When I secured a job in a general I.T. role (despite applying for a job as a web designer) I never expected that a decade later I'd be responsible for single handedly maintaining an entire network. Neither did I ever envisage my knowledge and skillset would have expanded as wide as it has, especially with no formal training, and no certified qualifications. What's more valid than a piece of paper saying I can do the job? A decade of hands-on experience actually doing the job...
As my LinkedIn profile will attest:
"Currently employed as an I.T. Manager monitoring and maintaining all networks, hardware and systems for an Insurance Broker including Internet, Telephony, Mailserver, CCTV, Voice Recording, and also supervising and assisting with all facets of Website Development including designing and coding, Social Media Marketing, Corporate Branding, and native Marketing Design including SMS, Email and Post campaigns."
I learned pretty much everything I know from either hands-on experimentation or free training resources like Cybrary and Professor Messer. I recently found out about ITProTV as a good learning resource too. Copious amounts of Googling is also inevitable when you do not have access to dev/UAT, so all your tinkering is in a live production environment. Communities such as Superuser, Stackoverflow, Experts Exchange, and even Technet have all helped me grow as an IT professional. Other resources pertinent to tuning my knowledge include(d) PC.net, Bleeping Computer, Haacked, and Coding Horror. For networking there is a nice podcast called Packet Pushers, and for general sysadmin topics there is Admin Admin.
Embedding widgets on Myspace was likely my first exposure to tweaking code, followed up by my position as a co-Admin of a phpBB forum called Anotha.com. Web developing as employment progressed outside of a WYSIWYG (Dreamweaver) which expanded my coding knowledge of HTML and CSS, (and a little ColdFusion and PHP) considerably further. Then CMS came along and rendered that knowledge largely obsolete as we migrated from raw code to WordPress. I am currently learning Java on Sololearn just for fun, and intend to jump onto LeetCode and Codewars when I'm proficient enough. I may even look to delve into DApps for Blockchain using Solidity/Ethereum via Crypto Zombies which has caught my attention of late.
After acquiring an awareness of coding fundamentals, and realising the sheer volume of hacks that take place, I developed an unhealthy obsession with hacking and the cybersecurity industry as a whole. I ran all my various email accounts through HaveIBeenPwnd. I subbed to the Hacker News email newsletter. I began listening to the Darknet Diaries and Smashing Security podcasts (I still need to get around to the Security Now! podcast by GRC). I started playing about with WireShark, and nmap on my corporate network. I even went as far as to install an Oracle VM with Kali Linux BackTrack R5, had a delve on TOR, played about with Metasploit and began doing some free Linux box hacking fundamentals on OverTheWire.
Next steps toward cybersecurity progression include looking into the INE eJPT course, some hands-on hacking training through TryHackMe and HackTheBox, followed up with signing up to HackerOne and BugCrowd for experience of actual red teaming. Hackersploit seems a good resource in this field for widening my knowledge too.
I guess what I'm getting at, is that the field of I.T. is such a sprawling intertwined tapestry of occupations and disciplines, that regardless of whether you move laterally, pivot, or escape your sandbox, there is always another layer of opportunity waiting. For someone who loves to learn new skills, grow as a professional, and be kept on their toes in an ever evolving landscape, I.T. makes the ideal sinkhole.
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