Why I started studying for it.

The answer is fairly simple just want to show my knowledge in the field. Even though I do have my bachelors with its a concentration in being in cybersecurity. That alone hasn’t really given me the chance to look for a job in the field. Therefore, by taking this certification I really just want to boost my resume and show I take the initiative to keep on learning. I wasn’t just gonna wait for the job to come to me, I chose to get up on my feet and find ways to build towards an opportunity. I want to exert that I know my worth and that I belong in this industry even If I have to work for it I will never back down.

My thoughts on the certification itself.

Honestly, I have really enjoyed the content that this exams brings. I have seen a lot of this content in my undergrad already but this exam really has given me a better understanding to think really critically on what the question is asking. In school we just learned the content but was tested on if we were able to memorize what the word meant. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it either this exam is vocab heavy and acronym heavy and can feel like a vocabulary test. Though the way they structure their questions really gets you to think about which vocab word applies to what their looking for. They throw in some questions where two answers could be the right answer because they both can essentially mean the same thing. It’s just your job to figure out which one best suits the question on a conceptual and logical level. Another thing is their “PBQs” which is their Performance Based Questions. These are like hands on scenarios they give to apply your knowledge almost like in a simulated industry setting. Don’t fret it may seem like a lot but trust me it is a lot of fun.

How I am studying.

At the time of this article being written I am still currently studying for the Security+ exam. Just wanted to give a quick rundown on the process I have taken. The first thing I did was look up videos on people different experiences taking this exam. It gave me a better understanding on what to expect and things to take into account. Different study plans, practice tests to take and videos to watch. Every video I watched were fairly similar and all of them pointed to one common ground. They all recommended to watch an IT Professional on YouTube called “Professor Messer”, he has a whole playlist dedicated to the Security+ exam and all it’s content. To be honest I found this to be a very boring way to study, don’t get me wrong Professor Messer is a very credited individual in IT, but his videos were kind of slow and very vague.

The next alternative I took was buying a Udemy course. One specifically from Jason Dion and I liked this option more. It broke down each domain into sections and subsections based on the content in the domain. They also provided videos but I much rather read the notes they have jotted down. It makes me more productive in writing down notes and looking for key terms and ideas. The course had a timestamp of 31 hours to complete and it took me about a month to complete. After that I didn’t think I was ready yet to take the exam. I still wanted to practice more and get a better grasp on what a test might look like.

One thing I will say though is I did get lazy with the review and studying, I did put it off for a while and that’s something I don’t recommend you doing. I just got caught up with work and work travel especially with the holidays looming around the corner. I just put it off for a while, however once the new year started I got straight back to it and have been studying ever since. This time I focused on test taking ad practice tests. I went back to Professor Messer and purchased his practice exams, so far so good I core on average like an 85% above. The perfectionist in me wants to shoot for 95% which is definitely possible.

Another thing I utilized was ChatGPT, I would basically ask the AI to break down content I didn’t understand into more feasible content that was easier to get a grasp of. I would also tell it to generate me study guides based on the notes I wrote down. I also would take questions from the practice exams and explain ways I can break down the question and what its asking. This allowed me to use process of elimination when it came to looking for the right answer. One of the sections I really asked it to break down is Encryption and Cryptography, it allowed me to better understand the info that I mixed up that threw me off. I’m still trying to get better at it but I’m almost getting there this is the last thing I really need to feel 100% ready. Im targeting end of this month or early days of March.

Quick breakdown on the domains.

Alright I gave you my history with the exam, now I want to give you a quick rundown on what each domain really tests you on, keep in mind there is 5 of them and each one of them are specific content you will focus on.

