Student Success: Getting hired during the pandemic
Cyber security student, John shares with us his student experience and finding a job during lockdown.
Published on: 08 July 2020
Discover how John got on the right track towards a career in cyber security thanks to his online training and support from our Career Services team.
What motivated you to start your cyber security training?
“Before this I was working in a very corporate environment doing a job I wasn’t particularly fond of for multiple reasons.
I decided now was the time to change careers and start to focus on an industry I already had an interest in.
My experience and skillset was mainly focused around computer hardware from years of building personal computers, and because of this wanted to learn more skills with different technologies.”
How did you find your career consultation call with Learning People?
“I found it very helpful, I was initially interested in the ethical hacking side of things but decided to lean more towards the blue team (defensive cyber security) and networking side of things.”
Why did you choose to learn with Learning People?
“I started to look for options into ways in which it will assist me with changing careers, but this was the first one that came up that looked catered to what I wanted to do.”
How did you find the cyber security training?
“At first it was quite challenging, it had been a while since I have had to study towards a topic. But over time I started to get into a flow with things and also worked through the Practice Labs content alongside the video course content. “
Would you recommend Learning People?
“I would recommend Learning People for the catered packages and additional extras, mainly the career advice and guidance.”
What advice would you give someone thinking about starting an online course?
“Start off with what you want as your end goal, and then choose accordingly. Also choose content which you actually find interesting.
There is no point doing a topic for a role which you can’t stand. You won’t really learn that way and when it comes to employment it will show that you’re not really passionate about that area.”
What has been the best part of your Learning People experience?
“Learning new skills and new information to further expand my pre-existing knowledge base.”
How has your career developed since enrolling on the course?
“So I finished the course at the end of 2019 and started looking for work mid-January of this year. I was getting some interviews and making a steady amount of connections on LinkedIn but then COVID-19 happened and the job market sort of dried up overnight.
This didn’t stop me to carry on with these activities and eventually got put forward for a job via a recruiter. I’m now working as an IT Field Engineer, and while it’s not a career in cyber security. It’s certainly a step in the right direction and I am already learning a great deal many things to do with Networking and such.”
John’s achievements
- Passed the CompTIA A+
- Passed the CompTIA Network+
- Passed the CompTIA Security+
- Passed the CompTIA CySA+
We are so proud of John for these incredible results and are glad to have supported him into his new career. If you are looking for a career change into tech please do get in touch and one of our expert career consultants will able to help you make those important first steps.
You can also find out more about our unrivalled Career Services and how we support you as you navigate the complexities of the job market.
