My New Career
It seemed like the right thing to do to answer an advert on Facebook calling for Ethical Hackers and Cyber Security Experts with average salaries of £72,000 a year.
I needed to pay for my final year for my degree and have some insurance for my income. It could also help pay for marketing my career in the arts I thought.
Why Something so Different to Arts?
Well it’s not that different at all really I’ve always had broad ranging talents across the arts and sciences having done 10 GCSEs and achieving passes in all of them including 6 arts based and 4 science based subjects. Indeed, three separate science grade passes in Physics Chemistry, Biology, and Maths were part of that.
Secondly, I’ve always had a fervent interest in computing since about 1985 when I received my first computer an MSX Mitsubishi MLF 48 K which you couldn’t keep me off in those days; my Acorn BBC Master Series 128k even less so. I had many computer magazine subscriptions in the 1980s and early 90s that included programming of one’s own games. You used to receive some games not just on cassette but printed as a program script to type in from the magazine.
This gave me an interest in coding as well as gaming from day one which remained largely unfulfilled. I had a genius friend at 13 called Alex Turner who went on to work in Silicon Valley as a 5* Programmer and trainer and I must have been his first pupil him being older than me and my best mate at the time. We used to programme together in BBC Basic adn Machine Code for the school speech day computing exhibtions and get the morning off lessons to complete it and set up.
I used to do text adventure games with a choice of different endings using if goto commands in BASIC.
My interest in computing and music like Alex came to an abrupt halt when I was asked to choose by a rather irate choirmaster between using a computer and being a physics geek or being in the school choir now I don’t feel I have to make that choice any more and do a bit of both career wise combining my existing love of tech with the arts and media.
What is Ethical Hacking?
Ethical hacking might seem like an oxymoron at first. Hacking is normally associated with criminals that commit crimes online and steal information such as credit card details from customers on websites, break into websites for the intellectual challenge or to protest or on behalf of a foreign power to disrupt and spy.
These so called Black Hat Hackers aren’t the only ones around now though. The companies now pay hackers to attack systems for them in order to strengthen their defences against criminal hackers, these are known as Pen Testers and Ethical Hackers and this is what I’m training to do. To defend computer systems against fraudsters and malicious hackers and make the web a safer place to do business.
Robust IT Harlow Training Facility
I’m training on a private Ethical Hacker pathway at a commercial college to carry out my duties in this new industry. It is based in Harlow in South Essex.
The programme consists of the five exams on the roadmap above. to complete the first three exams I got an EKITA Loan for 1100 GBP which is now paid in full in 2 years, and for the remaining 2 I’ve secured a 2000 pound loan over 3 years from the company itself. So for the online training I’m paying about 50 quid a month on average it was 46 it’s now 55.
My Two Microsoft Exams
It is possible to gain access to the jobs market after exam three in a junior role. I have the two basic Microsoft Certifications already consisting of the following click on the pictures to link to my online credentials:
AZ900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
SC900 Security, Compliance, Identity Fundamentals
It’s not possible to describe the content of these exams on my site but you can read what they are about on Microsoft Learn if interested.
I’m now on exam 3 COMPTIA Network Plus Version 8.0
COMPTIA Network Plus
This is an exam that trains people the fundamentals and details of how the web is connected. I’m not going to say more if interested sign up on the Robust IT Website. With that I’m qualified to apply for basic roles in IT Admin to gain experience in the industry. I have to complete this by next May to remain on schedule.
I will then have 2 years to complete the other two remaining exams on the list. COMPTIA Security Plus and Certified Ethical Hacker of the EC Council.