Changes to Training
I was having some anxiety regarding the GSEC exam. This was due to doing essentially five certification training materials and it got overwhelming. I am thinking about re-approaching the GSEC later in my career. For now, I would like to focus on getting a Network Administrator role. With this role I will be doing more Linux and have scheduled the Linux Essentials exam on September 11th, 2025.
Learning More
I want to learn more about the technologies related to the Network Administrator role. To do this I will be working on a Wireshark course on Udemy along with study materials from my Linux Essentials study plan. Additional plans for learning more include studying for the Entrepreneurship and Small Business exam from Certiport. This would also include studying for the Certified in Cybersecurity and taking a second attempt later.
I am working on studies that will help me out in the future. Having a master’s degree is something that I would like to do to prove my expertise in Computer Networking. The Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance is what I want to complete before going for a master’s degree.
Home Lab
I am currently up and running on my Home Lab. I bought a Dell OptiPlex 7060 with 32GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD. On the server I am running Windows 11 Pro with VMware Workstation Pro for my virtual environment. There are some VMs that I have up with one being a Kali Linux VM. I am doing TryHackMe, HacktheBox and some CTF’s for Home Lab as a Service (HLaaS) as well.
For the Home Lab, I am working on doing some Ruby Development, mainly scripting for Metasploit Network Enumeration. I am working on my virtual environment and want to add some Ubuntu VMs along with a Kali Purple VM. I would also like to do some Metasploitable 2 and VulnHub boxes.
Conclusion
With the Home Lab I am also keeping it up to date with both Windows and Linux updates. I am looking at putting up a bulletin board that will allow me to use it as a vision board for my journey towards a CIO or CISO role. I am doing well enough with my anxiety and might want to get a job as a contractor to do more of a role like Network Administrator.
There are some things that I need to figure out, but I am leaning more towards Cisco and ISC2 certifications for now. This is something that I am doing so that I can enroll in a Masters in Network and Communications Management from Keller Graduate School of Management later.
