So here’s the deal. I’m currently working in IT. Solo. For a water district. I manage the entire infrastructure while answering questions like “Why is Outlook slow?” and “Is this phishing?” (Yes, it always is.) And in between moving servers and mentally moving to a beach somewhere, I started thinking: What’s next? I already have degrees. I’ve done the certs.
Category: Networking
Now, please hold while I patch your router, block that ransomware, and stop Gerry from downloading malware. Again. Oh, you think being a network and cybersecurity engineer is cool? Glamorous, even? You imagine dark rooms lit by cascading lines of code, high-fiving your team after foiling international hackers, and maybe a dramatic “We’re in!” moment every other Tuesday? Yeah, that’s
Let me start with the truth: I didn’t choose the self-study path because I thought I was some kind of untapped genius. I chose it because I checked the price of a cybersecurity bootcamp and nearly choked on my instant noodles. I want to become a network and cybersecurity engineer. Not because it sounds cool (okay, maybe a little), but
So you’ve decided to dive into the glorious chaos that is network and cybersecurity engineering. And now you’re asking yourself: “Should I get a new laptop?”“Do I need triple monitors?”“Would an RGB keyboard help me hack faster?” Let’s clear that up real quick. A New Computer Just Looks Cool — That’s It Listen, a shiny new computer, ultrawide monitors, and
This Network and Cybersecurity Engineering Thing Is Hard (I Just Wanted to Be Cool) When I first got into network and cybersecurity engineering, I had dreams. Big dreams. I thought I’d be some kind of cyber-James Bond—sipping coffee in a dark room filled with blinking LEDs, typing furiously as firewalls fell and bad guys cried. What I didn’t picture was
(One Terminal Window to Rule Them All) Okay, real talk—I’m on this long, chaotic, caffeine-fueled journey to become a network and cybersecurity engineer. You know, the type of person who dreams in IP ranges and sets up firewalls for fun. But somewhere along the way, I hit this major fork in the command-line road:Do I focus on being a Windows
Let’s face it: learning tech is like trying to teach a cat to use a printer. It’s chaotic, confusing, and occasionally the printer catches fire (metaphorically… we hope). But if you’re a brave soul venturing into the wild world of Linux, cybersecurity, networking, or just want to run five operating systems at once like some kind of digital wizard—VirtualBox is
Because I Hack Smarter, Not Edgier. Let me just come out and say it: I use Ubuntu, not Kali Linux. Yeah, I know—shocking. What kind of hacker doesn’t use Kali? Where’s my black terminal wallpaper with the flaming dragon logo? Where’s the edgy vibe that says “I definitely don’t just Google the syntax for nmap every time I use it”?
So here I am—on a noble quest to become a network and cybersecurity engineer. A digital knight, if you will, except instead of a sword, I wield Wireshark and Python scripts, and instead of dragons, I fight NAT issues and firewall configs that mysteriously delete themselves. And you know what makes this whole journey survivable (and kinda fun)? Two unlikely
Let me get this out of the way: yes, I know we’re living in the Age of AI. Machines are writing essays, generating art, chatting like therapists, and possibly plotting to take over your job while pretending to be helpful productivity tools. Meanwhile, “the cloud” isn’t just where your embarrassing high school photos live—it’s where your entire business infrastructure has