What have I been learning in my cybersecurity bootcamp?

I’m currently enrolled in a bootcamp that covers the fundamentals of cybersecurity, going beyond theory and into practical skills that are essential in a corporate environment. One of the most exciting parts has been working with Microsoft Azure for cloud services. Before this bootcamp, I had minimal exposure to cloud providers, but now I’m building infrastructure from scratch and deploying real projects. It’s been a really cool experience seeing how all these moving parts come together to create secure, scalable solutions.

How did I pass Security+ so early?

One of the things I’m most proud of is passing my CompTIA Security+ certification a couple of months ahead of schedule. Most people in my bootcamp plan to take it towards the end of the course in December, but after two months of solo study, Udemy courses, YouTube videos, and practice exams, I felt ready to go for it. Passing early has been a huge boost for me, but I’m still gaining tons of new knowledge in class that I didn’t pick up from solo study. The hands-on experience in the bootcamp has really solidified my understanding.

What new skills did I learn this week?

This week, we dug into cloud infrastructure. I deployed this blog using PaaS (Platform as a Service) on Azure, which was a great way to apply what I’ve been learning. On top of that, we built an IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) environment from the ground up. That involved creating a virtual network with two subnets, setting up a jump box for administrative access, and automating deployments across private VMs using Ansible.

We also configured Network Security Groups (NSGs) to control traffic and set up a load balancer to manage traffic between the private VMs. This hands-on experience was a major step up from the basic hosting services I’ve used in the past, and it gave me a much deeper understanding of how everything works behind the scenes.

What am I working on outside of the bootcamp?

Outside of the bootcamp, I’ve started the Penetration Testing role path on Hack The Box, aiming to get the Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) certification. I’ve heard great things about the course, and it’s known for covering more advanced topics than most. I’m also tackling some CTF challenges, which are both fun and educational. Even if I don’t feel fully prepared for every challenge, taking that leap and trying them out is how I’m really growing my skills.