Cybersecurity is a dynamic and fast-changing field that requires constant learning and updating of skills. However, if you are unemployed or looking for a new job, you might face some challenges in maintaining your cybersecurity skills and staying relevant in the market. Here are some tips on how to keep your cybersecurity skills sharp while unemployed.
One of the most obvious ways to show your cybersecurity skills and knowledge is to have relevant certifications. Certifications can validate your expertise in specific domains, such as network security, penetration testing, digital forensics, or cloud security. However, certifications also have expiration dates and require renewal or recertification. If you are unemployed, you might want to take this opportunity to update your certifications or pursue new ones that are in demand. This can help you boost your resume, demonstrate your commitment to learning, and increase your chances of landing a job.
In my experience, Some certifications require complete recertification after a certain period. Evaluate the cost, time commitment, and knowledge required for recertification compared to pursuing a new, relevant certification.
I would suggest upgrading your skills by working on platforms like Hack The Box (HTB) or other online tools to enhance your technical skills. If your goal is employment, it's crucial to possess skills that align with market demands, as the market continually seeks new talent...
- Dedica tiempo a estudiar y mantenerte al día con las últimas tendencias, tecnologías y amenazas en ciberseguridad a través de cursos en línea, tutoriales, libros y recursos gratuitos disponibles en la web. - únete a comunidades en línea de ciberseguridad, como foros, grupos de discusión y redes sociales, donde puedes compartir conocimientos, hacer preguntas y aprender de otros profesionales en el campo. - Configura tu propio entorno de laboratorio virtual o utiliza plataformas en línea de seguridad cibernética para practicar y desarrollar tus habilidades en un entorno controlado y seguro.
Do not become a certification factory especially when unemployed and cash flow might become a problem. Focus on what skills are being asked for in the market and focus on them. Find 5 jobs you find interesting and check what skills are missing . Use that to make a 3 to 6 month roadmap for upskilling yourself. Cybersecurity certifications are the baseline and rarely the reason people are hired in cybersecurity anymore. Focus on your skills first and then certs
To keep your cybersecurity skills sharp while unemployed, engage in continuous learning and practical exercises. Utilize online resources, join cybersecurity communities, and pursue certifications. Offer pro bono services to gain experience and network with professionals. Remember, persistence and dedication pave the path to success. Let's embark on this journey of skill enhancement together.
Another way to keep your cybersecurity skills sharp while unemployed is to join online courses and webinars that cover the latest trends and best practices in the field. There are many free or low-cost resources available online, such as Coursera, Udemy, Cybrary, or edX, that offer courses on various cybersecurity topics, from beginner to advanced levels. You can also find webinars hosted by industry experts, organizations, or vendors that provide insights and tips on current issues and challenges in cybersecurity. By joining online courses and webinars, you can learn new skills, refresh your existing ones, and stay updated on the latest developments in the field.
Cybersecurity is a fast moving field. Learn the basics while keeping up with the trends via webinars/blogs/security news. Go to conferences and do some training programs. There are different platforms that are free to learn for certain skills (hackthebox/tryhackme for hacking for instance). Setup your own environment (linux server or aws/azure) if your going the technical route. Is’t free or very cheap in a lot of cases and will help you understand how they work and how to secure the environments. I always believed security is a fun job and started from a hobby. So my last advice: have fun with what your doing, whatever discipline you choose, thats the best way to learn fast, enjoy the process and land a job you love.
This is a great way to stay relevant at all stages, but especially when in between roles. I have used this process every time and my experience has always been a positive one where the new training has played a role in landing the new position.
This is a great way to stay relevant at all stages, but especially when in between roles. I have used this process every time and my experience has always been a positive one where the new training has played a role in landing the new position.
Not just online courses and webinars. Go to events. Events like CCC and HackerHotel, for instance, have special pricing for people that can not afford to pay full price.
Explore the rich landscape of online learning platforms like Coursera, Udemy, edX, and Cybrary. These platforms offer a vast array of cybersecurity courses at various difficulty levels, from beginner to advanced. Choose courses that align with your career goals and skill gaps.
Cybersecurity is not only a technical field, but also a social one. You can benefit from interacting with other cybersecurity professionals and enthusiasts who share your passion and interest. You can join online communities and forums, such as Reddit, Stack Exchange, Quora, or LinkedIn, where you can ask questions, answer queries, share experiences, and exchange ideas on cybersecurity topics. You can also network with potential employers, mentors, or peers who can offer you advice, feedback, or referrals. By participating in online communities and forums, you can expand your knowledge, improve your communication skills, and build your reputation and credibility in the field.
Communities have always been the best way to connect with and build relationships in every industry. In the cybersecurity space, we have communities like the "Safer internet project", this is a community that has some course content on cybersecurity for skill building, but the one offering they have which i like the most is the live pentesting sessions, where cybersecurity experts take the community members through their penetration testing workstreams. This helps build practical cybersecurity skills and exposure. Cybrary is also another community that can help in upskilling without a job. they have a very extensive library of learning materials like practical labs for example, these will definitely assist with skill devvelopment.
In my experience, Explore online communities like Reddit (r/cybersecurity), Stack Exchange (Information Security), Quora, or LinkedIn groups dedicated to cybersecurity. Each platform offers a unique blend of discussions, questions, and resources.
Keep in touch with the cybersecurity community through participation in virtual events, webinars, and conferences. These gatherings offer chances to gain insights from industry leaders, connect with peers, and stay updated on new trends and security risks.
