Can you please talk about how you got your first job thank you! I want to get into the field but I don’t have the money to go to university

@@paulinoleal5592 if you dont have money you will need to mostly study on your own then man,try to do certified courses which can help you in your job,,i only know this.Hope it was helpful in some way ,All the best :)

@@z1008z Yeah. Thank you 🙏

@@paulinoleal5592 i can provide you some websites where you can learn cybersecurity from scratch! If you want them??

​@@z1008z go ahead :)

what was the first job?

@Novascular "Security Administrator" at a telecommunications company. It started as being mostly firewall administration, but over the time that I worked there, my responsibilities expanded quite a bit.

@@143jeg What type of education / certifications did you have going into your first security job?

@avchor I just have a general IT degree, I did take any security related classes I could though. Then I got my GSEC in 2021 and GEVA in 2022. Luckily, on my employers dime.

got in so simple no cert, general IT how did you achieve this 😲

LORD...for real! These people!

LMFAO

@@EMSpdx 😂😂😂

Right!? Suddenly the warning labels on everything is starting to make sense. Think of how many people would confuse their silica packets for seasoning.

you tell em , love ur vids

But perfection doesn't exist, no system is 100% secure

@@johndank2209 its not about perfection, its about continually growing and adapting to have better skills than today. On top of that getting better also is something which can be done for the sake of giving the best at any situation for ones own self, because you value what you do and want to give it your all.

We all started out mediocre, but I think I agree with your point. To stay in this field, one needs to work at it.

@@143jeg you don't START your IT journey with security... You have to have a fundamental understanding of other concepts, like networking, to implement effective security measures. Sure, a lot of it is methodology, but you can only work with what you know. I'd almost never recomme d someone start out with sec unless they have a strong home labbing background, and even then, I'm not sure.

​@@JC-Alan what would be the 1st position for someone who has no clue about computers?

now this is key

Doesn't always"" imagine working at mcdonalds for 9 an hour would you rather that

@@hilt1085 True. So yes, a lower paying job doesn't equal a better job either. It's never that simple.

It always has for me.

@@mrashco it always has worked for me. More money = better

This is a pretty good insight. You focus a lot on the enjoyment of the work, it's tough to excel in an environment that you dread. I'm not in cyber yet, but I'm going to school for it. I've worked a job I don't particularly love for the last 7 years, I think it's important to make a mental note of the importance of work in one's life. It's significant, but it's just a means of obtaining comfort and necessities. This has helped me through a relatively monotonous job, and the mentality I hope to take into cyber, while obviously I want to enjoy the ins and outs!

In general I hate it when people make it sound like jobs are "easy". Nobody gets paid 6 figures for an easy job. Jobs that pay that much exist because most people can't do them for one reason or another. Anything in IT you need to have a passion for it otherwise you're going to be terrible at your job and will never move up.

As someone who wants to do this job as little as possible to be able to do other stuff with my life and you know hobbies would you still recommend this job

@Somedudeonline The job has afforded me the ability to be able to do a lot more with my time. Every employer and job is different, where I am I work remotely and my team is international. So, 9-5 isn't super strict and I travel fairly often for fun. I may spend a month in Asia or a week in Miami for fun while working at the same time. Very rarely am I asked to work crazy hours, typically I am just given parameters for an engagement and I am left alone from start to report. Pentests are easy enough, but red teams are often where the stress comes from if you're doing them often enough with little recovery time between them. There are no explicit demands you work 60+ hours but quite often you find the challenges so fun you work crazy amounts anyway to chase every curiosity and explore every rabbit hole. If you're young and healthy you will get through it on little sleep and tons of stimulants, but continue long enough and you'll find that stimulants aren't enough to keep you going. I would do this job all over again as it's been very rewarding, but I'd set up boundaries with myself about curtailing my desire to explore every curiosity. Not every rabbit hole is worth exploring. Doing "as little as possible" is relatively dependent on many factors. If you're new, expect to work a lot because you'll spend much of your time learning many things on the fly and you will lack the necessary experience to see and utilize shortcuts. After you gain experience, you can get away with a lot, but constantly going the easy route will backfire at some point. If you're not naturally curious and wouldn't do hacking for fun on your own time, you won't last long in your career.

