Have you been researching how to get into cyber security and are confused by all the options? Or are you wondering why some people are heavily in favor of one option over the other?
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Well, there are many routes into cyber security and various reasons you should take one over the other. In this post, I will do my best to explain your options to allow you to better choose the best path for your life circumstances.

You have conquered the CompTIA Security+, and now you are starting the job hunt. You are worried that you have no idea how to use SOC Analyst tools or what they are.

This article will cover the top tools used in the SOC and places to get hands-on experience.

Most of these will be from HackTheBox and TryHackMe because I am familiar with the platforms, and they are the leading providers for cheap online labs at the moment.

If you find any other sites with high-quality labs, please let me know. I would love to share them with the world.

When you are working on your plan to get into cyber security, you hear two distinct suggestions for cyber security jobs: help desk or SOC. You can’t study for both positions simultaneously, so what do you do?

In a world that requires certifications for any type of IT role, you must choose a path. You can’t go wrong with either one. But in my experience, one option sets you up for much faster career progression.
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This article will explain why I am a strong proponent of starting in the SOC. I will list the top reasons why I think the security operations center is the best place to begin your journey in cyber security as an entry-level candidate with no experience.

Today's blog is all about last month. Join me as I tell you about what has been happening on the blog and in my life.

As the very first blog in the SOC Analyst series, I thought it would be good to write about what your life may be like as an analyst in the SOC. Most people have no idea what to expect. I know I had no clue when I first started out.

I also think that before you devote yourself to a particular tradecraft, you should know what you are getting into. That way, you go into things with your eyes wide open. This, in turn, helps you understand the why’s behind training recommendations and other advice.

In this blog, you will see underlined terms. These are buzzwords or terminology that you should be familiar with. The words may also come up in an interview or during your workday. At the end, you will see a section on common questions about the role. I did my best to remember what people ask, but feel free to comment with more questions, and I will append them to the article as they come in.
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Join me on this journey into the SOC!

One of the most challenging problems an entry-level candidate faces is showing experience on a resume. It’s pretty much impossible to show experience if you don’t have any without outright lying. Well, the good news is there are several ways to fill in this gap on your resume.

One of those is with online courses and self-study. We actually spoke about this in a previous blog. Another option is to get involved with your local cyber security community!

You have heard me say, “employers like to see passion” often. And this is true! Passion is how you approach something. Do you have a sparkle in your eye when you talk about it? Are you constantly doing things related to the subject? Are you involved in the community?
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And we will stop with the third question since that is the topic of this blog. If you haven’t found a community to get involved in, no worries. In this blog, we will discuss how you can find a group of like-minded individuals, aka get involved in infosec!

In many Reddit threads and conversations on other social media, I often hear the advice, “if you want to get into cyber security, start at the help desk.” But, in my opinion, if you want to get into cyber security, you should start in the SOC.
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This blog will highlight my five arguments for avoiding the help desk and jumping right into the fire that is the security operations center, aka “The SOC.”

Resumes have many descriptions such as annoying, time-consuming, a pain in the a**. But most of all, I think they are known for being a powerful tool for job hunting.

What if you could generate an updated resume in a matter of minutes versus hours? What if this resume was also optimized for resume sorting algorithms? Well, guess what? This is all possible using LinkedIn.
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In this blog, I will walk you through building a resume quickly using your LinkedIn Profile. 

Do you hate updating your resume all the time? Or are you confused about how HR resume parsing software works? That makes at least two of us. Or rather, it did makes two of us until my close friend told me the secret of LinkedIn.

Resumes are notorious for being confusing and a pain. Because…. well they just are. And as an occasional job hunter, it is hard to master the skill. We typically rely on professional resume writers to assist us, but sometimes it doesn’t make sense to shell out money.
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After reading this blog, you will be able to easily update your resume, quickly apply for high-quality job postings, and attract recruiters to your profile.

It's time for another update on what's going on with TheCU and me. Tons of stuff actually. Let's dive in.