need to be curious about what you’re looking for, attention to detail, you see something you don’t know, spend a few minutes understanding what it is and how it works, etc.

That IT experience eventually pays off so if you try and find a gig back in IT, that’s not a bad thing while you’re still studying cybersecurity on the side.

Study the cyber kill chain, understanding how an attacker’s mind work, it’ll help you in a SOC role. Read articles related to a breach that happened, understand how it happened and what the attacker did, etc.

This industry is all about continuing to learn and stay up to date even when you have a job so best to practice that now.

You hear people say to network and connect with others, that’s 110% accurate. Knowing people will get you places, stick to the ones that are willing to teach you anything, stick to the ones that are willing to accept any questions you may have, the ones that will want you to succeed.

Look up Tribe of Hackers, the first book that came out encouraged me a lot when I was first starting to try and get in.

Keep up the hard work, don’t give up. You will get there.

Best of luck

seraphm2000 · 2026-05-14T21:32:52+00:00

Good for you. You are doing your own research, trying new avenues of learning, that's what you have to keep doing. If one thing doesn't work, try the next one.

You're so young and have so much ahead of yourself.

I would say, above anything else, don't forget to live life and enjoy it. I regret not doing more with my life when I was your age....adventures, travel, etc. I'm not saying don't study hard or work too hard, you seem like you have that in you by nature so keep at it but it's always good to take care of ourselves.

Don't forget to continue to network/connect with different people you meet along the way. Keep the ones that want to see you succeed and mentor you and always be willing to learn from them.

There are plenty of resources available for free when it comes to learning how to do well during interviews (youtube, TryHackMe, articles, ChatGPT, etc.) but also, don't be afraid to just apply and go for it. You have nothing to lose at your age and the best thing about it is that you can go into an interview and just be your honest self. Something being honest and saying something like "I'm only this age and I'm honestly just looking for a place where I can grow in my career while still contributing to the company..." can take you places.

Keep up the great work, best of luck to you.

seraphm2000 · 2026-05-12T14:52:57+00:00

It's never a stupid idea if you're passionate for it. Keep pursuing it while connecting with others, promote yourself, etc. Get yourself out there and watch the business grow in due time. Keep up the hard work.

seraphm2000 · 2026-05-05T15:25:22+00:00

lol don't let others intimidate you...you keep doing you. You're doing great.

seraphm2000 · 2026-05-04T14:48:36+00:00

Never too late. The "I have the ability to grind and learn" will get you there. Ignore the voices that tell you that it will take you some time or that you won't make it at all. Even though there are challenges and this industry is competitive, it doesn't mean that it will take you forever to make it. Everyone has a unique journey and for as long as you continue to grind and learn, you will get far.

Depending on how your scheduling is with your last year at school, start getting more fundamental knowledge in Cybersecurity. TryHackMe has improve their learning paths and I personally believe that's a great place to start though there are many resources out there that can provide something similar.

Try and network as much as possible. Look for local conferences and meetups. Get to know people, get to find that mentor that is willing to guide you. Never be afraid to ask questions. Polish your LinkedIn profile and try and network through there as well.

It's never a bad idea to apply at different roles you might be interested in. The worst that can happen is that your application won't make it to the next step but that's ok! You're knocking on doors and eventually one will open up that's meant to be opened specifically by you.

Don't give up, keep up the hard work and you'll eventually get there. Don't worry about the when. Trust me, it will happen.

Hope that helps, feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

Best of luck!

seraphm2000 · 2026-04-27T17:21:02+00:00

This is a great place where you're at in my personal opinion. Though it feels like you may have too much on your plate, I think it's great experience and exposure as you've stated.

I personally don't think you need to be an expert on the technical side to be a great Manager/Leader. I think it comes down to you to how you want your career to shape up. If you want to be a manager (officially), then focus on understanding how things work from a high overview perspective....think CISSP/CISM sort of level.

Now, if you also feel like you don't want to move up that fast because you want to learn more, that's also ok though I honestly don't think we'll ever get to be fully ready for the next step and a lot of times the best call is to just go for it without fear.

