How Long Does It Take To Learn Cyber Security?

Hello guys, if you want to become a Cyber Security Engineer or a Cyber Security Analyst and wondering how long it take to learn all essential Cyber Security concepts then you have come to the right place. Earlier, I have shared best Cyber Security online courses, Pen testing certification courses,  and Ethical Hacking online courses to become a Security specialist in 2023 and in this article, I am going to share how you can learn Cyber Security and how much time it take to learn Cyber Security concepts, tools, and practices. Cyber security is a massive industry that involves protecting data from unauthorized access either locally on your devices such as a laptop, computer, phone, router, local network, or the data on the server that holds the companies data such as users information and their credit card. This article will help you estimate the time needed for learning cyber security and which skills are essential.

1. How long does it take to understand cyber security?

Let's' face it, learning cyber security will take forever to complete. You can't' say that I've' finished this industry whatever years you've' spent in this domain. Still, I can say that with regular study, you could be an entry-level cyber security professional at least in two years.

This amount of time will also depend on the time you spend every day to learn the skills required to be a professional cyber security engineer and how much you will understand because it varies by person.

2. Can you learn cyber security by yourself?

Cyber security can be self-taught like any other topic because there are abundant resources available on the internet for learning almost anything, and cyber security is one of them. Many companies hire professional cyber security who learned it in their homes without even a college degree.

You can learn the fundamentals of this industry from YouTube videos, online learning websites such as Udemy, Coursera, edX, Simplilearn. 

Reading books is also helpful since tons of books are available on Amazon for cyber security, but you need to see the author's background before purchasing any book.

3. How much will every skill take to learn?

Cyber security domains never end, and it requires a lot of skills and fields you have to understand to be just an entry-level cyber security specialist, which is why it takes a long time to learn the basics, not even master them. Let's now see some of the skills that a cyber security specialist needs to have:

3.1. Linux System: you can't even consider yourself a cyber security specialist without understanding how to use the Linux system. Many services run on the Linux system, and the tools used for cyber security run on this system. You can take this course, Learning Linux for LFCA Certification, to understand Linux and its security, and it will take approximately two months.

3.2. Python Language: if you want to create a tool used in security like network scanning, then no language can perform this better than python. This language is fundamentals for every cyber security specialist and easy to learn. You can take this course called Python for Everybody to learn the basics of this language will take you approximately four months.

3.4. Networking: we all know that no system is immune to cyber-attacks, and networks are the same that means stable and good network security is mandatory to protect your client's data. Cyber security specialists need to learn these skills, and it is essential to employers if you have this in your belt. This course, Computer Communications, will help you understand these skills and will take around three months.

3.5. C/C++ Languages: cyber security specialists need to know many programming languages, but they need to learn python and C/C++ languages to find vulnerabilities in software and create tools that exploit these vulnerabilities. This course, Coding for Everyone: C and C++, will help you learn both languages and will take you around three months to complete.

4. Courses Recommendations

After you get some of the skills required for cyber security specialists, I recommend you enroll in these few courses to help you learn this industry and maybe get your first job. Let's see these courses:

4.1. Introduction to Cyber Security: you can start your cyber security journey by enrolling in this course which will help you develop a deep understanding of modern data protection technologies and learn enterprise infrastructure security.

4.2. Cyber Security Class: another tremendous and long course with over 15 hours of video content that will help you deep-dive into cyber security and understand terms such as information classification and retention policies. You will also learn about operating systems, cryptography, and physical system security.

4.3. Computer Hacking Beginners Guide: this fantastic book will help you learn to protect yourself against cyber attacks and understand how hacking works by using different techniques and tools used by cybercriminals and even ethical hackers.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! This article is only an overview of some of the skills you need to be a cyber security specialist, and you can't learn everything in this domain, but these skills are a good start in cyber security.