How to Become a Cyber Security Engineer – There are various subspecializations that fall under the umbrella of being a cyber security engineer. Therefore, there are various pathways you can take to become a cyber security engineer. These roles are highly paid and organizations are always looking for people with the skill set of a cyber security engineer. Even if you don’t have a degree or any technical knowledge, I will provide you with a step-by-step roadmap to become a cyber security engineer.

First, it’s important to understand that there may be some gatekeepers who insist that you can only be called an engineer if you have a university degree in engineering. However, in this blog, I will help you become not only a Cyber Security engineer, but a world-class Cyber Security engineer without needing a degree.

Starting Point

Your starting point can be someone who already works in IT, such as a programmer, network engineer, or help desk personnel. You could also be a seasoned systems engineer who works with Microsoft Windows or Linux. Alternatively, you could be a university student or working in a completely different industry. No matter your starting point, it’s important to understand the principles of cyber security before engineering solutions to solve cyber security problems.

Cyber Security Principles

There are non-negotiable cyber security principles that you must know to maximize your chances of landing a cyber security engineer role. These principles will help you in the interview process and make your transition into the field easier. There are different ways to learn these principles, but I recommend doing the Google Cyber Security Search or the Microsoft Cyber Security Analyst Search. These programs not only teach you the fundamental principles of cyber security but also include hands-on labs where you can practice what you learn.

Additional Certifications

Additional certifications such as CompTIA Security+, IBM Cyber Security Analyst, or ISC2 CC are also fine and will introduce you to the fundamental principles of cyber security. If you find gaps in your knowledge, you can always go back and do the Google Cyber Security Search or the Microsoft Cyber Security Analyst Search.

Passion for Cyber Security

If you are passionate about a career in cyber security or feel a calling to the field, becoming a cyber security engineer can be a pathway to solving cyber security problems. As a cyber security engineer, you will install, configure, and troubleshoot cyber security solutions to stop hackers from breaking into organizations or government agencies. However, there are many different tools and solutions in the field, each requiring different skill sets. It’s important to understand why you are building and configuring these tools.

Training Courses

There is a beginner-friendly training course called the Security Engineer Training from TryHackMe that introduces you to all the concepts and principles of cybersecurity engineering. It covers topics such as cryptography, identity and access management, network and system security, application security, and incident management and response. The course also includes hands-on labs to practice these principles and tools.

Pick a Specialization

After completing the training course, you will have a good idea of the different areas and tasks that a cyber security engineer does. To land your first cyber security engineer role, it’s recommended to pick a specialization and do further training in that area. One specialization is a detection engineer, who specializes in detecting cyber-attacks and malicious activities in the network.

Detection Engineering

A detection engineer is responsible for creating and refining detection use cases, which are automated ways for a centralized log server to detect unusual activity. Prominent tools in the industry for this role include Splunk and Microsoft Sentinel. Splunk offers free training courses that can take you from knowing nothing about Splunk to becoming an expert. Becoming a Splunk wizard will help you specialize in detection as a cyber security engineer.

Getting Your First Job

Getting your first job as a detection engineer can be a challenge, but having expertise in tools like Splunk will greatly increase your chances. It’s important to not only know how to use the tools but also understand why and how they are used. This is what separates a good engineer from a great one. Once you have gained experience and expertise in a specialization, you can further advance your career as a cybersecurity engineer.