Every journey into cybersecurity begins differently. Mine started with tangled cables, subnet calculators, and Cisco routers. If you’re just stepping into this world or wondering which path leads where—welcome. This is the post I wish I had when I started.
🌐 Phase One: Grounded in Networking
I began as a Network Engineer, navigating the OSI model and configuring switch stacks in physical data centers. My foundational certifications—CCNA, CCDA, CCNP, and the CCIE Written—gave me a deep understanding of how systems communicate and where vulnerabilities often begin. If you’re curious about protocols, packet flows, and the heartbeat of the internet, this is an excellent place to start.
☁️ Phase Two: Surfing the Cloud Wave
As the Cloud Age gained momentum, I shifted my focus to AWS, Azure, and GCP—learning how infrastructure was reimagined for scalability and resilience. I earned my AWS Cloud Practitioner and AWS Solutions Architect Associate, and found myself designing and deploying networking stacks in the cloud, integrating legacy systems with cloud-native capabilities.
🔐 Phase Three: Enter Cybersecurity
The more I worked at the intersection of networks and the cloud, the more I saw the growing importance of Cybersecurity. Studying for the CISSP opened up the vast, nuanced world of cybersecurity—from governance to cryptography to IAM. That learning translated into action as I moved into the Identity and Access Management (IAM) domain, helping enterprises safeguard their digital front doors.
Completing ITIL along the way gave me insight into how security fits into broader enterprise operations—a perspective that’s often underestimated but incredibly powerful in practice.
🧭 Your Map Might Look Different (And That’s Okay)
This was my path: Network Engineer → Cloud Builder → Cybersecurity Practitioner. Yours might start with a security bootcamp, a SOC analyst role, or a software development background. There’s no “one size fits all”—and that’s the beauty of this field.
But if you’re looking for a starting point or a roadmap to guide you, I highly recommend this curated certification pathway by Paul Jerimy:
🔗 Security Certification Roadmap
It’s an excellent visual guide to understand where you are, where you’re headed, and what tools might help you get there.
💬 Let’s Keep This Dialogue Going
Whether you’re working toward your first certification or deciding between IAM and red teaming, I’m happy to help. Subscribe to the newsletter for practical advice, new “starter kits,” and personal reflections on what it means to build a career in cybersecurity. I also keep my schedule open for a quick sync up calls with budding professionals to provide guidance to their career journey. Please feel free to reach out to me on Linked in – linkedin.com/in/vikramkalekar/. Also be on the lookout for my upcoming posts on CISSP and ITIL certifications and my approach towards achieving those.
You don’t have to figure it all out at once. Just start—and stay curious.
The Secure Gradient 