Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market

Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by taylorfinley on Friday July 28, 2017 @04:17AM (#14872804)

I am totally into this field as a bystander. When many people would watch late night TV or listen to music or a podcast, I'll scour YouTube for defcon and CCC talks I haven't seen yet. I am good with python, Javascript, web and graphic design, technical writing, all kinds of stuff. I live in rural neighbor-island Hawaii and the only tech jobs I ever see out here are military, which I deeply respect but don't think would be a good culture fit for me. I've just transitioned to working part time and intend to dive in to some open source projects with my extra time. Is there a good path of entry for someone with a deep natural curiosity about the field, self-trained in coding but with no industry connections or much in the way of related professional experience?

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by mr_overalls on Friday July 28, 2017 @08:23AM (#14873695)

1) Schneier's advice from a few years ago is still accurate:

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/07/how_to_become...

2) The Reddit NetSec FAQ has a good list of resources for beginners (and those starting to specialize):

https://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/wiki/start

3) Finally, each of these popular "Getting Started in Security" guides has a slightly different, but useful, opinion on the specifics of the path to take:

https://medium.freecodecamp.org/so-you-want-to-work-in-secur...

https://danielmiessler.com/blog/build-successful-infosec-car...

https://www.trustwave.com/Resources/SpiderLabs-Blog/Getting-...

https://tisiphone.net/2015/10/12/starting-an-infosec-career-...

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by steverb on Friday July 28, 2017 @09:22AM (#14874039)

Correct URL for Reddit NetSec FAQ: https://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/wiki/start

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by mr_overalls on Friday July 28, 2017 @09:29AM (#14874080)

Thanks for the correction - fixed the typo!

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by wepple on Friday July 28, 2017 @07:34AM (#14873470)

Hit some bounties. Earn some income and it generally looks good on a CV that you can deliver real world results. Just try and go deeper.

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by ohm on Friday July 28, 2017 @04:50AM (#14872904)

Fastest way would be OSCP cert.

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by jabberwockwock on Friday July 28, 2017 @08:21AM (#14873680)

OSCP, red teaming, possibly CISM or CISSP for upward mobility.

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by mkagenius on Friday July 28, 2017 @10:20AM (#14874415)

I would not waste time and money on certifications.

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by monkeydgrif on Friday July 28, 2017 @01:16PM (#14875837)

As someone not in the field, but curious of getting in, could you explain why not?

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by mr_overalls on Friday July 28, 2017 @03:01PM (#14876636)

There is a bias against certifications by some (but by no means all) professionals in InfoSec, since it is a heavily "hands-on" field. There is more emphasis on demonstrating actual ability through CTFs, bug bounties, published exploits, etc.

However, unlike Certified Ethical Hacker, CISSP, and other "mile wide, but inch deep" certs, the OSCP is a heavily hands-on certification that tests actual ability. No knowledgeable employer would discriminate against you for earning it.

And CISSP or CISSM are valuable if you're applying for a management job. For government defense-sector jobs, they are often required.

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by davedx on Friday July 28, 2017 @08:57AM (#14873889)

I saw a talk by the founder of this company: https://radicallyopensecurity.com/

They're based in Amsterdam, but she said that a lot of their pentesters and engineers are remote (all over the world).

Might be worth reaching out!

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by user5994461 on Friday July 28, 2017 @05:28AM (#14873036)

Try the military. It's usually better than people imagine.

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Re:Flush times for hackers in booming cyber security job market by hexc0de on Friday July 28, 2017 @06:22AM (#14873206)

Military are the best at exploiting cybersecurity skills for their advantage

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