Hey J, I am studying cybersecurity in college right now and am really interested in the pen tester field. Do you have any suggestions on what my best route would be?

Any website recommendations to make applications for internship.

That's awesome David!

what made you stand out?

@@Fahodinho I had just got my Masters, worked on getting multiple CompTIA security certs, and just made sure to continue to learn after college was over. I did training with TryHackMe. And I think doing good on my skills/knowledge assessment during the interview process all helped me. I was also told by my manager that my personality was better suited than the more experienced candidates.

@@David_408 that's awesome bro, would you mind revealing the company name? or at least the size and type/industry of company

@@Fahodinho It's a large healthcare org.

Are we thinking the same influencer? lol

What programs do you use to keep learning?

@Martin Wagoner Yea lol

Yeah he be trippin

People don’t want to do the work? Eh…seems awfully generic of an assumption. Most people are looking more so for paths that get them to a result with minimal wasted time. This is largely because paths that do require a certain amount of time tend to come with fickle responses that don’t get people where they need to go. For example, going the path of IT Help Desk. A lot of people travel this route, but as of recently, I’m finding out a lot of people get trapped, even when they get degrees, certs and try to network. So, there are people who warn others before taking up this job to be careful. What path is worth working hard on, and will get the results needs most of the time?

What school do you go to? I got accepted to Purdue's cyber program

@@milo9199 I go to a Cal State, their cybersecurity program is pretty new

@@EthanMichalak im at cal state la and their cybersecurity program is pretty much nonexistent, currently pursuing a cs degree but interested in perhaps pursuing a job in cybersecurity. what do you recommend to learn on my own time to potentially transition to pursuing that as a job. Obviously i don't know if it's something i wanna stick with either but I just sort of want to dip my toes in the water to see how it is yk.

Do you have any certs?

@@j.vosier6786 I do have some certifications yeah, although by all means I probably should have more. I have several certifications in digital forensics(axiom, ftk), security+, CITS, and a radio certification. Although I want to pursue a cloud certification, maybe CYSA+, or OSCP

Always try to.

The only thing abnormal about your story is how long you needed to be in the industry to get the breakthrough imo. 7 years ago I had friends landing their first jobs around 80k-100k in infosec. Job hopping does help, but it isn't necessary if you just want to break $100k. I started at a place and, without changing my employer, went from $100k to $200k in about 5 years. Then to $400k on a job hop. Hopping helps, but isn't necessary at all. Honestly, 90% of the people in these comments are saying "Yeah I make $x00k per year!! I'm definitely the exception!!!" No. You're not. None of you are. The exception are the people who work infosec, have actual skills, are above 30, and DON'T make $200k/year.

@@far2ez539 Based on what statistics are you making the claim of someone over 30, with actual info sec skills, making < 200k are an exception ? That’s an absurd statement unless you can back it up with actual numbers. I work for a large publicly traded MSSP and I can name a lot of people with actual technical skills over 30, who don’t make 200k. Six figures yes but 200k, that’s a huge number. Also there is nothing abnormal about the time it took OP to get to where he is today. I have gone through the same struggle and time, and yeah I don’t make 200k, I am over 30, and I am steadily improving my skills.

What's the best laptop 2 use I got 900

@@far2ez539 Got to disagree, I worked in Fintech for 3 years. Most people I knew are smart and have skills, none of them were cracking 200k. That salary is high, I live in NYC. With the new transparency law you actually get to see the pay range for most of these jobs. Unless you are in sales, management, or unique skill set 200k isn’t seen. As for cracking six figures staying at one job, it could be. It’s the exception though, most jobs give an increase of 5% yearly and that’s if your a top performer.

@@TheFiveRiversPodcast I think people are fooled cause of these FAANG salaries. In my experience those are not the norm. Unfortunately some people will get a harsh dose of reality since these companies started reducing headcount.

exactly! people who miss the excitement by just having the role, the ability to learn and to progress, will always make the salary a talking point... 65-75k starting salary was bad in what era? lol I'll take that salary, thank you

Dude literally same I’m a diesel tech lol

I work in manufacturing, cnc machining. I started looking into Tech as well.

