I don’t know what I am doing. To those who know me, this is no surprise. I am a trained accountant, and when it comes to that I do know what I am doing, but from a cyber security perspective I am a total n00b! As I am an accountant I am not great at learning by doing, I read, I watch lectures, and then I test my skills, or lack thereof.
Due to this being a hobby, no, passion of mine I have to learn everything I am doing from scratch, and because I am conservative I do not ‘learn by doing’. So, where do I get my information from? I am lucky, the internet is rich in resources, free resources too. I have watched a lot of Youtube videos (late at night when the world is asleep I am drawn to learning more!) largely from Hak5, Null Byte and Hacker 101. I would recommend all of these channels; the presenters are all at the top of their game, and well above any pay grade I will likely achieve.
However, due to their knowledge, a lot, and I mean a lot, of what they say goes over my head…I kind of grasp what they are meaning but the execution and technicalities are certainly lost on me.
I initially started my exploration into penetration testing in 2015, but life got busy and I never really was able to get back into it. My interest in it never dissipated, but only now do I have time to explore it in more detail. When I was (finally) presented with more time, I went back to my Udemy course form 2015, which was mostly current, but it really gave just a birds eye view of the power of ethical hacking. The tutor had an abundance of knowledge and does certainly offer a really great course.
I did find myself often stuck at the command line, wondering what I was doing, and like a kid at school in a grade too high, had no idea what I was really doing, other than what I was told to. I was never going to be able to problem solve or troubleshoot simply copying command line prompts, and not really sure what the input or output meant. So, I read some books on Linux and had a bit better of an understanding, but unless you are actually testing the commands, or seeing the input / output, a text book is a tricky way to learn!
I wanted some structure and to see it done, so ponied up for an Itpro.tv subscription and started watching their lectures. They are great, really really organised, the lecturers know their stuff, and the downloadable resources are handy too. It is pretty expensive, but it is like Netflix, you can binge it, and I did a whole lecture series within a week.
Where my learning is at though, is I want specific information, no more just an overview, or the ability to pass a test. This is not a career change, I want to do this because I love it and I want to control my direction, so cancelled my Itpro.tv subscription after 1 month and have gone back to Udemy, buying courses that solve a direct itch of mine. For instance I downloaded a course devoted to hacking wireless networks and another on shell scripting. I have many courses in my wish list and this means I can learn the skills, try them and move on based on my interests.
I still enjoy reading the books, and am currenlty reading one on nmap, by the creator of nmap, so yeah, that is pretty epic. I also enjoy watching Youtube videos of the pro’s and enjoy their skillks and their kindness of passing on knowledge, which I also hope to do one day.
So for me, learning the skills is about texts that interest me, and Udemy. I love to read, actually, I love to read non-fiction so these texts work well, and Udemy allows me to learn a specific skill. Itpro.tv definitely has a place and a use, but for me, it is all about going at this on my own pace, and my own direction, and these are the resources I am using at the moment.
I hope I am on the right track, I feel like I am, and if you have any tips or pointers for me, then please, don’t be bashful.
chameo
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