If you work in the InfoSec sector, then this article is meant for you. Let’s get straight into the topic. Below you will find 5 ways to stay sharp in your cyber security profession. Here goes:
1.Courses are your best friend
The first thing you need to know as an information security worker is that your knowledge and skills are everything for you. Your job is a highly technical job and the more you know, the deeper you understand your subject, and the more specialisation you have in an area or technology, the more your value increases as a professional. So try and learn something every once in a while by applying for courses online. You don’t need to go back to college to get an advanced degree or certification. Today you can learn everything from forensic analysis to ethical hacking online. So, try to invest your time in online courses once every 6 or 12 months.
2.Read blogs and watch tutorials
A good cyber security professional, or any professional for that matter, reads a lot. Reading articles, books, and other content pieces helps you learn and upgrade your knowledge in a way that doesn’t lead to stress, unlike studying for a course. Moreover, reading blogs or watching tutorials, or even listening to podcasts by industry experts can give you the opportunity to learn from the best without having to invest anything, unless you want to subscribe to their premium content. So, make it a habit to spend some time reading something new about your work every day. It will also make your brain sharp and give you something to talk about with people.
3.Follow news every day
You don’t just have to stay updated with the industry news, but you also need to be in the know of what’s happening in the job market. If you don’t know what is going on in the cyber security world, what new threats are emerging and what new technologies are being invented, then you wouldn’t be as efficient of a cyber security professional as you can be. The entire job of a cyber security professional, especially a CEH or an ethical hacker is to stay two steps ahead of criminal hackers. And criminal hackers never take a break. They are constantly searching for new ways to break in and new technologies to exploit. So, if you snooze on the news, you lose.
4.Make a journal or diary
Record your learnings in a diary or journal so that you can see your progress as a professional over time. Since you are an adult now, you won’t have a dedicated mentor over your head who is tracking your progress and giving you a report at the end of every 6 months. (Well, work evaluations and job appraisals come to mind here but they are not exactly prepared keeping your welfare in mind). The only way it will happen is if you perform self-checks and self-regulate your learning curve. So, make sure you note down your learnings, achievements and progress over time in a personal file or diary..
5.Take time out for practice
Practicing your craft is necessary for a cyber security professional because your work is practical and highly challenging. Not to mention that cyber security professionals literally deal with life and death situations of digital machines. Just like doctors need to practice their craft and the police need to participate in drills to keep their skills in check, you also need to take some time out for practice. You can use plenty of platforms online to practice your ethical hacking skills and even take part in hackathons.
That’s it, folks!