Yo I'm a welder in marines and I'm looking at making the jump into cyber security aswell . As much as I love time under the hood and turning spanners on the workshop floor , I think it's time to do something less physical and alot more profitable

Forget data science.

Same I’m a heavy equipment diesel tech and if everything goes right I’ll be starting school in april

What job position do you do?I'm really interested in cyber security

Hey, I'm newer to Cyber Security and I have a couple questions, 1.) what tips do you have for writing/studying notes effectively? 2.) I always hear to start with CCNA and Sec+ as the go to recommendations for certs, what topics do you think are important that may go overlooked or that you found useful that you wish you learned or were happy that you did early on? (If none, what tools/programs should I be learning about) I'll leave it at 2 as to not be too bothersome but thank you so much if you read this and even more so if you respond!

It is possible, I agree. I remember giving away the personal firewall some time ago, hopefully it worked well and I hope all is well :)

100-200k with just a cert & no debt? You must be loaded by now. Wish I had done the same.

Can I have your Instagram

@@OiVinn-eq1ml Correct, I actually got paid to learn security. Granted I took a very inconventual and strategic approach that many wouldn't consider.

How did you get experience in the army while in college and what did you do exactly?

@@aamirsingh4982 the army pays their soldiers to go to college while they’re in service. That goes for Active duty, reserves, and national guard.

If you have 6 years of tech experience and a degree in cybersecurity, you're getting ripped off at $85k

Security clearance? That's $110k minimum. I'm not kidding. There are hundreds of small businesses that do federal contracting that charge the government way more than this figure I mentioned.

@@addd21323don’t know why I found this comment funny not making fun of you saying that but more like watching someone take a 100 dollar bill from someone while making them think the 10 single dollars is the better deal 😂

Jesus Bless you even more!

Very nice, how did you find those startups and get a job from them?

Do you work front end or back end ?

@@ahmedbenothman2630 100% frontend. All react/ typescript and sass

@@novanoskillz4151 do you think AI will replace programmers or is a CS still worth getting? (I start in the fall)

@@andiuptown1711 AI is a tool to assist you. To make your job easier and quicker. It's not going to replace you. A person still has to know what to request of the AI, be able to "proofread" to know what the AI is providing is good, and modify anything to meet your needs. AI drives my car for example (L2). I still watch the road. I am ready take over when I have to. There are plenty of times when it reaches its limits. _"And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good..." -Genisis 1:3-4 NIV_

@@BungieStudios True but I also hear that this will only benefit those that are already Senior Engineers. What about the junior and entry level roles now and by the the time I graduate in a few years?? Appreciate the Bible verse 🙌🏿

I got an interview tomorrow for Soc analyst. Any last minute advice? It’s with a recruiter

Yeah thats killing it quite frankly. Youd be hardpressed to find anyone making more than 35/hr until they put in "their dues" for 4 years like for example electricians. Comparatively IT and cybersec make way more than the people who actually build the infrastructure barring the near suicidal linemen. In the glass industry there are guys with 15+ years experience that have a hard time demanding more than 30 an hour. I have a feeling a lot of IT doesnt actually know how good they have it.

Here in Milan we get 26-28k per year as entry job position in cybersecurity on average, after a master degree in the hardest technical university of Italy and we pay a lot of taxes. You are very lucky to work in USA

@@tecnoChannell You mean 28k before taxes? That's insane. My first job in cybsersecurity earned me 41k before taxes in Romania.

@@copyright8291 yes exactly, BEFORE taxes and the cost of living in Milan is skyrocketed. Of course consider that after 5 years you'll not earn less than 40k per year, which translated after taxes in more or less 2k per month in 14 months per year (two times per year you get double salary)

In zittale we gat like one third as entry level…

74k per month?

How much also what degree did you get

I'm in CS bootcamp. They told me it depends. You can get hired while you're still doing advance courses.

This guy's video doesn't know what he is talking about. Get a degree and actually know how to hack things and you can get a job as a pentester. Starting salary over $100k per year for certain and extremely attainable even without a degree.

