Anyone here work in IT?

[Strat]

Long story short I'm thinking about working in IT. However, I'm terrible at math and I've heard that you need to be good at math to work in IT. I'm interested in cyber security.

Admittedly I know little about IT in general, I've recently begun researching it. I am good with computers, I know a bit of coding and technology in general isn't difficult for me to understand.

Again, my hesitation is my poor math skills.

Any of you work in cyber security?

[Matthew]

A collage teacher I had told me a story from when he worked for a defence company.

This was before computer programming courses were even a thing, computers were too new. He said his defence company did a study to find out which graduates made the best developers. Apparently language students make the best programmers. Maths idolises compressing things to make them small, but since the 1980's readability of code became a bona fida part of software engineering; their argument was code is written once but read many times. Cryptic code is frowned upon, seen as a self-protecting and not in the businesses or teams interest. I have always enjoyed learning new programming languages by writing a game in it, or doing something with the language I truly love; it helps when the learning gets tough. I don't work in cyber security, I have a background writing code for software houses mostly creating off-the-shelf applications but some bespoke work. Make it yours and have fun with it! Good luck!

[Rawhide68]

Ill join you in a hug strat.
:blackwidow:
Go geek for ppl talking C plus plus and Python :p

[Mike]

I thought you were going to be a documentary filmmaker. Come on Durden, make up your mind already:)

[Strat]

I thought you were going to be a documentary filmmaker. Come on Durden, make up your mind already:)

That's still on the table but is something I have to do in my spare time. I need something that pays the bills right away. Know what I mean chief boss man?

[Mike]

I thought you were going to be a documentary filmmaker. Come on Durden, make up your mind already:)

That's still on the table but is something I have to do in my spare time. I need something that pays the bills right away. Know what I mean chief boss man?


I hear ya slugger

[Vangelo]

... I'm terrible at math and I've heard that you need to be good at math to work in IT. I'm interested in cyber security. ...


Hi Strat, the reason why 'math skills' are associated with programming is because of the need for logical reasoning and because most programming in the very early days was to perform complex calculations.

Cyber security is a huge field, at one end is cryptography which requires PhD level math skills, at the other end is the application of security tools within an environment to keep it secure and protected from attacks both internal and external. There are many jobs in the InfoSec space that do not require math. I suspect there are a ton of youtube videos you can watch to learn more.

[DeDukshyn]

You don't need to be really good at math, but you will probably need to know how to use a spreadsheet, like excel.

I managed a small IT department for many years, and had one employee who was trained in, and provided, endpoint cybersecurity. Like Vangelo said, it's a broad spectrum. If you are working endpoint security, not a lot of fancy math is needed, but regular use of spreadsheets is probably going to be part of it.

Good luck!

[Alecs]

Hey Strat, Let me throw out the idea of getting into some position that you feel comfortable in / qualified for at a Florida college or non-agenda2030 university. Prove your an asset, then transfer to the department in positions that will give you the IT experience, knowledge and skills you're seeking. This approach may also afford you tuition benefits while attending IT and cyber security courses, conferences, workshops, etc. If you decide the field is not your cup of tea, there may be other positions to transfer into. I wouldn't be over concerned about math skills unless you want to deep dive into, for example, data analytics. Cheers.

[zebowho]

I've worked in (and still do) the IT field for quite a while. There would be some math involved, in specific areas but like others have said, nothing to be too worried about and again its only a small part of it.

On the cyber security front. Yes it can pay really good but you'll definitely need some network fundamentals under your belt before jumping into the deep end. I'm currently studying for two security certs and they both require this in order to fully understand all the security aspects. In fact one requires (all though I'm not sure how stringent they are) to have worked several years as a network professional, as part of the qualifying process for the final cert. You may be able to get by just by going straight in but it would be much easier if you had this foundation. Looking up certification pre-requisites should get you a good idea.

Anyway, cyber security is a pretty broad and potentially complicated area (just realized Vangelo and DeDukshyn said the same thing!). Definitely keep looking into it and I wish you success!
-Z

[TomKat]

Long story short I'm thinking about working in IT. However, I'm terrible at math and I've heard that you need to be good at math to work in IT. I'm interested in cyber security.

