learn / switching into cyber / sw5 · 1 of 1 · 8 min
Five to seven hours a week, month by month — from "how does a network work" to applying with proof in hand.
## The deal
This plan assumes you have a job, a life and about five to seven hours a week: an hour on most weeknights plus a longer block on the weekend. It aims for one of the realistic doors from the last lesson: IT support, a security operations center analyst role, or a compliance role.
Two rules make this work:
- Same time, every week. Put the hours on your calendar like a shift. Motivation fades and a schedule doesn't.
- Build something every month. Reading and videos feel productive, but hiring managers want to see what you did. Every month below ends with something you can show.
## Months 1–2: how computers and networks work
Month 1: Computers and the command line
Work through Computing Fundamentals here. Install Linux in a free virtual machine (a computer running inside your computer). Learn to move around, read files and edit them, and take the Vim track's first module so a terminal editor never stops you.
Show it: a short write-up of setting up your Linux virtual machine and ten commands you now use.
Month 2: Networking
Work through the Networking track: addresses, ports, the domain name system (DNS), and what actually happens when you open a website. Capture your own traffic with Wireshark and figure out what you're seeing.
Show it: a one-page explainer, in your own words, of what happens when you load a web page.
It's the end of month one. Which of these is the best "show it" proof of what you learned?
## Months 3–4: security basics, then pick a lane
Month 3: Security fundamentals
Cover how attacks work, how logins and passwords are protected, logs, and the basics of defense. This is also a good month to start a beginner certification if you've decided one is worth it for your target door (see Certifications Worth Paying For).
Show it: notes from three free hands-on labs, written up as if you were explaining them to a coworker.
Month 4: Go deeper in ONE lane
For analyst roles, do the Blue Team & Security Operations track and practice investigating logs. For compliance roles, read one framework end to end (the NIST Cybersecurity Framework is free) and map a pretend small business to it.
Show it: one real project. Investigate a sample incident and write the report, or write a mini risk assessment.
You're two weeks behind in month three and a topic just isn't clicking. What's the best move?
## Months 5–6: proof, people and applications
Month 5: Make your work visible
Clean up your write-ups and put them somewhere public, like a simple blog or a GitHub profile. Join one community: a local security meetup, a conference volunteer team or an online group. Try a beginner-friendly capture-the-flag (CTF) event.
Show it: a portfolio page with your three best write-ups.
Month 6: Apply like it's a project
Translate your resume, as in What You Already Bring. Apply to your realistic door and your side door at the same time. Talk to people who do the job you want, and ask what they'd want to see from you.
Show it: a tracker of every application, contact and follow-up.
## When it doesn't go to plan
It won't, at least not exactly. Some advice from people who've done it:
- Fell behind? Skip ahead, don't start over. Gaps fill in later.
- Stuck on a topic for two weeks? Write down exactly what confuses you, then ask in a community. Explaining the problem often solves it.
- No interviews after a month of applying? It's usually the resume or the targeting, not you. Get someone in the field to look at your resume, and lean harder on the side door.
Put the six-month plan in order.
- 1.Security fundamentals
- 2.Go deep in one lane with a real project
- 3.How networks work
- 4.Make your work visible and join a community
- 5.Computers, Linux and the command line
- 6.Translate your resume and apply
## Write it down
Open your calendar right now and block your study hours for the next four weeks. Name each block after the month it belongs to ("Month 1: Linux"). A plan that isn't on the calendar is just a wish.