My Cybersecurity Journey: Why I Chose TryHackMe

When I began looking into getting into Cybersecurity as a new career, man I felt so lost. It can be overwhelming for someone like me, who doesn't have a technology background. While I’m comfortable with computers I am not coming from a formal IT background. But, after doing some research and being the hands on learner that I am, I discovered TryHackMe. The cherry on top? It’s free! You can begin learning with a free membership that gives you access to quite of bit content while the premium membership curates a learning path recommended for you. I opted for the premium membership to gain access to a curated learning path that provides a structured and comprehensive experience.

Now, a few things that stood out for me was that you were able to apply what you learned as you learned it. The second thing that stood out was the ‘Barney’ style of teaching and as a military veteran, we love us some ‘Barney style’ (for those unfamiliar with the slang it just means its broken down into digestible bits of information). Another notable element was the intake questions you’re asked to figure out where you are in your skills if any and where you want to go with it so that they could recommend the best learning path for you. And finally, it was this clean, easy to use interface you see below that sealed the deal for me.

Immediately loved the graphical user interface, or as they say in the field GUI

The site’s user-friendly interface and game like structure make the learning journey less intimidation and more engaging.

Here are the series of questions asked prior to their recommendation of which learning path you should embark on.

The learning path that I was recommended was the Cyber Security learning pathway. Now at first glance the Cyber Security roadmap seems pretty hefty.

See what I mean! But hefty in a good way

Even with the comprehensive roadmap, the lessons aren’t always presented in a sequential tree. The content is divided into individual “rooms,” making the journey feel less overwhelming.

So, if you’re feeling lost and want to get into cybersecurity but don’t know where to start, I can’t recommend TryHackMe enough. It’s truly a platform built for people who need a clear, hands-on path to follow.

While I’ve already made some progress, this blog will be my public journey through the Cyber Security learning pathway. I’ll be revisiting the modules I’ve already completed to share a retrospective view on what I learned, the mistakes I made, and the “AHA!” moments I had.

My next post will dive deep into my experience with the Pre Security path I have already completed. I’ll be sharing my experiences, mistakes, and all my insights along the way. Look out for my next post, and feel free to share your own experiences in the comments. Let’s learn together!