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With each passing year, the cybersecurity threat landscape continues to worsen. That reality makes cybersecurity analysts some of the most sought-after technology professionals in the world. And there are nowhere near enough of them to meet the demand. At last count, there were over 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide — and that number is still growing.

The situation means that it’s a great time to become a cybersecurity analyst. What’s more, the skyrocketing demand means it’s possible to start a lucrative freelance career in the field and take complete control over your professional future. Here’s a start-to-finish guide on how to do exactly that.

Start With the Right Training

The first step on the path to becoming a freelance cybersecurity analyst is to acquire the necessary skills. For those without an existing technology background, the best place to start is with a cybersecurity bootcamp. They’re designed to get newcomers up to speed with basic cybersecurity concepts and skills in the shortest possible time.

A great place to start your search for the right course is Bootcamps.org. They maintain an active directory of both free and paid bootcamp programs in a variety of technology fields, including cybersecurity. Depending on your pre-existing familiarity with computing concepts, you may also wish to enrol in a more generalized computing bootcamp to get started.

Your goal is to emerge from these programs with a working knowledge of the following concepts:

  • Networking architecture and design
  • Networking, routing and switching hardware and systems
  • Firewalls and packet sniffing systems
  • Threat detection and analysis methods
  • Common network and software vulnerability types

images from Hacker News