Getting Yourself to (Actually) Learn The Skills Needed to Advance Your Career
Most of the time we know what we need to do to learn to get that job or promotion, but how do you actually get yourself to do it?
Why don’t we do what we know we should?
If you have spent some time researching how to get your desired job in cyber security then you very well may know all the steps you need to take to land that job. This might include getting certifications, understanding a particular framework, or learning a new language such as powershell or python. For some people researching these prerequisite steps comes naturally and can often be an overlooked step in the learning process, however, the issue I typically run into when studying for a certification or working on a project is it is difficult to align my motivation, free time, and willpower to actually work on these projects. My hope for this article is to go over some problems I have faced and my solutions to them. I hope my solutions can somehow be applied to your problems and help you.
Problem: It is hard to learn new topics
One of the scariest things you can do is something that is challenging, yet if you don't do anything challenging then everything will seem challenging. This was the first roadblock that I typically hit when learning something new. Pretty much every new idea you learn is going to challenge you in some way which can make it daunting. Below I have listed my solutions for getting past the mental roadblock for learning hard concepts.
Research your topic
When learning something new, one of the most common hurdles you will face is not knowing what you don’t know. This makes it hard to start because instinctively we want to dive headfirst into whatever tool or technology we want to learn. Unfortunately that is not the best way to learn. I like to start by creating a framework for topics that are new to me. In this step you are essentially making a mini framework for whatever your subject is. Start simple and work your way up. For example if your goal is to learn python your framework may look like:
Control flow
Functions
Lists
Loops
Strings
Modules
Depending on how complex the topic is this list might become very long and have many different sub bullet points. That’s ok, as long as you get the information down.
Make a framework
Once you have researched your topic and created your adhoc framework, the next step is to turn it into a checklist. Break down each topic of your framework into chunks that you can learn (or at least make a dent in) in about one hour. Once you do this it will be much easier to actually begin working on something difficult because 1. You have already started and 2. You have your own step by step guide.
Problem: Learning is time consuming
Oftentimes I stumble upon the part of the internet that thinks people 24 hours a day to work on themselves. This is gross, inaccurate, and will lead to burnout. Anyone who tells you this is probably trying to sell you something. That being said, I have found that my default excuse for not studying or working on side projects is typically “I don't have time”. It is true that sometimes I truly don’t have the time, energy or means to spend an hour studying. I go to school and work full time so there are days (even weeks) where I don’t have the mental bandwidth to spare on reading a python textbook. It is important to figure out when you actually don’t have time and when you just aren’t making learning a priority.
Todo Lists, Planners, and calendars
What really helps me manage my time is making todo lists, utilizing planners, and keeping a calendar. I typically have 3 separate todo lists. One for work, one for school, and one for personal stuff. Ideally I write a todo list for the next day the night before (this happens less often than I care to admit though...). I use notion for my todo lists. Todo lists are for things that can be done in one day such as take out the trash, go to the store, take a quiz, etc.
Next I have recently started using Microsoft Planner for things that I am working on that typically take more than a few days to finish or have multiple moving parts associated with them. Having bigger tasks documented in Planner makes it easier for you to track progress on bigger targets and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who has multiple things they need to keep track of.
Finally I use a calendar app. I use fastmail because it integrates nicely with my email but most people like google calendar. Typically I try to set a rough schedule for each week just to have a visual representation of my time for the week but I typically only fall back to the calendar for things that either don’t need to be tracked or don’t need my attention until a later date such as birthdays, vacation, etc.
Creating better habits
As I have gotten older I have gotten more and more interested in creating good habits. I highly recommend the book atomic habits if you want some further reading but I figured the best way to describe how creating good habits can help you study is to describe some that I try to do. When I really want to dive into a textbook (most recently it was powershell for sysadmins) I know that I am not going to crack open a 500 page textbook at 10:00pm without falling asleep because let's face it, textbooks are boring. I have found that can actually be quite enjoyable if you do it first thing in the morning. That way it doesn’t matter how tired you are at the end of the day, you already got your studying in right when you woke up. Now it's not easy to wake up and bury your face in a textbook but if you create a habit of it I promise it can actually become enjoyable. I utilize a technique called habit stacking which I took from Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Essentially I stack the habit I want to develop on top of the habit I have. For example: I wake up at 7:00 and make a cup of coffee (the habit I already have) then I sit down and read one chapter of the textbook I am chipping away at (the habit I want to build). After some time the habit I am trying to build will become the new normal.
Problem: You are burnt out
One of the most prevalent issues in cyber security is burnout. I think that this is a huge issue for our field in particular because there are so many subdomains that make up cyber security. This causes people to try to and be a jack of all trades, however, mastering just one of the subdomains that makes up cyber security could take a lifetime (not to mention the field is always evolving).
Give it less gas
When you are just starting out it is tempting to try and spend all your free time learning new subjects. Personally, I tried way to hard for way to long to learn everything there is to know about how to be a penetration tester because that is the field I want to be in. I have found that just a few hours a week of learning is more than enough to be in a good place career-wise. Studying consistently is far more effective than studying for 8 hours in one day and then burning out.
Immerse yourself in the world of cyber security
One revelation I have had is that I feel much more excited about learning new topics when I immersive myself in the world I want to be in. It is best to describe this with an example. When I get less motivated to learn something, one of my favorite ways to bounce back is to consume a lot of cyber security content. This may sound counter intuitive but listening to podcasts, reading news, and getting involved with the community (darknet diaries, threatpost, being active in my cyber security discord, etc) helps me remember why I loved this field in the first place and I still get that feeling of excitement I got a few years ago when I first entered the field.
Summary
Learning new things is difficult
Research your problem thoroughly
Make a framework for your desired skill and turn it into a checklist
Learning is time consuming
Utilize a Todo list, planner, and calendar
Create good habits to help you learn
You are burnt out
Don't cram 8 hours of studying into one session, study a few hours a week but consistently
Listen to podcasts, read news, be active in the community
Last updated
Was this helpful?