Best first certification?

None required to start. When ready: CompTIA Security+, CEH, or eJPT for juniors. OSCP for pentest track.

Cybersecurity BasicsEnglish

How to Start a Cybersecurity Career

Starting a cybersecurity career requires hands-on practice, not just certifications. Follow this roadmap: learn web fundamentals, complete 50+ labs, earn verifiable certificates, contribute to CTFs or bug bounties, and apply for junior SOC or AppSec roles.

Published 1 June 2025Updated 1 June 2026

Month 1-2: Foundations

HTTP, DNS, basic Linux commands. Cyfotok easy labs: SQLi, XSS. Set up LinkedIn, document each lab completion.

Month 3-4: Breadth

CSRF, IDOR, auth bugs, command injection. Finish a Cyfotok learning path. Join infosec Discord communities.

Month 5-6: Depth + proof

Hard labs, write blog posts or writeups. Apply for internships. Consider CEH or PNPT if budget allows.

Common mistakes

Certification collecting without labs. Watching videos without practice. Attacking illegal targets. Giving up after one hard lab.

Frequently asked questions

Best first certification?: None required to start. When ready: CompTIA Security+, CEH, or eJPT for juniors. OSCP for pentest track.

Ready to practice?

Begin learning path