Domain 1: General Security Concepts

Focuses on the core foundations of cybersecurity

• CIA Triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability)

• AAA ( Authentication, Authorization, Accounting)

• Non-repudiation

• Least Privilege

• Zero Trust

• Risk Management

• Security Controls

• GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance)

Domain 2: Threats, Vulnerabilities, Mitigations

Focuses on identifying different types of attacks and how to stop them

• Malware Types

• Social Engineering

• Application Attacks

• Network Attacks

• Hardening Techniques

• Penetration Testing

• Vulnerability Scanning

Domain 3: Security Architecture

• Network Segmentation

• IDS/IPS

• Firewalls

• VPN

• Secure Protocols

Domain 4: Security Operations

• Incident response process

• Digital forensics

• Logging and monitoring

• Disaster recovery, Business continuity

• Data classifications

• File integrity monitoring

• Access control methods

Domain 5: Security Program Management and Oversight

• Security policies and procedures

• Compliance frameworks

• Risk assessment

• Privacy concepts

• Data protection methods

That is all folks, now it may seems like a lot but trust me when it all click it clicks. You just got to believe in yourself and don’t feel discouraged. Wake up everyday with the discipline to study a little if you don’t feel like it because their will be those days. Actions speak louder than words act upon your desires and demonstrate that you want it bad enough. There were nights where I didn’t sleep reviewing this content, do I regret it no not in the slightest it just made me want to do more. A break is much needed also you don’t want to burn yourself out but still got to be consistent with reviewing.

So far this has been the most neat article I have done and I’m honestly getting the hang of it now. I want to keep pushing content out like this as it genuinely puts a smile on my face to share. Next time I talk about another certification I will hopefully announce that I have passed the Secuirty + exam :)

I am going to keep it a buck there is a lot of hardware that is essential to computer networking and each has their own beneficial function. There are like 5 big categories I can really think of and I will tell you all of them with a few examples.

End Devices

These are the final destinations where data ends up or they can be the source where data comes from. In a network topology they sit on the outskirts, to showcase and put an emphasis where data will end up. Some of these include the following.

• PCs/Laptops

• Phones

• Servers

• Printers

• Smart Devices

Cabling and Connectivity

Cabling is a physical control that demonstrates how devices connect with one another. There are different categories of cables.

• Copper Cable - uses electrical signals to transmit

• Fiber Optic - uses light signal to transmit

• Transceiver - converts the one type to another

Power and Backup

As the name suggests these allow for devices to keep running, even during failure.

• UPS - Interruptible Power Supply, prevents sudden shutdown and power outage

• PDU - Power Distribution Unit, distributes safe electrical power to systems

• Generators - Provides long terms back up

Security and Monitoring

Helps protect the network and tells you when something is breaking or even gets attacked. In an enterprise setting the two coexist as one.

• CCTV

• Antennas

• Wireless Controllers

Core Networking Devices

These allow for traffic to be moved inside and between networks. They don’t necessarily generate data but helps it gets to its destination or stop malicious data from reaching destinations.

• Routers - connects different networks

• Switches - able to connect multiple devices

• Access Point (AP) - provides wireless connectivity

• Firewall - protects a network from attacks

• Load Balancer - distributes traffic between servers

There you have it a quick rundown on the essential networking equipment. Honestly, each category can be their own separate article but it is a lot to cover and I don’t want that info to be overwhelming. Just wanted to give you surface level info to show you what keeps networks a float and why it is important.

I actually really enjoy sharing info like this and it keeps my mind fresh on the knowledge I have. I also really just enjoy talking about this others it allows me to get some practice needed for interviews and so on. There is a lot of things I didn’t go over in networking in terms of software based like protocols and CLI commands. Though I will get to that and wont leave you all hanging because those are also important in the field of cybersecurity and understanding them is key.

Let’s face it every single day we all use WiFi. We scroll on Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram. We game on our PCs, Xbox’s or PS5’s. We stream on Netflix and every other streaming service we may or may not use. Sometimes theses things lags and it can be frustrating, so frustrating that you lose your mind. But have you ever wondered why this happens and what really goes behind the scenes.

I’d like to say there’s really 5 main steps and I am going to explain them as simple as possible.

First Step: Internet connection in your house. The internet connected us through routers which we all have, it’s the big black or white box. They are provided to us by our ISP (Internet Service Provider) think of companies like AT&T and Xfinity some of the biggest in the country. They install cables from their network into our home, those cables are than connected to a modem. The modem translates signals from the ISP to our home.

