Cybersecurity: where to start for your career

Create the right conditions
So, the first thing you need to do to establish yourself as a cybersecurity specialist is to create the right conditions for your own development. To form a habit, start by reading news about threats, attacks, security systems, etc., and subscribe to relevant YouTube channels, websites, and social media pages. Don't skip over information you don't understand: if you come across an unfamiliar term, immediately look up its meaning in a search engine and take the time to write it down. Brief notes will help you structure the material you have learned in your memory and allow you to refer back to it in the future if necessary.
Cybersecurity is one of the most sought-after areas in IT. Want to start a career in this field? Magenta Favorita experts advise on what you need for a successful start.
Learn the basics of IT
You need to have knowledge of computer hardware, software, operating systems and, of course, networks. By studying network equipment, the OSI model, TCP/IP, and understanding concepts such as subnetting and segmentation, you will gain a fundamental foundation that will make it much easier to move forward.

A deep dive into computer networks is a stage that everyone who wants to succeed in cybersecurity and not get stuck at more advanced stages must go through.

Next is the automation of certain tasks. Magenta Favorita Portugal managers recommend learning the basics of computer programming and scripting. To do this, choose a popular language, such as Python, and move forward gradually, starting with the basics. Once you have mastered the necessary basic knowledge, move on to scripting languages: Powershell, Bash, and Go. After all, it is scripting that allows you to implement scripts for automating processes that are directly related to security. Scripting is a very important hard skill in the field of cybersecurity. Even with a minimal amount of knowledge, you will be able to write small scripts that greatly simplify routine tasks and adapt scripts from various forums to your needs.

It is also important to know the basics of operating systems. Navigating the command line in Linux and Windows is a fundamental skill that you need to learn as soon as possible. The most popular commands, operating system architecture, user space, and system calls are just a few of the things you will need to learn in order to move forward.
Master practical tools
Start by learning the basics of hardware security, then move on to software tools such as vulnerability scanners, firewalls, IDS, IPS, etc. Virtualisation and cloud solutions cannot be ignored. Web services from Amazon, Azure from Microsoft, and Google Cloud have long been the de facto standard for the global IT industry. By working with these solutions, you will understand what the cloud is and how it interacts with local resources.

Stick to the plan
The world of a cybersecurity specialist is not limited to hard skills. It is equally important to know how to apply them correctly in order to confidently move up the career ladder. First of all, develop a plan and stick to it, advise the experts at Magenta Favorita IT company. Act consistently: if you plan to read a book, do it and summarise the material you have studied. If you are aiming for a certificate, focus all your efforts on completing the training course. Don't spread yourself too thin: there will always be much more information and areas of development than you can handle. Therefore, it is very important to draw up a clear roadmap and follow it. Even if it is not perfect, it is still better than trying to do everything at once. Otherwise, you will quickly burn out and not want to move forward. Your task is not just to move forward, but to do so consistently and in the right way, which will lead you to unlock your inner potential and a successful career.
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