Mike is a Security Engineer and Pentester and a dedicated mentor who provides guidance and support to Cybrary’s customers, sharing his vast knowledge and expertise.
Please tell us about your background.
I started my IT career in technical support and worked my way up to Systems Administrator for a large Internet Service Provider. I then worked as a Systems Engineer for a managed hosting provider where I worked on security-related projects, like hardened server baselines. From there I worked as product support for a security products company and eventually became a Security Engineer on the blue team. I then worked as the IT Director for a mid-size healthcare company for a few years. I took a sabbatical for about a year and when I was ready to start looking for my next position, I found Cybrary. I was able to leverage the platform’s resources to help land a job in a highly competitive field as a Penetration Tester even though I had no previous pentesting experience.
What’s so exciting about cybersecurity?
It’s a great field to get into when you consider the number of job opportunities that are available. Cybersecurity skills are in high demand because there aren’t enough qualified applicants.
How did you find Cybrary?
In early 2019, I was looking for resources to study for my CISSP certification. After doing some research I came across Cybrary. I created a free account, but found great value and eventually signed up for Cybrary Insider Pro.
What are the main advantages of using Cybrary? What was unique about our offering?
I really enjoy the mentor community, it made the biggest difference for me when I joined. There are some really bright people who want to connect and help you achieve your goals. I honestly don’t think I’d have landed my current role without them. Community members want to learn and get ahead in their careers, there’s a certain ambition everyone shares. If you’re looking for guidance, support, and coaching, you can find it here.
How have you benefited from using Cybrary?
I was able to earn my CISSP certification within 60 days of signing up for Cybrary Insider Pro and got hired as a Security Analyst conducting security assessments and penetration testing within 120 days. This certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Cybrary mentor community.
When I initially joined, a Cybrary mentor helped me with my resume and shared job hunting tips and resources. I also found a great community of professionals to connect with. We still continue to share resources, learn, and grow together.
What advice would you give someone new to Cybrary?
Schedule time to learn, find a place to study, and make the commitment to grow. Set achievable goals. Engage with the mentor community right away. Earn certifications and build your network. Cybrary offers courses on a broad range of topics so you can learn whatever you need to advance your career and develop your skills.
On Slack, take advantage of people sharing resources, links, and ideas. The mentor community has been very helpful and the relationships that I’ve built have enabled me to take my career to new heights.
"I was able to earn my CISSP certification within 60 days of signing up for Cybrary Insider Pro and got hired as a Security Analyst conducting security assessments and penetration testing".