Second Step: The router does the heavy work next. The modem than passes the internet connection to the router. Essentially the router manages all the traffic going in and out of your home network. Taking incoming data, deciding where it should go, and sending it to the correct device. If you use YouTube on your laptop and instagram on your phone. The router keeps those data stream organized.

Third Step: Data will always be in a static state, digital information just one and zeros. The router converts digital data into radio waves. Wowzerz I know you didn’t know that. Most routers are either 2.5 GHz or 5GHz, the antennas on the router is able to transmit these radio waves into the air.

Fourth Step: Devices intercept these signals. All of our evinces have wireless network adapters installed into them. These adapters detect radio waves, converts it back to digital data, and sends responses back to the router. Communication between the router and device is two way. Send a request, router forwarded it to the ISP, Website responds and router sends it back to your device. All this happens in the blink of an eye, in milliseconds.

Fifth Step: Devices using signal at the same time. Your router does a lot it like assigns IP address and uses NAT (Network Address Translation) to each device I’ll talk about these in depth in a later articles. To keep it short however, NAT allows for multiple devices on a network to share one public IP address. Router essentially keeps all the traffic organized.

There you go! Honestly it may sound a bit confusing still but I tried to explain in a way where it’s not too technical and deep. However if you would like me to do that let me know in the comments :)

Eventually, you can only bear the silence for so long when it finally starts to speak to you. Faint whispers telling me that all that money down the drain for what? A piece of paper and a handshake. You almost start to feel like an imposter because of the lack of “years of experience” under your belt is minimal to none. The dream narrative that you worked so hard to establish slowly starts deteriorating. The pressure of expectation and the weight of it starts to pull at you hard because you’re failing to live up to the hopes of those who believe in you. It can feel easy to feel like a fraud when all you see on your screen is “5+ years experience required” for entry-level role position. This was a silent battle I was going through and succumbing to the pressure, questioning not just my skills but my worth as an individual.

Though, I looked over my shoulder and gazed at the people who were still standing with me in my wreckage. My parents who stayed resilient behind me, my friends who never let me wallow; and especially my girlfriend she’s just the best. She didn’t see a struggling applicant, she saw a spirit built for triumph. She saw a burning passion for the vision I so desperately sought after. When I couldn’t find the light on the path, she held the torch for me, she reminded me that my value isn’t defined by my experience, but by the burning spirit I have to achieve anything I put my mind into. All of their beliefs became the bridge I built to walk over my own self-doubt.

This brings me to talk about a powerful moment from the film Oppenheimer. I like films that make me think of the big picture with a lot of meaning. Films where it allows to expend ones own cognitive senses and thinking abilities. In Oppenheimer there is a scene where Robert J. Oppenheimer is asked “Can you hear the music?” For a physicist like him the music wasn’t just calculations and math: it was the structures and patterns that make up our universe. In Cybersecurity, we often get bamboozled in the “math which can be a Linux or CLI commands, latest exploit, or threat. We think that if we don’t know how to use every tool available we aren’t “Real” professionals, they are just a plus. However, I realized I didn’t need to be virtuoso of every tool; I needed to hear the music.

Hearing the music in cybersecurity is really all about understanding all the concepts that come with it. Its about seeing how the web connects through it all and stays intact together. Vulnerability in a protocol connects to human behavior which connects to business risks. They all play a huge part in the overall objectively of defending and protecting data. Its about the harmony between defense and offense. When I stopped obsessing all the technical commands I was trying to memorize in different tools and really started to focus on their foundational logic and how they worked. I too began to understand the “music” and it began to get louder and louder. I realized that my degree wasn’t just some piece of paper; It was my musical score to give me the ability to set a better foundation in understanding the digital world.

My shift from worried to unstoppable did not come from memorizing manuals. The change came from perspective. I stopped treating limited experience as a gap. I treated passion as momentum. I’m leaning concepts before tools. I’m focusing on how systems work together. I’m learning how security decisions affect users, data, and uptime. I’m walking into interviews with confidence even sometimes when nervousness looms. I speak about risk and tradeoffs. I explain how to design and protect secure environments. I showed understanding instead of asking for a chance. Even when I coulnd’t answer something I was honest but still explained my thought process. Everything changed once I chose to build and become obsessed with understanding how everything in cybersecurity works. Even if I had to sleep over it. Though I will say don’t lose yourself too much in the grind move with moral and take care of yourself most importantly. Progress will always follow if you keep it consistent and then action replaces doubt.