Admittedly I know little about IT in general, I've recently begun researching it. I am good with computers, I know a bit of coding and technology in general isn't difficult for me to understand.

Again, my hesitation is my poor math skills.

Any of you work in cyber security?

I've worked in various IT areas. No math skil required beyond, say 5th grade arithmetic. Which can be done with the calculator on your phone.

[samsdice]

Hi Strat - Cloud computing is pretty big right now. If you're good with configuring computers (and VMs) running linux and installing, patching etc. Also databases are still meat and gravy in IT. Many companies are also in this space.

Regards,
samsdice

[Mike Gorman]

When I was about your age Strat, back in 1996 I was at a similar crossroads - I had recently gone through a divorce and I was pondering my next big move on life's chess board. I saw an advert in one of those community newspapers for an IT course, it consisted of a comprehensive study of Microsoft operating systems, DOS, networking, hardware (putting PC's together from components and configuring them). I signed up for this course. My maths skills have never been my strong suit, I get by with fundamental calculation and high school algebra/geometry but nothing fancy please!
Anyway to keep this concise: by going through this course, and graduating successfully there was an opportunity to work for the state government in one of their large agency IT departments, on the 'Help Desk'.
You find a lot of these private IT course companies form relationships with the local business community and there is always a demand for Tech Support workers, because these days businesses cannot function without people to adjust, install, configure and support IT systems.
If you want to enter the IT field, and I think this is a solid choice which pays very well, you should sign up for a general IT course and aim to become a Tech Support specialist, or systems administrator. I have worked in this space since 1996, and I am coming up to 64 this May. I still work as a tech support operator and also systems admin, you can do a lot worse and you know what? I have not had to perform any exotic maths operations, or even long multiplication in this time. Being a 'Coder' demands a good logical brain, but maths does not really enter the arena very much, beyond calculating how much of something you might need.

[Rawhide68]

Listen to this, it's worthwile and sticks with the topic.
skip 6 mins, then dig in STRAT!:heart:

rt5qKge-Czo

[palehorse]

I worked in this field as a programmer for about 20 years, I left years ago due to the huge amount of complexity of this damned thing has become. What was once a passion had become a burden.

My work was mostly writing code using languages like C/PASCAL/Object-Pascal/ASP.NET/Python/PHP/Java/PL-SQL/SQL/Lisp/Scheme I started with Unix and Linux and had to work with Windows innumerous times, in between my role as a programmer I also learned how to work with graphics, I learned network, and I got into hacking as well for a few years, that's when I really learned how absolutely insecure this field were and does not matter how much "cyber security" you set in motion, it will always be flaws everywhere. It is just as it is.

I am from a time that everyone used to speak a lot about the "7 layer model", but with the exponential growth of the networks and protocols, it feels like it is time to make changes in the stack, there is a need to rethink the interaction of the entire thing, after all it is not only beautiful API out there, there is much more to the game. In the meantime we still relaying on the current seven layers, until when I don't know, I can only guess, when major cyber attacks (funded by the cabal or not (believe me, still have a lot of cowboys out there)) start creeping the entire network.. you know that will be the time to change.

One thing you will encounter if you decide to get into it, specially in terms of programming, very often you will be in that cross-road where one side takes you to write code in a functional way, and the other side will take you to write code in a "more natural way" with sometimes great "side effects". We as human beings will almost always take the natural way road. It explains a lot of the current messy situation in IT, people without any knowledge would call me negative, no doubt about that. Again it is just as it is.


I would ask myself before:

- how is your network skills, do you understand in details all the network layers?
- how is your programming skills?
- Do you have a strong logic?
- How is your *hacking skills?

If you failed on the summarized above, then learn it and as someone said before, try to get a certification on something, it is a better way to get hired and get work that will pay well. Just get those skills sharpened.

* perhaps the most important one, because in order to be good in cyber security (assuming you want to work in the front line or in the fire line) mitigating problems, you first has to become a hacker to know exactly what you will be dealing with (the mindset), learn about zero-day exploits (big topic on itself).

My 2 cents, have sure you got a very strong foundation in Unix/Linux and network, without it you won't go very far.

