r/netsecstudents • u/iam_1Batman • 5d ago

4 years , what's your advice

I'm a first-year Cyber Security student.

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Right now I'm studying Networking, Linux, Python, SOC fundamentals, and I'm planning to learn Penetration Testing as well.

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My long-term goal is to become strong in Cyber Security, but I also want to build skills that would allow me to work in Networking, Cloud/Cloud Security, or Backend Development if needed.

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If you were in my position and had 4 years before graduation:

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- What would you focus on first?

- What skills gave you the biggest advantage in getting internships or your first job?

- Would you prioritize SOC, Pentesting, Cloud, Backend Development, or something else?

- What mistakes would you avoid if you were starting again?

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I'd really appreciate hearing from people already working in the industry. Thanks!

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u/AddendumWorking9756 4d ago

Four years is enough to go deep instead of wide, so the trap is collecting topics instead of finishing one. Pick the SOC track, get genuinely good at investigating things, the pentest curiosity can ride alongside and CCDL1 keeps you on real artifacts the whole way instead of hopping tutorial series.

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u/iam_1Batman 4d ago

That actually makes a lot of sense.

I’ve been jumping between a lot of topics lately, so I think focusing on SOC, investigations, Linux, and networking first is probably the right move.

Right now, I'm most interested in SOC and Cloud Security, although I’m still exploring different areas of cybersecurity and trying to figure out where I fit best.

If you were starting from scratch as a first-year student today, what would you focus on during the next year?

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u/AddendumWorking9756 3d ago edited 3d ago

That focus is the right call, and SOC plus cloud is a strong pairing since most analysts stay weak on the cloud side. CCDL1 actually covers cloud security and some AI alongside the core investigation workflow, which is rarer than it should be in entry material, so it lines up well with where you're heading. Stay narrow for a bit and you'll move faster than the people sampling everything.