Self Study

So you are interested in Cybersecurity (or even networking in general).  The field is pretty broad, and as IT permeates every aspect of our society that trend will continue.  Application development security, exploit writing, identity management, Linux sysadmin—the options are myriad.  How do you know where to start?  How do you know what aspect best suits you?

The first thing you need to know is yourself.  What is it that drives you?  What would make you excited to go to work in the morning?  There are personality traits that are valuable in every part of the industry (creativity, problem solving, and of course the soft skills), but there some specialties favor specific characteristics.

The second thing to know is the field itself.  It is a bit counterintuitive, but in order to know where to specialize in your studies you need to already have done some study.  This is true of every specialty in every field: without already being at least an amateur physicist how would you know whether you are better suited for quantum mechanics or nuclear physics?

Learn the fundamentals of networking.  Understand how networks and systems interact, and how these interactions gave rise to the kinds of jobs that exist today.  Which is in demand, and why?  Through these studies you will not only have a better grasp of the possibilities, but also what it is that you enjoy.

Know thyself, and stay secure!