It has been a while since I last updated the website. A lot has happened behind the scenes over the past few months, and I figured it was finally time to sit down and share some of it.
Between moving to a new state, beginning a new position, and continuing to develop my cybersecurity skills, the last several months have been busy—but incredibly rewarding. Although there has not been much visible activity on the website, there has been plenty of progress happening away from it.
Making the Most of a Major Transition
Moving to another state was a significant change. Relocating meant adjusting to a new environment, reorganizing my routine, and preparing for the next stage of my career.
After the move, I had roughly a month before I was scheduled to begin a new position in mid-June. Having that much uninterrupted time was unusual, and I knew it would be easy to let it slip away while settling in.
Instead, I decided to treat it as an opportunity.
I had been considering pursuing the CompTIA CySA+ certification for some time, but studying for a certification while balancing a full-time job can be difficult. Once I started working again, I knew the amount of time and energy I could dedicate to studying would decrease considerably.
With that in mind, I decided there was no better time to make CySA+ my primary focus.
Completing the CySA+ Certification
For the next several weeks, I built much of my daily routine around preparing for the CySA+ exam.
Studying consistently required discipline, especially during a period when there were plenty of other things competing for my attention. Moving comes with an endless list of small tasks, and it would have been easy to postpone studying until everything felt completely settled.
Realistically, however, there is rarely a perfect time to pursue a major goal. There will almost always be another responsibility, distraction, or reason to wait. I decided that making steady progress was more important than waiting for ideal circumstances.
After approximately a month and a half of preparation, I took the exam and passed.
Earning the certification was an exciting accomplishment, but the process itself was just as valuable. Preparing for CySA+ helped reinforce the importance of approaching cybersecurity from an analytical perspective. It required me to think carefully about how security information is interpreted, how suspicious activity is investigated, and how different pieces of evidence can be connected to form a larger picture.
It also reminded me that certifications are most useful when they are treated as part of a broader learning process rather than simply another item to add to a résumé. Passing an exam is rewarding, but the real goal is to retain the knowledge, apply it, and continue building on it.
Completing CySA+ before beginning my new job gave me a strong sense of momentum heading into the next chapter.
Starting a New Position
In mid-June, I officially began my new position.
Starting any new role involves a learning curve. There are new systems to understand, new expectations to meet, new processes to follow, and new people to learn from. Even when you have a strong foundation, entering a different environment shows you how much more there is to learn.
One of the things I continue to appreciate about cybersecurity is that the field does not allow you to become too comfortable. Technology changes, threats evolve, and every environment presents a different set of challenges. There is always another tool, concept, or perspective worth exploring.
I knew my pace would need to change when taking on a full-time position, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could continue making progress while managing the responsibilities of a new job.
The challenge was no longer finding several uninterrupted hours every day. Instead, it became a matter of using smaller blocks of time effectively and maintaining consistency.
Completing BTL1
After beginning my new position, I turned my attention toward BTL1.
Unlike the period leading up to CySA+, I was now balancing certification work with the demands of a full-time schedule. That required a different approach.
Some days offered more time and energy than others. There were evenings when studying felt productive and others when progress was limited. The biggest lesson was that consistency does not always mean completing the same amount of work every day. Sometimes consistency simply means continuing to show up, even when the amount of available time is small.
I completed BTL1 in a little under two months.
Finishing it so soon after starting a new role was especially meaningful because it demonstrated that professional responsibilities and continued development do not have to be mutually exclusive. Progress may happen more slowly when time is limited, but it can still happen.
The experience also reinforced how important practical learning is to me. Reading documentation and studying concepts are necessary, but working through realistic situations creates a different level of understanding. It forces you to slow down, examine the available information, make decisions, and explain why those decisions make sense.
That process of investigation and reasoning is one of the aspects of cybersecurity I find most interesting. There is rarely a single piece of information that provides the entire answer. More often, the task is to evaluate multiple signals, determine what is relevant, and build a defensible conclusion from the evidence.
Completing BTL1 strengthened my confidence while also highlighting areas where I still have room to improve. That combination is one of the best outcomes a learning experience can provide: proof that you have progressed, along with a clearer understanding of where to go next.
Building Sustainable Study Habits
One of the most important lessons from the past few months has been the value of creating a sustainable routine.
When I had several weeks available before starting my new position, I could make certification study the central part of my schedule. Once I began working, that was no longer realistic. I had to become more intentional about how I used my time.
Rather than depending entirely on motivation, I focused on maintaining momentum. Motivation can be useful, but it is inconsistent. Some days it is easy to sit down and study. On other days, especially after a long workday, it is much more difficult.
A routine makes progress less dependent on how motivated I happen to feel.
I also learned not to underestimate smaller study sessions. It is easy to assume that meaningful progress requires several uninterrupted hours, but shorter sessions add up quickly when they are used consistently. Reviewing one concept, completing one exercise, or documenting one takeaway may not feel significant in the moment, but those efforts compound over time.
That mindset helped me move through BTL1 without feeling like every study session needed to be perfect.
Deciding What Comes Next
With CySA+ and BTL1 completed, I have started thinking about the next major goal.
At the moment, I am considering two possible directions: Hack The Box’s CJCA certification or an Amazon Web Services certification.
Both options would be valuable, but they would develop different areas of my skill set.
The CJCA path would allow me to continue building on the cybersecurity-focused momentum I have established. It would provide another structured goal and an opportunity to continue developing practical security knowledge.
An AWS certification, on the other hand, would help strengthen my understanding of cloud technologies. Cloud environments play an increasingly important role in modern infrastructure and security, so developing a better foundation in that area would be beneficial regardless of the exact direction my career takes.
At this point, I do not think I can make a bad decision.
Continuing with a cybersecurity certification would deepen the path I am already following, while pursuing AWS would help broaden my technical foundation. There is value in both specialization and versatility, and I expect both will be important over the long term.
The decision will likely come down to which area makes the most sense to prioritize next—not which one is worthwhile.
Looking Back on the Last Few Months
The last few months have involved a surprising amount of change in a relatively short period of time.
I moved to a new state, prepared for and passed CySA+, started a new position, adjusted to a different routine, and completed BTL1 in under two months.
Looking at everything together, I am proud of the progress I have made. At the same time, I recognize that each accomplishment represents another starting point rather than a finish line.
Cybersecurity is far too broad and fast-moving for anyone to consider their education complete. Every topic seems to lead to several others, and every skill developed reveals another skill worth improving.
That can occasionally feel overwhelming, but it is also what makes the field so engaging. There is always another challenge to work toward.
For now, my goal is to continue learning at a pace that is both ambitious and sustainable. I want to keep pursuing structured certifications, but I also want to spend more time applying what I learn, documenting projects, and sharing useful observations here.
More Updates to Come
Although the website has been quiet, the past several months have been anything but inactive.
This post is a summary of the larger milestones, but I hope to publish more detailed updates about the learning process, the challenges involved in balancing work and certification study, and the resources or strategies that have been useful along the way.
Whether CJCA or AWS comes next, the overall objective remains the same: continue building practical skills, strengthen my technical foundation, and become a more capable cybersecurity professional.
There is still a long way to go, but I am happy with the direction things are moving.
For the moment, it feels good to pause, reflect on the progress, and finally update the website.