From Cybersecurity Beginner to Red Team: Why I’m Starting This Journey

I recently graduated with a B.Tech in Information Technology. Now I'm starting from the fundamentals, learning through hands-on practice, and working toward a career in cybersecurity and Red Teaming.

I Don't Know Everything About Cybersecurity. That's Why I'm Starting.

I recently graduated with a B.Tech in Information Technology.

After finishing my degree, I started looking at jobs and trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. Most of the fresher opportunities I was seeing were related to software development, web development, testing, and similar roles.

But I kept coming back to cybersecurity.

I've always been curious about how things work. Since I was young, I liked taking things apart, changing things, trying to break them, and then figuring out why something happened.

I didn't have the right words for it back then, but I think that curiosity is one of the reasons cybersecurity started to interest me.

I especially became interested in the offensive side of security because of that mindset.

I like the idea of understanding how a system works, looking at it from a different perspective, finding weaknesses, and understanding why those weaknesses exist.

But when I first decided that I wanted to learn cybersecurity, I had a problem.

I had no idea where to start.

Getting Lost Before Even Starting

I started doing what most beginners probably do.

I searched.

A lot.

I watched cybersecurity videos. I looked at roadmaps. I searched for courses. I read articles. I saved resources. I looked at certifications. I watched people explaining how they became penetration testers and Red Teamers.

And the more I searched, the more confused I became.

There were so many things to learn.

Networking.

Linux.

Windows.

Programming.

Web security.

Cloud.

Active Directory.

Cryptography.

Malware.

Digital forensics.

Penetration testing.

Red Teaming.

Security research.

And then there were hundreds of tools and thousands of tutorials for all of them.

At one point, I realized I was spending more time trying to find the perfect resource than actually learning.

I was stuck in a loop:

Find a resource → watch it → find another resource → save it → watch another video → repeat.

I was learning about cybersecurity content, but I wasn't really building cybersecurity skills.

That was probably one of the first important lessons I learned.

I Needed to Go Back to the Beginning

Instead of trying to jump directly into penetration testing or Red Teaming, I decided to go back to the basics.

Really basic.

I started asking myself questions like:

• How does a computer actually work?
• What does an operating system do?
• How do computers communicate with each other?
• What is an IP address?
• What happens when data travels across a network?
• What are ports?
• How does DNS work?
• How does Linux work?
• What are processes and permissions?
• How does the web work?

At first, some of these topics felt far away from the cybersecurity content I was interested in.

But the more I learned, the more I understood why the fundamentals matter.

If I don't understand networking, how can I properly understand network attacks?

If I don't understand Linux and Windows, how can I expect to understand attacks against those systems?

If I don't understand how the web works, how can I properly understand web vulnerabilities?

So I stopped trying to skip the boring parts.

I'm currently working through Linux and networking, and honestly, the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.

And I'm starting to think that's a good thing.

The Resources That Helped Me Get Started

Finding good beginner resources was one of the hardest parts for me.

I tried and explored quite a few different resources, and I'm still using different ones depending on what I'm learning.

For cybersecurity and networking fundamentals, I went through resources such as Cisco's Introduction to Cybersecurity, Networking Basics, Network Defense, and Endpoint Security.

For Linux, I explored Linux Journey and free learning resources from the Linux Foundation.

For Python and programming fundamentals, I started looking at Harvard's CS50P.

I also explored Fortinet's introductory material, including NSE 1, NSE 2, and NSE 3.

IBM SkillsBuild and other IBM learning resources were also useful when I was trying to get a broader understanding of computers, networking, operating systems, and cybersecurity.

For understanding the overall direction of what I should learn, I found roadmap.sh useful.

But I don't see these resources as a checklist.

Finishing a course doesn't mean I suddenly understand a subject.

Sometimes I finish a lesson and realize I still don't understand the concept properly. Sometimes I need to go somewhere else and learn the same thing from another explanation.

That's normal.

I'm learning that cybersecurity isn't a straight line.

The Part That Changed My Learning

The biggest change happened when I started moving from watching to doing.

I started exploring hands-on platforms such as TryHackMe, OverTheWire, and PortSwigger Web Security Academy.

This made a huge difference.

There is a big difference between reading that something works a certain way and actually sitting in front of a terminal and trying it yourself.

You make mistakes.

Commands don't work.

You misunderstand something.

You search for the error.

You try again.

And eventually, something clicks.

That feeling is completely different from just watching someone else do it.

It also made me realize that cybersecurity is much more interesting when you actually interact with the things you're learning.

That's the direction I want to continue with.

Less:

"I watched a video about it."

More:

"I learned it, tried it, broke something in a lab, figured out what happened, and can now explain it."

I'm Still Exploring

While working through the fundamentals, I've also started exploring other areas.