Oh Math yeah! Depending what you want to put yourself in, you only need just basic skills, if you are going to operate systems (insert/update/delete rules and configs/settings) you won't need any math skills, a kid could do that. Everything is input/output.

"All respected hackers has great math skills."
(not sure who said that)

[Blastolabs]

Learn Metasploit from the command line.

Everything you need to know is a few keystrokes away and the creators know their ****

https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework.git

Once you learn metasploit Phineas Phisher is always "hiring"


"It seems to me that hacking to get and leak documents of public interest is one of the best ways in which hackers can use their skills for the benefit of society. Unfortunately for us hackers, as in almost every category, the perverse incentives of our economic system do not coincide with what benefits society. So this program is my attempt to make it possible for good hackers to earn a living in an honest way by revealing material of public interest, instead of having to go selling their work to the cybersecurity, cybercrime or business industries.


Some examples of companies whose leaks I would love to pay for are:
- the mining, logging and livestock companies that plunder our beautiful Latin America (and kill land and territory defenders trying to stop them)
- companies involved in attacks on Rojava such as Baykar Makina or Havelsan
- surveillance companies such as the NSO group
- war criminals and birds of prey such as Blackwater and Halliburton
- private penitentiary companies such as GeoGroup and CoreCivic / CCA, and corporate lobbyists such as ALEC

Pay attention when choosing where to investigate. For example, it is well known that oil companies are evil: they get rich at the cost of destroying the planet (and back in the 80s the companies themselves already knew about the consequences of their activity [1]). But if you hack them directly, you will have to dive into an incredible amount of boring information about your daily operations. Very likely it will be much easier for you to find something interesting if instead you focus on your lobbyists [2]. Another way to select viable goals is to read stories of investigative journalists (such as [3]), which are interesting but lack solid evidence. And that is exactly what your hacks can find.

I will pay up to 100 thousand USD for each filtration of this type, according to the public interest and impact of the material, and the labor required in the hacking. Needless to say, a complete leak of the documents and internal communications of any of these companies will be a benefit for society that exceeds those one hundred thousand, but I am not trying to enrich anyone. I just want to provide enough funds so that hackers can earn a decent living doing a good job. Due to time constraints and safety considerations I will not open the material, nor inspect it for myself, but I will read what the press says about it once it has been published, and I will make an estimate of the public interest from there. My contact information is at the end of the guide mentioned above [4].

How you get the material is your thing. You can use the traditional hacking techniques outlined in this guide and the previous one [4]. You could do a sim swap [5] on a corrupt businessman or politician, and then download his emails and backups from the cloud. You can order an IMSI catcher from alibaba and use it outside its offices. You can do some war-driving (the old way or the new [6]). You may be a person within your organizations that already has access. You can opt for a low-tech old-school style like in [7] and [8], and simply sneak into their offices. Whatever works for you.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/sep/19/shell-and-exxons-secret-1980s-climate-change-warnings
[2] https://theintercept.com/2019/08/19/oil-lobby-pipeline-protests/
[3] https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-como-manipular-una-eleccion/
[4] https://www.exploit-db.com/papers/41914
[5] https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vbqax3/hackers-sim-swapping-steal-phone-numbers-instagram-bitcoin
[6] https://blog.rapid7.com/2019/09/05/this-one-time-on-a-pen-test-your-mouse-is-my-keyboard/
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens%27_Commission_to_Investigate_the_FBI
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unnecessary_Fuss

-Phineas Phisher "Hack Back

https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/download/155392/hackback-bankrobbing.txt

[Mashika]

Long story short I'm thinking about working in IT. However, I'm terrible at math and I've heard that you need to be good at math to work in IT. I'm interested in cyber security.

Admittedly I know little about IT in general, I've recently begun researching it. I am good with computers, I know a bit of coding and technology in general isn't difficult for me to understand.

Again, my hesitation is my poor math skills.

Any of you work in cyber security?

