So Begins the Journey...
Today was my first step of a thousand mile journey. Knowing that I want to begin to break into the penetration testing field, I decided to do a simple Google search to see what options I have. There are plenty. More than I expected. From networks to mobile phone, social engineering to wireless, there are certainly a plethora of options. Before I reveal my path, a little bit about me.
I was a professional martial arts instructor for most of my life. It is something I always wanted to be. Growing up, many of my classmates aspired to be police officers, firefighters, doctors, and lawyers. Me? Martial arts was always my path. I particularly liked that it gave me the confidence to feel as though I had the ability to defend myself. And the idea of helping others obtain that level of self-security really appealed to me. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work in high threat level security. This gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge base from basic self protection and learn how to protect others, as well as their personal property and high threat level targets. This experience was a perfect marriage with my expertise in self-defense.
I was able to realize my dream of becoming a professional martial arts school owner by the grace of God and the support of my family in my early twenties. It was during this time that I began to develop websites. At first, I built my website for my own business. Over time, this expanded into a small business of its own, helping other local businesses by building custom websites to help represent their brands and businesses. Sadly, a combination of two busted hamstrings and a volatile market, I was forced to close my schools in 2014. At that time, I had the opportunity to redefine who I was and what I wanted to do.
In 2014, I decided to go back to college full time in pursuit of a Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Given that I had two small children at home, the option for traditional learning was just not reasonable. I decided the best path for me was to study online. In May of 2014, I enrolled in the State University of New York (SUNY) Empire College Computer Science program. Upon enrolling, I was told it was going to take me the better part of three years to obtain this degree. I finished in a year and a half. Additionally, I graduated with a 4.0. Let me state clearly and emphatically, I do not say that to impress. I say that because I was under the impression that employers would certainly find that attractive and be willing to give me an opportunity in some capacity, even though my only experience in IT was in web development. News flash. That did not happen.
I decided that in order to make myself a more attractive candidate, I should peruse a Masters degree as they are much more specialized. I spent a few weeks, literally hours a day, researching what path would best serve me. That is, answering the question: What do I want to do in this field? What is going to provide me with the best career opportunities? What does the market demand? It was settled. I chose to study Cyber Security. Best move I ever made! In January of 2015, I was accepted into Utica College's Master's degree program for Cyber Security with a specialization in Cyber Operations. The program was intense and challenging. I can honestly say I learned a lot and the professors were top notch.
In March of 2017, I was offered an opportunity and finally had a chance to break into the cyber security space professionally. I was hired as a security analyst for the largest sports entertainment company in the world and have learned a tremendous amount. Additionally, in August of 2017, I graduated with my degree and published my capstone entitled "The Weaponization of Social Media."
While my career is well on its way, I have never been one to rest on my laurels. I constantly seek for improvement and more knowledge. One of the reasons I wanted to study Cyber Operations in the first place was to learn how to hack. Not hack for the sake of hacking. But hacking for the sake of security. Given that I really enjoyed developing websites, I have chosen to teach myself web application penetration testing. This blog will act as my research palette. It will document the entire process. This includes all of my errors I encounter as well as my triumphs. I hope others will see this blog not as a tutorial to learn what to do, or better yet, what not to do, but as inspiration by focusing on my tenacity and dedication to learning this craft. So with that, let's do this! I am excited to start this adventure and I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride!
I was a professional martial arts instructor for most of my life. It is something I always wanted to be. Growing up, many of my classmates aspired to be police officers, firefighters, doctors, and lawyers. Me? Martial arts was always my path. I particularly liked that it gave me the confidence to feel as though I had the ability to defend myself. And the idea of helping others obtain that level of self-security really appealed to me. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work in high threat level security. This gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge base from basic self protection and learn how to protect others, as well as their personal property and high threat level targets. This experience was a perfect marriage with my expertise in self-defense.
I was able to realize my dream of becoming a professional martial arts school owner by the grace of God and the support of my family in my early twenties. It was during this time that I began to develop websites. At first, I built my website for my own business. Over time, this expanded into a small business of its own, helping other local businesses by building custom websites to help represent their brands and businesses. Sadly, a combination of two busted hamstrings and a volatile market, I was forced to close my schools in 2014. At that time, I had the opportunity to redefine who I was and what I wanted to do.
In 2014, I decided to go back to college full time in pursuit of a Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Given that I had two small children at home, the option for traditional learning was just not reasonable. I decided the best path for me was to study online. In May of 2014, I enrolled in the State University of New York (SUNY) Empire College Computer Science program. Upon enrolling, I was told it was going to take me the better part of three years to obtain this degree. I finished in a year and a half. Additionally, I graduated with a 4.0. Let me state clearly and emphatically, I do not say that to impress. I say that because I was under the impression that employers would certainly find that attractive and be willing to give me an opportunity in some capacity, even though my only experience in IT was in web development. News flash. That did not happen.
I decided that in order to make myself a more attractive candidate, I should peruse a Masters degree as they are much more specialized. I spent a few weeks, literally hours a day, researching what path would best serve me. That is, answering the question: What do I want to do in this field? What is going to provide me with the best career opportunities? What does the market demand? It was settled. I chose to study Cyber Security. Best move I ever made! In January of 2015, I was accepted into Utica College's Master's degree program for Cyber Security with a specialization in Cyber Operations. The program was intense and challenging. I can honestly say I learned a lot and the professors were top notch.
In March of 2017, I was offered an opportunity and finally had a chance to break into the cyber security space professionally. I was hired as a security analyst for the largest sports entertainment company in the world and have learned a tremendous amount. Additionally, in August of 2017, I graduated with my degree and published my capstone entitled "The Weaponization of Social Media."
While my career is well on its way, I have never been one to rest on my laurels. I constantly seek for improvement and more knowledge. One of the reasons I wanted to study Cyber Operations in the first place was to learn how to hack. Not hack for the sake of hacking. But hacking for the sake of security. Given that I really enjoyed developing websites, I have chosen to teach myself web application penetration testing. This blog will act as my research palette. It will document the entire process. This includes all of my errors I encounter as well as my triumphs. I hope others will see this blog not as a tutorial to learn what to do, or better yet, what not to do, but as inspiration by focusing on my tenacity and dedication to learning this craft. So with that, let's do this! I am excited to start this adventure and I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride!
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