So to anyone whos reading this maybe little to none but that’s fine. If you’re sitting there staring at rejection and wondering if you belong. I know the noise feels loud. Rejection emails stack up. Doubt grows fast. Just know that potential does not disappear during struggle. Lean on people who see effort when confidence fades. Support matters more than isolation and getting lost in your thoughts. You do not need every command memorized. You need understanding. Systems connect. Decisions create outcomes. Mastery starts there. I trusted my ability to learn structure and intent. Over time, confidence ensued. The world responds once you move with purpose. Anyone is able to achieves I know you all will in whatever profession you follow. Don’t stop laying the brick on the path you’re building

Yours Truly,

Miguel Angel Burciaga :)

To understand cybersecurity more at a surface level, let’s remove the “tech-only” label. Putting it into a broader perspective, it is essentially closely aligned to a philosophy of defense. Think of it like the idea of a neighborhood watch, but just for computers. It is a mindset that prioritizes being vigilant to prevent any unauthorized access from taking place. Cybersecurity asks us to assert better locks, but most importantly, to understand why these locks matter in the first place. Data privacy is a right worth defending and something everyone should be aware of.

As stated before, one of the biggest misconceptions that comes with cybersecurity is that it is synonymous with hacking. If this were the case, the industry would be built on chaos rather than order. Hacking is more in tune with exploitation, while cybersecurity is the art of resilience. It is a discipline that involves everything from risk mitigation to helping a family member identify phishing emails. While users around the world are worried about a data breach at any time. The true core of the cybersecurity industry is taking the proper steps every day to ensure that a breach never happens in the first place.

Though we can’t ignore the role of the “hacker” entirely. There is a branch in cybersecurity that is labeled Ethical Hacking. These professionals use their skills for the greater good. They have the hacker mindset and approach a system with the same tools and creativity, but their goal is to find the weak spots before the villains do. They legally and safely compromise a business system to provide insights that are necessary to build it back up. If the system is reinfored it deters and prevents malicious hackers from gaining unauthorized access.

Ultimately, cybersecurity is about the user behind every device. Behind every screen, there is a real person who just wants to feel safe and secure while they chat online or scroll the web. When we stop seeing security as just another technical task and start seeing it as this shared ideology, it stops being so intimidating. Honestly, it is just a big, collective effort to build a digital space where we can actually create and connect without constantly worrying about who is watching or waiting for us to make a mistake. That is the goal. When we start shifting our mindset like this, we finally get to move past those "hacker" cliches. It opens the door to a future where the integrity of our personal data is rightfully preserved.

So here is the deal. In May of 2025, I graduated with my B.S. in Computer Network Systems Management with a concentration in cybersecurity. While that degree was a huge milestone, I didn’t really obtain any true hands on experince in the field. Now that I’m out of school, I’ve realized that the real learning is just beginning, and im ready to take a deep dive into the world of everything cybersecurity.

Think of this site as my digital notebook. It is where I’m documenting the messy, frustrating, and rewarding journey of deepening my understanding of how cybersecurity ultimately works. I’m chasing that "lightbulb moment" knowledge and racking up certifications along the way, all with the very real and genuine goal of landing my first solid job in the field.

I’m not here to pretend I have all the answers. I’m here to share my learning with all of you. You’ll see me break down networking concepts, technical projects, and probably vent a little bit if it ever gets to that boiling point. Security is about way more than just tools and alerts. It’s about understanding the "why" behind the system and how people fit into the puzzle.

Whether you are a friend, a fellow student, or someone who is just curious about the field, I’m glad you’re here. I’m choosing clarity over hype and genuine understanding over just memorizing terms for a test. Let’s see where this road leads. I will do my best to make this a weekly thing and keep it consistent!

P.S. Here is my GitHub, where I will be uploading all the projects

https://github.com/Miggzki