Search for trainiships were they pay you after you finished college. They will not pay you 100k a year but you can build up your experience to get in higher payed jobs.

It all just depends on how good you are. There's people who leave carnegie mellon (top CS school), who have won various cybersecurity CTF competitions, and go straight into jobs making $200k-$360k/year. There's also tier 1 soc jobs that pay $30-$55k and will accept anyone with drive and a cert or two (net+, sec+, etc).

I'd say a realistic path for most people is $100k within 2-3 years via job hopping 3 or so times during that timeframe. Take any job that will pay you regardless of salary, then job hop after 6 months to make WAY more now that you have some experience. Stay there 1-1.5 years, then job hop again to land the $100k/year type of gig.

Try specializing in something that's hard to find. Virtualization (vsphere, citrix) and identity management (okta, oam, cyberark, sailpoint, etc) are both areas that IME are hard to fill positions for. I make over 100k by specializing and live in an area where 20/hr would easily cover my expenses. Also, Okta is dead simple to learn and get a cert for.

Also, look up requirements to get a job as a security architect and plan for that as your long term career instead of going the management track for maxing out your salary once you have more experience, as management always gets laid off first in downturns.

Wtf

Good point!

Honest question, how do you sell cybersecurity? I've never tried selling before, but I know there's good $ in it. Also are you remote? (I need to be, disabled wife)

How can you get into cyber security sales???

Why wouldn't they put a cert on their resume that cost them a ton of money and effort to obtain?! Everyone screamed "get certs" so when they did now you say that they wasted their time? Hilarious. This whole field is an effing joke filled with obnoxious snobs. You folks don't even know what the hell you want.

i dont understand they passed the exam so they have the cert no???????

My question is how do they get the experience without working? Do they get it from the life they had before? Like a videogame or some shit?

So a CISSP isn't worth?😂

@voltaireon In Special Forces we select the type of person needed for the job. The background, training, and experience don't matter. I would say someone with no experience and ton of certifications is proving they are disciplined and a self learner. Give them a few months and they will blow people out of the water with more experience. Looks like you are missing out on a lot of talent.

How did you branch off to becoming a systems engineer?

I'm in a similar situation, really just changing the money and hoping that I can stomach the work. I'm also 25 years old and I'm currently a high school teacher desperately needing a change of pace. May I ask how you started at 25? I sometimes feel like I am behind my peers who did IT/CS degrees, I did a degree in physics instead.

May i ask what are the better places to work in ciber all around the USA i'm from Spain and willing to work hard for a high paying job where i can scale up to high figures. I have a bachelors degree in telecomunications and will be starting a masters in ciber next year.

​@@christophercroney298 I had an associates certificate in "microcomputer repair" and got an entry level tech support phone support job at an internet service provider. I basically just told people to "unplug and replug the modem" for $12.75/hour lmao. The lesson there is to take anything as long as it gives u experience that will help u land better jobs. You can always job hop once you get some experience (even 2-3 months will set u apart from other candidates). I also started working on my other certificates while there (security+ and network+) and found the cheapest accredited school I could find (WGU) and went back to school for a degree in it security. I spent money on basically nothing else and lived w/ 2 roommates. Then after like 2 years, I job hopped until I was making $18/hour, then 6 months later job hopped again until I was making $43k/year and from there it was off to the races. The lesson there is to job hop constantly to increase your salary. I know people who still work at the places I worked at before who I'm not smarter than, but because they stay at the same job forever, they never make any serious money.

@@javierdiaz224 If you're looking for the high paying FAANG and FAANG-like companies, google for "levels salary site", go to the salary page that shows all salary data they have, then sort by compensation. Start making a list of all the companies that are paying $250k+. Apply to those companies.

Do you have cybersecurity degrees?

Depending on where you are, sometimes you have to start at the bottom in an indirectly related role e.g. 3 months at an SD to get that Security Analyst opportunity.

Hope everything has worked out for you friend

How did you get the remote job GIS work in telecom?

As someone who made that exact jump in income... Yeah it's a huge difference in your monthly budget.

😂

Amazing😊

Rock it!

Any good websites to learn those languages? Or just anywhere in general.

can we chat Id like to get some info