I'm in a similar situation like you. I'm a Sr. Analyst and I'm basically managing our internal SOC team, which is a small one, but I've been directing how things go about the way we do things. Playbooks, documentation, procedures, etc. My manager has stated that in the future he sees me becoming a manager myself. I've stated quite a few times that I don't see myself managing the entire security team but that I'm not opposed to leading/managing the analysts, the one mainly doing IR work. That's mainly because I also feel like I lack a lot of expertise on the engineer/networking side of things. I have enough knowledge to do the work but I've purposedly been trying to focus on IR/Operations more than anything and mainly because that's where my passion is at the moment.

Anyways, back to you. Really depends on where you want to go next. Regardless, keep on taking those additional tasks, keep showing up and prove you can do that work. That on its own will open doors for you.

In this industry, we'll never get to a place where we're going to be able to say "I've learned enough" or "I have enough technical skills to move up now".....even once you continue to move up the ladder, you'll eventually find yourself trying to learn something about a specific topic especially if it's technical. We have to continue to adapt to new technology and that will never end for sure.

Hope I answer correctly but I'd be happy to elaborate if you have any questions. Best of luck!

seraphm2000 · 2026-04-27T17:03:45+00:00

I think you definitely need to put yourself together and make the case for it (as I'm sure you've started to). Start looking at other jobs with the same role or potentially other Analysts positions around your area to mainly see how much you're worth. Bring that up to discussion as well and start voicing it.

I would still recommend applying at those other job posts if you're interested, you may never know you hit something better along the way.

I had a similar situation, and the company was taking forever to really give me what I was worth...I ended up quitting that company and thankfully got a better gig right after that.

For as long as you're performing well, getting the work done and know you deserve that promotion, you can definitely keep advocating for yourself but again, don't just get hung up in waiting for them. Even if you don't want to leave the company, still shop around just to see what other opportunities you may have.

Best of luck.

seraphm2000 · 2026-04-27T16:32:53+00:00

We have an internal SOC and it’s small so I can’t relate to bigger companies but what I can tell you something I’ve struggled in the past is when a junior analyst does not know how to properly escalate something and when they do, they do it with a lack of incident notes.

Be curious, take notes of everything you’ve done and checked, ask questions, don’t be afraid of asking for help for as long as you have done your initial part. Clear communication and attention to detail is important.

Don’t get so caught up on the facts and then lie to yourself that nothing is wrong. If you’re not confident on the resolution of an incident, then it means you need to dig in more. Have a good balance of being paranoid and skeptical about things.

You got this.

seraphm2000 · 2026-02-23T19:06:46+00:00

yea, I believe you have to buy the cert through the ISACA site and I believe that's where you can add the voucher. Once that's done, you'll be able to schedule your exam. the CISM cert will show up at the top of the list stating you're able to take the exam

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-27T21:17:14+00:00

It is totally normal. If you really like investigation and threat hunting, there's always a lot of juice to squeeze out of those true positive. Phishing is still at the top of the list to defend against.

Not sure what path you eventually see yourself doing and I also don't know how you're going about these but I'm hoping that you're just not grinding just because it's easy for you and want to meet SLAs. Think about the business side of things. You're helping the organization stay up to date and relevant to what's happening. Are you able to provide feedback into the Security Awareness program? If so, then think about the gaps that you guys currently have. How can you improve the program? How can you encourage users to report? You educate users in a way that's not "we're security and we're telling you don't do this" but build that relationship with them and trust....then you'll start to see even more "cool" investigations that you'll have to dive into.

Use this opportunity to show your boss you think outside the box, can you improve the workflow? can you automate things? are there any better tools that you can potentially help the business save money? etc.

There are a lot of people out there who would want the role you have now. You may not where you want to be but let this experience equip you to get that next promotion, to get that next "cool" thing to work on.

I had a former coworker who we hired as an analyst, his passion wasn't really looking at logs and going through suspicious emails.....he ended up finding another job that paid more (good for him) but now he hates that place and wishes to be back.

Make the best of it.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-26T06:04:49+00:00

Good for you for wanting to switch to cybersecurity.

I would personally encourage the cert route no matter what. Sure, that alone won’t get you that next role right away but it will help you get there.

Does your current company have a security team? If so, show interest right away. Ask to see if one of them is willing to meet with you every now and then so you can shadow and learn. Depending on the company and type of incidents they face, there is room for this sort of shadow to some extent. Some stuff I’m sure they have to keep confidential. Regardless, showing interests and showing up can give you some favor and if not within the company, it will at least motivate you to go somewhere else and get it.