I've looked at Microsoft Learn, including the SC-900 material, to get a better understanding of Microsoft's security and compliance ecosystem.

I've also explored AWS Skill Builder because cloud is another area I want to understand.

I don't expect to become an expert in all of these areas.

Right now, I'm trying to understand how everything connects.

The deeper I go, the more I realize that cybersecurity isn't just one skill.

It's a combination of many different areas.

And that's probably what makes it difficult to enter — but also what makes it interesting.

Why Red Teaming?

Out of all the areas I've explored so far, offensive security is the direction that interests me the most.

More specifically, I want to work toward Red Teaming.

The reason is probably connected to how I've always approached things.

I like exploring.

I like understanding how something works.

I like asking:

What happens if I change this?

Why does this work this way?

What happens if something is configured incorrectly?

Could this be abused?

Why does this security control exist?

Of course, professional Red Teaming isn't simply about breaking things.

There is a lot more to it.

You need a strong understanding of operating systems, networking, applications, security controls, identity, and many other areas.

You also need to work within authorization and clearly defined rules.

That's why I don't want to call myself a Red Teamer right now.

I'm not there yet.

It's the direction I'm working toward.

First, I need to build the foundation.

Then I need to practice.

Then I need to practice some more.

The Roadmap I'm Following

Right now, the roadmap in my head looks something like this:

Computer Fundamentals

↓

Networking

↓

Linux & Windows

↓

Programming & Scripting

↓

Web Security

↓

Penetration Testing

↓

Active Directory

↓

Red Teaming

↓

Security Research

I'm sure this will change.

Maybe I'll discover an area that I enjoy more than I expected. Maybe I'll spend more time on something that isn't currently on this list.

That's okay.

I'm not treating this as a perfect formula.

I'm using it to give myself direction while I continue exploring.

Learn → Practice → Explain

There is one approach I want to follow throughout this journey:

Learn → Practice → Explain.

This is also one of the main reasons I decided to start writing.

I don't want to create articles just by asking AI to explain a cybersecurity topic and then publishing the result.

If I write about DNS, I want to actually learn DNS.

If I write about Linux permissions, I want to work with Linux permissions.

If I write about web security, I want to practice it in authorized labs and understand what I'm explaining.

I want the things I publish to come from something I actually learned or practiced.

Writing also gives me a way to test my understanding.

If I can't explain something in simple words, maybe I don't understand it as well as I thought I did.

That is something I expect to discover many times.

Why Am I Writing About This?

I could have waited until I had more experience.

I could have waited until I completed several certifications.

I could have waited until I had a cybersecurity job.

But then I would miss the most interesting part:

the beginning.

I want to document what it's actually like to start from the fundamentals and work toward a cybersecurity career.

The things I understand.

The things I don't understand.

The labs I complete.

The mistakes I make.

The projects I build.

The research I explore.

And hopefully, the progress I make over time.

Maybe six months from now I'll read this article and laugh at some of the things I didn't understand.

I actually hope that happens.

It would mean I'm learning.

What I Plan to Write About

As I continue learning, I'll be writing about things such as:

• Networking
• Linux and Windows
• Web security
• Penetration testing
• Active Directory
• Red Teaming
• Security research
• Cloud security
• AI/ML security
• Practical labs
• Projects and experiments
• Things I struggled with
• Things I learned from mistakes

Some articles will be simple explanations of things I'm learning.

Others will be practical write-ups from labs, projects, or experiments.

I also want to share useful beginner resources along the way because finding those resources was one of the things I struggled with when I started.

What About Certifications?

Another thing I noticed very quickly while researching cybersecurity was how much discussion there is around certifications.

There are certifications for almost every direction.

Some are useful.

Some are expensive.

Some are important for particular roles.

But I don't want collecting certificates to become my definition of learning cybersecurity.

For me, the priority right now is building actual understanding and practical skills.

If I eventually pursue certifications, I want them to support the skills I'm developing rather than replace them.

A certificate can show that you completed a learning path.

I also want to have something else to show:

projects, labs, research, writing, and things I've actually built or practiced.

I'm Starting From Here

I started this journey with a B.Tech in Information Technology, some basic knowledge, a lot of curiosity, and honestly, a lot of confusion about where to begin.

I spent too much time searching for the perfect roadmap.

Then I realized there probably isn't one.

There are good courses.

There are good books.

There are good roadmaps.

There are great labs.

There are communities full of people willing to share what they've learned.

But at some point, you have to stop searching and start doing.

Open the terminal.

Start the lab.

Read the documentation.

Make mistakes.

Figure out why something didn't work.

Try again.

And then explain what you learned.

That's the approach I want to take from here.

Learn. Practice. Build. Explain. Repeat.

My long-term goal is to work toward offensive security, Red Teaming, and eventually security research.

But for now, I'm starting where I believe I need to start:

the fundamentals.

This is the beginning of my journey.