I think it would be best to start with DevOps, it involves learning and implementing security in several ways, then it could lead into a full SecOps career, but to just jump directly into it and in a short time it may not be possible, there's way lots of stuff to learn before you can be pro and get good cash from it :)

Also you need to be a hacker of some kind already, i mean you must have already been hacking stuff before going into SeCops, specially if you are going to try to work on Pen Testing and such

Safest/quickest path may be DevOps, no heavy maths required at all

[The Moss Trooper]

Long story short I'm thinking about working in IT. However, I'm terrible at math and I've heard that you need to be good at math to work in IT. I'm interested in cyber security.

Admittedly I know little about IT in general, I've recently begun researching it. I am good with computers, I know a bit of coding and technology in general isn't difficult for me to understand.

Again, my hesitation is my poor math skills.

Any of you work in cyber security?

I think it would be best to start with DevOps, it involves learning and implementing security in several ways, then it could lead into a full SecOps career, but to just jump directly into it and in a short time it may not be possible, there's way lots of stuff to learn before you can be pro and get good cash from it :)

Also you need to be a hacker of some kind already, i mean you must have already been hacking stuff before going into SeCops, specially if you are going to try to work on Pen Testing and such

Safest/quickest path may be DevOps, no heavy maths required at all


Wow!

Cool new profile pic!!

Is that you??? Are they, some, like, coded hand-shapes you be throwing up there, like some West-Side sh*t?????

Awesome.

Have you been somewhere on a special mission during your absence??????

Know that you have been greatly missed around these parts, although I'm sure you've been keeping the "head-shed" up to date with crucial intel.


War........ Phew, what a gass eh.

P.S. Nice boots. Are they Fjallraven by chance?

[Mashika]

Wow!

Cool new profile pic!!

Is that you??? Are they, some, like, coded hand-shapes you be throwing up there, like some West-Side sh*t?????

Awesome.

The letter that can't be named: Z
:ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:




Have you been somewhere on a special mission during your absence??????

Perhaps si, perhaps no, да нет :P



Know that you have been greatly missed around these parts

Thanks!



although I'm sure you've been keeping the "head-shed" up to date with crucial intel.

Maybe, maybe not :P



War........ Phew, what a gass eh.

да! Nah honestly i don't know what that means lol :P sorry



P.S. Nice boots. Are they Fjallraven by chance?

Nope :) Standard issued Novorossiya uniform looks like that, see the Novorossiya flag patch, all of it custom made in Donetsk and Russia :P

[Strat]

She's throwing up the hand sign for the generation she was born in.

[Mashika]

Zzzzzzzzzzz

lmao but Nein!

Let the soul of Kurt Cobain be my witness that the sign is for the Russian Z and not the Amerikansky Gen-Z :P

[Strat]

You summon one of the godfathers of grunge to support your Russian shenanigans ? I await All Apologies.
:beer:

[Bill Ryan]

You summon one of the godfathers of grunge to support your Russian shenanigans ? I await All Apologies.
:beer:Ahem. :) This is your thread, so do let the mods know if we can bring it back to topic — if you want to!!

[Strat]

Gotcha, maybe we should stay on topic because this thread may be useful for others in the future. Malisa and I will stop running in the house and go play outside :heart:

[anica]

My friend recently started to develop his mobile app. And he used this software for a construction company (https://www.intellectsoft.net/platforms/construction-software-development) because he thought that he can do it by himself. But unfortunately, he had small experience and he decided to find a professional developer that helped him a lot. And he was so happy that he give this work to a professional.

[Szymon]

Long story short I'm thinking about working in IT. However, I'm terrible at math and I've heard that you need to be good at math to work in IT. I'm interested in cyber security.

Admittedly I know little about IT in general, I've recently begun researching it. I am good with computers, I know a bit of coding and technology in general isn't difficult for me to understand.

Again, my hesitation is my poor math skills.

Any of you work in cyber security?

Hi Strat,

I'm currently in the IT industry with over 20 years in the field. I held senior positions in the past. Are you interested in working in cyber security? I suggest playing around with Kali OS, there is a lot of free information on their site.

https://www.kali.org/

Most cyber security start here and then develop a few security courses under the belt. You will need to learn CLI and mostly Linux-based systems. Also a good understanding of software architecture as well as hardware like firewalls, protocols like IP and Ports, etc...

At the moment this field is rapidly growing and employers pay very good money over 100k, if you're good.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Szymon