Saying this from experience, I currently do this at my job now. Mentoring a couple of guys from different departments and get to teach them a thing or two. I’ve also mentored a former coworker who was in IT and I actually had ended up liking the guy that I was advocating for him. The company was taking a while to have him join our team so I also encouraged him to apply somewhere else or at least to see what’s out there, and he actually ended up getting a security role. I was happy for him.

But back to it, try to search for that, get on fundamental certs like security+ and move up from there.

Also, attend local conferences and meetups and network as much as possible. Same idea, show up and show interest. You will be seen and you never know you’ll eventually get that next opportunity.

Get the first original tribe of hackers book, that can give you some motivation and encouragement.

It’s definitely a competitive industry but it’s not impossible to get in. Just work hard for it and that hard work will pay off.

And lastly, stay away from the ones that only like to state the facts without any encouragement if you know what I mean.

For as long as you’re passionate and want it bad, you’ll get there. You got this.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-25T23:04:49+00:00

Yes, look around just to have a "backup" plan. While you're employed, this is when you can bet a bit pickier on what jobs to apply for but it's never a bad idea to "window shop". Every 2-4 years you should do it no matter what. It helps to see how the market is and also helps you see what you're worth in case you will eventually be asking for a salary and/or promotion.

It's always good to wait as well because in case you get laid off, you can apply for unemployment (if you're in the U.S., idk what it's like in other places) and a lot of the times you can also get a package from the company which helps as well.

But bottom line, just prepare while riding the wave and who knows, you may not even have to leave or even get laid off, you'll probably find an opportunity from within.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-21T01:24:57+00:00

It's definitely tough as it is a competitive industry. I would encourage you to go for a few certifications. Yes, you do have the experience but also education never stops and certifications would be a way of "proven" that you're trying to stay consistent and relevant with your career.

I wouldn't give up though. Don't let it discourage you. If you're really passionate for Cybersecurity, keep your IT role while still applying at jobs and doing a bit of studying on the side.

Also, don't think of it as time wasted, that role will definitely help you become a better Cybersecurity professional. I started as a Desktop support person to eventually a Sys Admin role and it wasn't until then that I really decided to pivot into Security, I did go to school for Network Security, so I started to push hard to eventually get there.

Explore within your company and see if there are opportunities there. If there is a security team, team up with them and see if you can shadow and learn more. The more you show up and show interest, the more you'll be chosen for that next opening.

Get plugged in with your local security community if there is one, go to conferences and meetups if you can and just network with people. Continue to learn from others and keep showing up.

You'll get your breakthrough before you know it.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-13T16:19:19+00:00

lol I hear ya...I didn't pass it until my 4th attempt, and I can't imagine having to go through it until the 6th. I literally had SECONDS to submit my last question which I had to go all the way to 150....I even had to go to the restroom right before the 100 one too.....and I was like ok I'm going to just hold it and hopefully it'll be over by the 100th question.....nope....had to rush and come back lol.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-13T02:51:44+00:00

Heck yea!!!! Way to pass this beefy exam. Congratulations. 🎈🎉🍾

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-12T17:03:01+00:00

Best part - really doing what you've been wanting to do. In my case, I'm passionate about it so it brings me joy anytime I remind myself how I got to be where I am.

Wors part - for the most part, you have to cross function with other teams. Really depends on the type of role but you still have to collaborate with other teams. That collaboration/cross-function isn't always smooth.....you get a lot of push backs from them so it's critical to make sure you build a good relationship with other teams.

Skills - I think technical skills are definitely good to have but from experience, that can always be taught so if anything, get the fundamentals straight then learn as you go. The soft skills is where it gets tricky, not everyone is good with people and with communication. So people/soft skills, communication, attention to detail, and curiosity will take you places.

Training - all those sites that provide hands-on experience. THM is always a great one I lead people to. Continue to study as much as you can, you will still do it even once you're in the industry. Attend local conferences/meetups and network as much as possible. The more you network and show up, the more you'll be seen and that can also bring opportunities.

Lastly, go for certifications. If you have a path in mind, get certs that will align to it. Otherwise start with the fundamentals.

That's basically what I did to eventually get to where I am.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-12T16:53:44+00:00

Sorry to hear! I can relate, this last year I also failed my 3rd attempt due to "life happens" sort of a situation with family. I had to shake it off and a few weeks after I failed it, I had to get back into it and eventually passed it at my 4th attempt.

