Landing my first role was difficult and took time and effort. I found quickly that a degree and interest didn't quite cut it to land a junior or entry role. So I have created my exact learning path with the intention of helping others land their first role. It is a lot of dedication and more than just technical skills. This journey will start from my graduation, but I do have a background that applies to my experience before this, all documented in the Experience section of this site.

I started poking around how to land my first role within my second year of university. I was contacted by a recruiter, and I advised I'm not looking for a role, but I did gather some information on what recruiters were looking for - as essentially they know what the hiring companies want.

This section follows around Sept 2025, this is where I actively started using HTB, BTLO, THM labs. I knew this wasn't going to be enough to make me stand out, so I actively followed developments in the industry and at the time it was all about AI SOC. I got involved in Linkedin converstations and leading to me contacting my to be mentor for a bit of time.

From this initial poke, I was given advice around taking advantage of Microsoft's free 30-day trial with Sentinel and was advised that most SOC providers are now powered by Sentinel because it's so good. Then was told having some knowledge on that is priceless, especially KQL and some automation rule building etc. Further prompting me to get familiar with MITRE ATT&CK & D3FEND and get the basics under my belt regarding Offensive TTPs.

I went away and completed all of this, and I think this dedication of taking the feedback and then feeding this back to my mentor showed I was serious about this. This led my mentor to push me towards Sean Mitchell, who at the time was in the process of building the School of SOC.

I know I am incredibly lucky to have my initial mentor for the time and have stayed in the loop, updating him on my progress ever since. I will always be grateful for the advice I was given.

To skip ahead a little, I spoke with Sean, and we immediately got on well. I shared my passion for becoming part of the platform and was invited to join as a founding member of what would soon become the School of SOC. From the very beginning, I had the opportunity to help shape the community while benefiting from everything it had to offer.

The learning was something I quickly fell in love with. It bridged the gap between simply knowing cybersecurity concepts and understanding why they matter in a real Security Operations Centre. From there, I developed the practical skills needed to investigate alerts, think like an analyst, and understand the day-to-day responsibilities of working in a SOC.

What sets the School of SOC apart from every other learning platform I've explored is its community. It isn't just a place to consume content—it's a place to collaborate. Members openly ask questions, share resources, celebrate successes, discuss setbacks, and learn from one another in a supportive environment. That culture of openness makes it far more valuable than a traditional training platform.

As a founding member, I continue to contribute to that community. Each week I take part in the live AMAs, where members discuss platform improvements, share feedback, and help shape the future direction of the School of SOC. Outside of those sessions, I regularly post about my own journey - sharing lessons from interviews, reflecting on my progress, publishing lab write-ups, and exploring vulnerabilities and detection techniques. By being transparent about both my successes and setbacks, I hope to encourage others to ask questions, contribute their own experiences, and realise that everyone starts somewhere.

To me, the School of SOC isn't simply where I've learned technical skills; it's where I've built relationships, grown in confidence, and become part of a community that genuinely wants to see each member succeed. That sense of belonging is what makes it such an important part of my journey into cybersecurity.

From this point onwards, my focus was split between building my own cybersecurity projects and contributing to the School of SOC community. You can explore these projects by clicking the Projects title or image, or by using the navigation bar.

Alongside my personal projects, I regularly attended AMAs, guest speaker sessions, and study groups, where I continuously asked questions, sought feedback, and reflected on my interview experiences. These discussions not only strengthened my technical knowledge but also helped develop my confidence, communication skills, and understanding of what employers look for in a SOC analyst.