Foundational Knowledge

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Take a breath and Plan. Transitioning to IT isn't always easy. Depending on past jobs or current "lifestyles" making the transition into the IT industry can be a challenge. 

My advice is to take your time, try to avoid frustrations when it comes to learning and remain positive. Some projects or issues may take a lot of time to complete.(Think Months to even Years) IT is important work and if you don't think so, then just ask anyone what they would do if their Phone gave them an error on their Favorite Application or Website, every single time they visited it. 

Maybe they just got done with their overtime shift and all they wanted to do was play a video game with their best friend annnddd no connection.... Loading... Loading... All Night Long. 

Or maybe, they need to do their homework by tonight because they haven't had time and energy to do it early; they get on theiur computer and... Loading... Loading... 

Recognizing the urgency behind the Digital Transfer of Information is going to make the journey much more enriching as working in IT is not Working on Personal Time. Every Project has a Deadline. 

Deadlines can still be met and often exceed in quality, while taking the proper time to reflect on the matter at hand. 

Take it one step at a time.

This will not be Direct Training in any Topics. This is a collection of Resources that will provide the places to start Learning and Developing IT Skills. Take note that any Informal Training will generally require proof of the competency in the subject. Take screenshots of labs you do and build a portfolio of your Cyber Skills.

Yup, We need talk about CyberSecurity from the very start. Get to know it, love it and fear it. CyberSecurity is the only reason the world runs right now. 

It is a scary thought and sometimes annoying or unwanted, no matter, IT IS NEEDED. (Especially if you want to work in IT for long.. ***Don't be the one who opens and clicks "THE" email...)

Build off from the foundational knowledge of CyberSec to ensure a successful career without any breaches. Practice Proper Internet Etiquette everywhere you use it. 

Be mindful of the threat bad actors pose. It doesn't have to be the main focus by any means, but, value will surely rise with the proper Training in Basic CyberSec Awareness.

There are so many online resources out there to learn from its actually mind boggling. This list is not an exhaustive selection of the best places to learn, although, some of these may prove useful to the right invidual with an aligned passion for that trade.

Use any and all resources you can to develop your skills. When you have completed any labs or projects, retain the proof that you completed them. Displaying any of these "Completions" is a great way to stand out in the crowd of applicants.

• Youtube is FREE.

• Many Experts have channels on YouTube that will teach you A LOT.

• There is Literally NO END to the amount of FREE resources on Youtube.

Here are some great Channels to Start with:

• Under Construction! Updates On the Way!

LinkedIn Learning is a great place to get some extra knowledge. This most helpful in the early stages of an IT Career. Use it to get an edge on applications by showing self motivation and willingness to learn.

• ~$40 a month, So It's not free but its not expensive either. 

• You also get LinkedIn Premium, which can help you get a few bits of information about a job you might otherwise not have been able to see. 

• It's also a Great place to showcase your skills as LinkedIn is a job board, so recruiters are on there and thats getting exposure somewhere!

• Under Construction! Updates On the Way!

Obtaining a Certificate is going to be a golden ticket for the most part. Having anything from the Comptia A+, Network+ and Security+ are going to be great starting points get into IT and CyberSecurity. 

The ITIL V4 Certificate can  accent these other Certs and provide a strong base to best utilize these skills you will grow.

Comptia A+:

• Known as the Industries standard for starting a career in IT; This Cert will help you land your first IT Technician Role. The Cert covers more physical aspects of computing. This would be the Hardware of the device your using to view this site. This would include things like:

• Installing and understanding Hardware Components. This would be your CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM Chips, Motherboards and GPU(Graphics Processing unit).

• Mobile Device Accessories 

• The basics of Networking and Services

• Types of Network Configurations

• The diferent "Media" used for connecting devices. This would be your ethernet cable.

For the most part it is about "The Physical Layer" of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) Model. Although, that is not all it talks about, as it does have ties into Networking.

Comptia Networking+:

• Probably the most basic and most valueable Certifications you could have is the Comptia Net+. This Cert will prove you can understand Network Environments and how to manage them. Most of this training would be over:

• The OSI Model

• Different Network Configuration Types

• More Media or Cables and Connectors

• IP Adressing and Subnetting

• Most Known Ports and Protocols

• How to Operate a Network / Data Center

• There will be Aspects of CyberSecurity within Networks

The Network+ will contain a lot of information about the way the Internet works. Thats enough about that.

Comptia Security+:

• The Comptia Security+ will cover the various threat vectors that put our machines, Personal Idenifying Information (PII), organizations and Infrastructure at risk. This should be on everyone's bucketlist in my opinion. The Sec+ Cert wil involve topics like:

• Looking at Network Attacks

• Understanding Threat Actors

• Information Gathering on target machines

• Basic Penetration Testing techniques (PenTest)

• implementation of Security Measures in a Network

• Secure Transfer and Cryptography (Encryption Methods)

• Policies and Regulations

• Digital Forensics Investigations

• At it's core it is all about Securing and Hardening our Networks

The Security+ is a valuable asset to add to a any sized collection. It will be the Skills that allow an individual the Confidence, Integrity, and Availability of their Crown Jewels.