Networking is an important part of not only landing your job in cyber security, but also finding mentors and feeling inspired by others. Make sure you know yourself quite well before joining online communities and forums. Otherwise you risk joining the wrong communities for you, wasting your time and energy in places that will not help you grow. That's why developing your learning path with specific objectives can help you filter and decide what is best for you.
Reading and responding to posts about new threats and the changing cybersecurity landscape are a good ways to stay sharp and to identify topics that others have found relevant. Use these opportunities to channel your own studies and determine your own position or capabilities in relation to those topics.
If you want to keep your cybersecurity skills sharp while unemployed, you need to practice them regularly and apply them to real-world scenarios. You can do this by using online platforms and challenges that simulate cybersecurity situations and test your skills. For example, you can use platforms like Hack The Box, TryHackMe, or CyberSecLabs, where you can access virtual machines and labs that allow you to practice your penetration testing, ethical hacking, or forensics skills. You can also join challenges like Capture The Flag (CTF), where you can compete with other players to solve cybersecurity puzzles and tasks. By practicing your skills on online platforms and challenges, you can enhance your technical abilities, learn from your mistakes, and have fun.
The best thing you can do to keep your skill sharp is to use them. I highly recommend that all cybersecurity professionals have some sort of homelab. Having a homelab is easy to set up and can be hosted on anything from a old laptop to a second hand sever with 96GB of RAM for less then $500 on eBay. The important thing is to have an environment where you can actively build and work on projects. I personally recommend setting up opensource or free tools like: pfSense, Elastic, ProxMox, FreeNAS, Jellyfin, and Ansible as cool and fun things to set up in a home lab.
So many platforms out there are available to teach various skills and cover a broad spectrum of topic in cybersecurity. We used to start learning about cybersecurity on Udemy. There are so many courses on this platform to teach you how to create script like vulnerability scanners, network scanner, etc. Also, there are other platforms more specialized in pentesting like HackTheBox, etc. A great way also to actively learning is participating to capture the flags activities where you will apply your learning to test its effectiveness.
In my experience, Explore platforms like Hack The Box, TryHackMe, or CyberSecLabs. These platforms offer virtual machines (VMs) and labs that simulate real-world cybersecurity environments. You can practice penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, incident response, and other critical skills in a safe and controlled setting.
One good way to practice your skills is by joining Capture The Flag (CTF) games. These are like puzzles or treasure hunts on the computer where you try to find hidden clues or break codes. They're really fun and can be easy or hard, so everyone can play. By doing these games, you learn how to protect computers from hackers and solve problems. You can find these games online, and they happen all the time. Playing CTF games is a cool way to learn more about keeping computers safe while having fun.
Again, not just online; a lot of municipalities and businesses have 'hackathons'. Events where you can win a prize for finding vulnerabilities in real world systems and applications. Usually, participation is free.
Finally, one of the best ways to keep your cybersecurity skills sharp while unemployed is to create your own projects and portfolio that showcase your skills and achievements. You can use your creativity and curiosity to explore different aspects of cybersecurity, such as malware analysis, reverse engineering, threat intelligence, or cryptography. You can also use your skills to contribute to open source projects, volunteer for non-profit organizations, or conduct your own research. You can document your projects and portfolio on platforms like GitHub, Medium, or YouTube, where you can share your code, write-ups, or videos. By creating your own projects and portfolio, you can demonstrate your passion, initiative, and problem-solving skills in cybersecurity.
Anything you can do to contribute to the broader cybersecurity community not only keeps you sharp but also looks good to prospective employers. I highly recommend looking up GitHub project associated with your cybersecurity specialization and seeing what you can do to contribute to them.
By actively engaging in project-based learning and meticulously crafting your portfolio, you demonstrate not only your technical skills but also your creativity, initiative, and commitment to continuous learning.
To keep yourself and your skills sharper enough to compete with others it's really important to implement the learned concepts and methodologies in real world. Personally, I always try to gather information for a dummy target, which eventually helped me in increasing my OSINT skills drastically.
Take care of your mental and physical health while in transition. Mental Health: job search is a mentally taxing process, leading to stress and anxiety. By taking care of your mental health, you can focus better in your learning and retention. Consider mindfulness, social engagements with loved ones and making new friends. Physical Health: For a healthy mind, it is essential to have a healthy body. Sleep well, eat well and be on the move. It does wonders to your body, mind, memory and focus.
Actively engage in physical and virtual networking to be on top of industry happenings, valuable insights, mentorship opportunities, and potential job leads. Attend cybersecurity meetups, conferences, and webinars. Join physical and virtual communities (e.g. ISACA, (ISC)2, DSCI, LinkedIn, etc.), engage in discussions, ask questions, and share your knowledge with others.
Create a hands-on lab, build your environment, and generate every possible use-case to sharpen the skills you want to learn. This method has proven to be the most effective in my experience. Participate in CTF competitions and bug bounty programs. These platforms offer real-world scenarios to test and improve your cybersecurity skills.
To keep cybersecurity skills sharp, focus on attending conferences, reading publications, networking via platforms like LinkedIn, staying aware of regulatory changes, updating certifications, and engaging in online courses and forums. Practice skills through challenges and platforms to stay competitive.
In addition to what written before, one good practice in my opinion is building a lab at home, and try out lots of cybersecurity activities like checking for weaknesses and setting up protections. You can use free programs and set up pretend networks to see how everything works. Talk about what you're doing online to learn from others and keep up with new tricks. This way, you get really good at protecting computers and networks, all from home.