How to Build Practical Cybersecurity Skills

Forget About Cybersecurity Entry-Level Roles Build Your Own Experience Everyone’s telling you to get an “entry-level” job to break into cybersecurity. The problem is those roles are either oversaturated or don’t give you the hands-on experience that truly sets you apart. The solution? Stop waiting for someone to hand you experience. Build it yourself. Here’s how: 1️⃣ Set Up Home Labs • Simulate real-world environments. • Practice tasks like vulnerability scanning, incident response, or configuring secure networks. 2️⃣ Freelance or Volunteer • Offer to secure a nonprofit’s data or help small businesses with IT projects. • These projects give you real-world impact AND something to showcase. 3️⃣ Document Your Work • Post about your projects on LinkedIn. • Share what you did, how you solved problems, and the value it created. When you create your own experience, you’re not just another “entry-level” applicant. You’re showing decision-makers that you can solve their problems today. In 2025, it’s not about waiting for the perfect opportunity it’s about creating your own path. What’s one thing you’ve done to build your own experience? Let’s talk about it #Cybersecurity #Techcareers #Careergrowth

"How do I get experience without a job?" This is the million-dollar question that pops up on my feed more times than I can count and it is one that I asked myself when I was first trying to get a job in #cybersecurity. The usual answer is "Build a home lab and put it on your resume." Looking on here you may think "Everyone has one, there is no way that is going to help me stand out..." You would be mistaken my friend! Not everyone has a home lab. I have gotten to speak to numerous people who are either looking to break into the industry or are already in the industry but do not have a home lab whatsoever. When I interviewed for my current position one of the things I got told made me stand out was my home lab! It was nothing super fancy or impressive, just a couple of VMs that I used to understand different concepts better for myself. I wanted to do something on my own outside of training on platforms like Try Hack Me, Lets Defend, Hack the Box, etc. What made mine stand out? I described what business cases I did in my home lab and not just the technology that was in there. My resume bullet points showed not just what tools i used, but what skills I was practicing and showed their relevance to the position I was applying to. Instead of just bullet points with the tools in my lab like: -Kali Linux -Splunk -Microsoft Active Directory -Phishing analysis I used something similar to: - Created a personal SOC environment utilizing Splunk to monitor a Windows environment including workstations and an Active Directory server. - Simulate attacks with Kali Linux against Windows environment and reviewed network traffic to generate alerts for attacks, harden environment, and write analysis of findings. - Perform analysis of potential phishing emails by investigating emails sent to my personal email address. Investigated email headers, sender domain and IP reputation, and investigating links in a sandbox with any.run. This is how you show experience! You can even take it a step further by writing a blog post, LinkedIn article, or record a video of you working in your lab that shows each task in your lab. (Videos are a bonus as they can show your soft skills as well!) This worked really well for me, just remember what you do in your lab should be relevant to the role you are trying to land. I wanted to be a SOC Analyst so all of my labs were geared towards blue teaming. You can easily change it up for whatever role you are seeking, just remember to explain the business cases you are solving in your lab! #cybersecurity #homelab #learningeveryday #jobadvice