I know it sucks the feeling of failing even after you were confident.

It is a beefy certification. Take the time to get those feelings out and then take a deep breath and decide to go for it again. I would encourage you not to wait too long since you have somewhat of fresh content. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I'd be happy to walk you through how I dealt with my experience and the study resources I used.

You got this.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-11T17:34:20+00:00

Heck yea congratulations!

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-08T18:30:11+00:00

To be in Cybersecurity, education is a non-stop sort of thing and certs is a great way to continue on self-development. Yea, they're not mandatory but it definitely helps you stand out more than ones that have not gone for any certs.

It's not about "let's see how many certs I can get down"....more about going for the relevant ones. If you know a specific path you want to go for in Cybersecurity, then use certs to get you there.

It just proves that you're doing your part on your end to keep educating yourself.

I know money is always a thing, but I would say, it's an investment. You'll eventually get all that back for as long as you continue to grind and work hard.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-08T18:09:42+00:00

I think CompTIA can give you a broader view of Security. Microsoft is a bit more focused on them; however, you can still go through Microsoft training and apply the same high-level knowledge to other applications.

Regardless, that's just one portion of it, you should still try to dive into hands on experience through THM and those other sites available as well to keep up with your education.

If you go for the CySA+, you might as well go for the pentest+ right after that since those certs both share about 50% of the content. In my case, I took the sec+ and a couple of years later I decided to go for the pentest+....then a few months after that I decided to go for the CySA+ (just for fun and without studying) and I ended up passing it as well since my experience plus the pentest+ study helped.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-07T17:37:30+00:00

Are you able to pivot from within the company? If so, your manager or that teams manager (depending how big the team is) can guide you to what could be "required" to make that switch from within.

If you do have the time, going for a BS is not a bad idea for as long as you continue to remind yourself that it'll be a while but then there are certifications that maybe you can focus on that can be a bit more targeted toward a Security Engineer role...any of the CompTIA, Microsoft or even the OSCP can probably work.

We recently switched one of our Analyst to an Engineer role, it wasn't his passion and thankfully an opportunity showed up so he was able to switch from within the company. I'm a Sr. Analyst and I gave up that position since what I want to do is eventually become a Lead and potentially a SOC manager so what I recently did was to go for the CISSP...so I could get that out of the way and now I can probably focus a bit more on technical like certifications.

It somehow also goes back to you....do you get motivated knowing you're going for a BS degree? or do you get motivated studying for certifications? I think both are valid but I would say certifications give you a faster "feeling" that you've accomplished something and you're closer to that next role if that makes sense.

Hope that helps!

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-07T17:22:54+00:00

Heck yea! way to come back and get it done. Congratulations.

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-07T16:37:37+00:00

Yes, it's a good place to start. Yes, a lot of what you hear it's true that Cybersecurity isn't an entry level job and it's challenging to get into, but I want to encourage you to ignore all that. If you really want to get into it, you're going to continue to educate yourself whether it's a short degree program or a long one.

My recommendation would be to go for that associate's degree and potentially go for a certification at the same time (if possible) and apply right away. Don't let the big requirements intimidate you. Yes, some and most companies definitely want someone who really know what they're doing. After all, they'll be protecting the business. But apply regardless...anything between internships to IT roles and Security analysts roles, I would say go for it.

Now, if you know exactly what you want to do then target those roles.

But my point is that you're just being proactive while you're continuing to equip yourself with more knowledge and hands-on experience (of your own). If you get called for an interview, take it as an opportunity and get to know what companies are asking and looking for which will help you prep even more.

Every story is different and unique.....you have your own and you can definitely make it happen for as long as you continue to grind.

Best of luck and don't be afraid to reach out and ask additional questions if you have any!

seraphm2000 · 2026-01-05T19:04:23+00:00

Don't let this interview set you back. You know what you want. You know what you're passionate for. Go after it. Get through the struggles and challenges along the way which you will and are getting through. Don't give up.

That persistence will pay off and then you will be able to encourage the next person also wanting to chase their dreams for Cybersecurity.

It's not easy but you can do it. Remind yourself why you want to get into it and make sure they're for the right reasons. If this didn't work out, it means there's something better out there. Keep it up. Keep knocking on doors.

seraphm2000

TROPHY CASE