Success stories

Where they started, and what actually changed

Longer than a testimonial and more useful. Each story covers the wall they hit, the point the work clicked, and what they would tell someone starting out.

Nikhil Vatsa

Managed security provider

From

Helpdesk Engineer

SOC Analyst

Time taken: 7 months
Program: SOC Analyst Path

View the SOC Analyst Path

Three years of password resets, two certifications, and no interview callbacks.

The wall

Every application came back the same way. The certifications proved familiarity with vocabulary but nothing about capability, and there was no way to demonstrate the difference on a resume.

The turning point

The shift came during the phishing module, when an investigation that looked routine turned out to involve a mailbox rule that had been quietly forwarding for weeks. Scoping that properly — and writing it up badly, then rewriting it twice after review — was the first time the work felt like a profession rather than a syllabus.

Where they are now

Interviewed with three organisations and walked each panel through a documented investigation. Joined a managed security provider on the Tier 1 queue and moved to Tier 2 within a year.

“Do the write-ups properly even when nobody would notice if you did not. That is the part that gets you hired.”
Their advice to someone starting out

Govind Kumar

Financial services

From

Computer Science Graduate

Security Analyst

Time taken: 6 months
Program: SOC Analyst Foundation

View the SOC Analyst Path

Graduated into a market that wanted two years of experience for entry-level roles.

The wall

A good degree with no practical security exposure. Online courses filled the time but produced nothing that could be shown to an employer, and confidence dropped with every rejection.

The turning point

Being handed an alert queue with realistic noise and told to justify the priority order. Getting it wrong in a review, with reasons, was more useful than any lecture had been.

Where they are now

Joined the internal security team at a financial services firm, working alongside the fraud and identity functions.

“Stop collecting courses. Pick one environment, work in it until it is boring, and write down everything you do.”
Their advice to someone starting out

Rahul

SaaS company

From

Network Engineer

Cloud Security Engineer

Time taken: 8 months
Program: Cloud Security Path

View the Cloud Security Path

Eight years of solid network engineering, and an employer migrating everything to cloud.

The wall

Deep infrastructure knowledge that was becoming less relevant each quarter. Cloud security felt adjacent but the identity-centred model did not map onto years of perimeter thinking.

The turning point

Investigating a simulated intrusion that never touched the network layer at all — a consented application, a token, and access to data. That reframed which controls actually mattered.

Where they are now

Moved internally into a cloud security role, now owning identity architecture and detection coverage for the platform team.

“Your existing experience is worth more than you think, but only after you stop trying to force cloud into a network-shaped model.”
Their advice to someone starting out

More voices

Shorter reflections

From students across every program in the catalogue.

I had a certification and no idea what an analyst actually did all day. Six weeks in I was working a queue and defending my calls in review. The interview was the first time I had something concrete to talk about.

Nikhil Vatsa

SOC Analyst · Managed security provider

Previously: Helpdesk engineer

The written investigation reviews were brutal and the reason I got hired. My reports went from three vague lines to something a lead could act on without asking me anything.

Govind Kumar

Security Analyst · Financial services

Previously: Final-year engineering student

I already worked in infrastructure but could not investigate anything. Learning to read control-plane logs properly changed which conversations I was invited into at work.

Rahul

Cloud Security Engineer · SaaS company

Previously: Network engineer

What I valued most was being told, in the first consultation, that I should wait three months and learn networking first. Nobody else had turned down my money.

Placeholder Name

SOC Analyst (Tier 2) · Healthcare technology

Previously: Network support technician

The mock interview panel was harder than the actual interview. I froze twice in practice, got told exactly why, and did not freeze when it counted.

Placeholder Name

Information Security Analyst · Retail group

Previously: Desktop support

Detection engineering was the part I did not know existed. Writing rules and then watching them fire fifty times on noise taught me more than any module on attack theory.

Placeholder Name

Detection Engineer · Technology consultancy

Previously: SOC Analyst (Tier 1)

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