Dr. Gerald Auger - Cybersecurity Career Master Plan: Proven techniques and effective tips to help you advance in your cybersecurity career

Proven techniques and effective tips to help you advance in your cybersecurity career

Dr. Gerald Auger Jaclyn "Jax" Scott Jonathan Helmus Kim Nguyen

BIRMINGHAMMUMBAI

Copyright 2021 Packt Publishing

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No matter what path you've walked in life there is an opportunity for everyone in cybersecurity. Dr. Gerald Auger

To my fellow military veterans, a transition isn't easy we believe this book will help you with your transition into the cybersecurity field. Jaclyn "Jax" Scott

To all the folks looking to get into cybersecurity this book serves as proof that there is a place for everyone in cybersecurity. Jonathan Helmus

To everyone who wishes to join the fields of cybersecurity and computer science, I have done it, and so can you! Kim Nguyen

We are living in a world where cybersecurity events are consistently front-page news. Events such as big-name organizations falling prey to ransomware attacks, popular websites and mobile applications leaking sensitive user data, operating systems getting hacked, and entire gas pipelines being shut down have all happened within the past 6 months, without any signs of these cyber attacks slowing down.

Now, more than ever, the cybersecurity industry desperately needs help. There are more job openings than qualified people to fill the roles and more corporations being attacked without the proper resources in place to defend themselves.

The good news is that many cybersecurity roles come with a slew of incredible perks, including high salaries, remote work, good benefits, and a good work-life balance. The even better news: there are more resources available nowadays for people to study cybersecurity than ever before. These resources are often free or cheap and can even involve self-study, without the need for college or university.

What is often lacking, however, is a clear roadmap in terms of the paths and resources available to break into the field of cybersecurity; a roadmap that is current, relevant, and can be trusted to navigate an individual through the different roles in cybersecurity, how to study for those roles, how to brand yourself, and how to eventually land a job. This book is that missing roadmap.

You are in good hands taking advice from Gerry, Jax, Jon, and Kim. I met Gerry and Jon when I was seeking cybersecurity education advice of my own. I was unsure of the next steps in my career when Jon reached out to me, introduced me to Gerry, and they both provided me with incredibly thoughtful advice. Consider that I was already a CEO of a cybersecurity company at this point in my career, and it truly drives home the fact that they can help anyone. Beginner, advanced, or anything in between.

Read this book, take good notes, study, and network with as many people as you can. I look forward to the opportunity of us working side by side in the cybersecurity field in the very near future.

Heath "The Cyber Mentor" Adams

CEO,

TCM Security

Dr. Gerald Auger has worked within information security since 2006 and holds a PhD in cyber operations. Gerald has helped tens of thousands of aspiring cybersecurity professionals through his "Simply Cyber" YouTube channel and is regularly interviewed for his thoughts on cybersecurity professional development.

Gerald is a full-time information security practitioner, adjunct faculty at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina; chief content creator for Simply Cyber; and managing director at Coastal Information Security Group.

I want to thank my family, especially my wonderful wife, for supporting my passion for pursuing all aspects of cybersecurity. I'd like to acknowledge all the practitioners I've had the distinguished pleasure of working with along the way who have expanded my knowledge and awareness of the nuances of this awesome field.

Jaclyn "Jax" Scott is a tenured Special Operations Warrant Officer with nearly 18 years of experience working in military cyber, electronic warfare, and intelligence operations. She is the founder and content creator of Beans and Bytes tech blog, co-host of the cybersecurity podcast Hackerz and Haecksen, and the president of Outpost Gray, a cybersecurity consulting firm. Jax is an expert in military cyber policy and has led global development operations in cyber countermeasures to mitigate near-peer attacks. She is currently pursuing her master's in Cyber Intelligence at Georgetown University.

I want to thank my friends and mentors; I would not be here today if it wasn't for you believing in me and my dreams. Thank you to the Packt team for making this process seamless and enjoyable. A special thanks to our tech editor, Matthew Jones; you are meticulous in your reviews and generous in your feedback. Finally, to my co-authors, thank you for being the best!

Jonathan Helmus ("Moos1e") is a penetration tester and professor with over 10 years of experience in engineering, information security, and information technology. Jon resides in a small town right outside Seattle, Washington, where he and his family raise alpacas on their mini farm. Currently, Jon works as a freelance educator teaching topics such as pentesting, red teaming, cloud security, and vulnerability exploitation. He also works as a contract pentester and cloud security professional for clients all around the world.

To my wife, Kim, who never stops believing in me, even when I fail to believe in myself. Without her support, none of this would be possible for me. Big shout out to my kids for being the main driver for just about everything I do in my lifeI hope this shows that you can do anything!I'd also like to thank Dr. Auger for allowing me to join the team and contribute to such a fantastic opportunity to give back to the community.