I get the same DM all the time:

“What certifications do I need to land a job in cyber security?”

When I first started out, I thought the answer was simple: stack up certs.

I went into a pen test interview with all the right ones… and completely bombed it.

Why? Because I couldn’t explain basic network security fundamentals.

I walked out thinking, “But I had XYZ certs - wasn’t that enough?”

It was not.

What actually helped me break in wasn’t another course. It was going back to basics, Googling what I didn’t know, and proving I had the curiosity and drive to keep learning.

Here’s what I’ve learned since:

- You don’t need a degree or a pile of expensive qualifications to get into cyber.

- Most of what you need is out there for free.

- Fundamentals + hands-on practice (HTB, TryHackMe, GitHub, etc.) matter way more than a cert you got 5 years ago.

Sure, certs can help tick a box for hiring managers.

But the people you’ll actually work with? They mostly just care if you know your stuff and keep pushing yourself to get better.