First, let me introduce myself a bit. I graduated from the associate degree program in cybersecurity in June 2021. I studied at Ostim Technical University and graduated as the top student in the department with a GPA of 3.77. (I never benefited from it.)
I have been working in a special and great company in the position of SOC Analyst since December 2020. Additionally, I have been providing some hacking-related courses on the Udemy platform for almost 2 years.
In this writing, I'll briefly talk about the good and bad processes leading up to my job search in the field of cybersecurity. I won't discuss some parts that didn't significantly impact the process. I also want to explain how I tackled these processes to provide an answer to the recurring questions I receive.
Generally, the main reason for the negative aspects of these processes was being an associate degree student/graduate.
In this piece, I wanted to share only the process until finding a job in cybersecurity, truthfully and realistically. Also, I respect companies that prefer not to hire associate degree graduates. This has always been there and was not something exclusive to me.
Note: Not every company has these kinds of obsessions. Professionalism!
Let's slowly get into our topic.
At the age of 23, I decided to drop out of the health management department and pursue my development in cybersecurity. I am now 25 years old. So, it's never too late for anything. However not being able to complete engineering can be a bit challenging within Turkey.
I first noticed the difference between an associate degree and a bachelor's degree during my internship application. After applying, when I went for an interview, the sentence I heard was, 'Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't review your CV because you're studying for an associate degree.' They were right, and I had issues with the foreign language. Again, they were right.
I had a teacher at school who supported me a lot. My teacher Hasan always used to say, 'Ali, definitely finish engineering, otherwise, you'll face a lot of difficulties.' He had arranged my first internship interview without letting me know.
The kid said I was good, at least got me into the interview, and thankfully, they invited me. So, having references made a difference here. Being curious, engaged, and having good relationships benefited me a lot in this field. (Networking is truly important to find a job in this sector.)
I couldn't study engineering, but I wanted to compensate for that by doing other things better and working harder to learn more than others.
Note: There wasn't a very difficult question during the interview. It was more about whether I was enthusiastic. (Then I started the internship and the pandemic intervened.)
Initially, there was a competition organized by USOM for internship applications. 23 people won, and I was one of them. At the beginning of the internship application, there was only a 120-hour training provided by USOM. It was an incredibly good training environment. I decided there that I had to do this job. By the way, the training/competition I mentioned is not 'btkakademi.com'.
Attend all online/onsite training without fail in this field. Participating in such competitions and training is essential to progress faster in this field. The one who uses Google well wins. I won all the competitions using Google. Don't pay for training. Also, having an empty CV doesn't look good.
After completing the USOM training, I started uploading courses to the Udemy platform. The biggest technical contribution in this field came when I shot my first course. I learned so many details while shooting that course. Sharing what you know and researching what you'll share contributes significantly to progressing rapidly in this field. Additionally, Udemy had a significant positive impact. I didn't care much about the negative part.
My first year at university ended due to the pandemic. I had an internship in my final year. Although the school canceled internships, I still wanted to do it. Companies weren't hiring interns. I sent emails but never got any responses. In the summer, there was an online competition at Innovera. The competition questions were quite easy. Whoever was faster won, and I won. Seizing the opportunity, I asked for an internship instead of a cash prize.
Thanks to the person I requested, I got an interview invitation.
For the internship acceptance, there was one challenge. I was asked to write a pentest report for a website within a week. After completing this challenge, we worked on the areas I was lacking in, and I had an incredibly productive period.
Being assertive was beneficial here. (While being assertive, you also need to convince the other party about yourself.)
Because of the pandemic, school was continuing online. I was in my final year and started applying for jobs. I applied to 100 places on Linkedin but didn't get a single call.
I continued participating in CTFs, competitions, and training without slowing down.
After achieving the required successful result in the exam for the Innovera blue team training, I earned the right to take the course.
Thanks to our amazing instructor in this course, I was invited for a job interview. Six months before joining Innovera, I had shown a photo shared by Innovera to my mom, saying I would work here one day. I didn't believe it that much when I said it, but I got the interview invitation. Being enthusiastic and interested here was more important than the diploma. This way, I entered the workforce.
Note: Innovera and Cyberwise merged after I joined the company.
For long-term success in this field, you need:
Communication (This is incredibly important.)
Build a network (Good communication naturally comes with this.)
Passion and confidence
Patience is very important. You will face challenges that will make you lose your motivation. I promise they can be overcome.
Self-learning ability
If possible, complete engineering. At worst, related bachelor's degrees.
Teaching what you know
Be assertive. (Try not to ask for more than what you give.)
Recognize different sub-disciplines in this field to look at things from different perspectives.
English
Do not disconnect from social life and sports. These must be present in your life.
I will update this as things come to my mind and as I learn more.
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