5 answers
AARON
Student
Sammamish, Washington
1
Question
Asked
576 views
What are some good certifications for a cybersecurity major that can help me increase my chances of an internship ?
I have gone to community college and taken the Google cybersecurity certificate. I am in the process of completing the CompTIA Sec+ as well. I am struggling to find any internships that will consider my little knowledge and skills.
Login to comment
5 answers
Hemant Gupta
Software Engineer
13
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Hemant’s Answer
You're already on a great path with the Google Cybersecurity Certificate and working on CompTIA Security+ both are recognised starting points in cybersecurity. To further strengthen your profile and stand out for internships, consider earning more certifications that Pluralsight can help you prepare for:
A) Top Certifications to Consider:
1. CompTIA CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst+) - Focuses on threat detection, vulnerability management, and incident response. Highly valued after Security+.
2. CompTIA PenTest+ - Great for aspiring penetration testers or red team members.
3. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) - Validates skills in penetration testing and ethical hacking. Pluralsight has full learning paths for CEH exam prep.
4. (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) - A newer certification meant for beginners entering the field. Many companies now recognise this as a strong starter.
5. Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) by EC-Council - Perfect if you’re aiming for a Security Operations Center (SOC) internship.
6. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Basic certification for understanding cloud services, especially important because a lot of cybersecurity work is moving to the cloud.
7. Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals - If you're interested in cloud security (Azure, Active Directory), this one pairs well with internships in Microsoft-heavy environments.
8. Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate - Focuses on cybersecurity operations and is highly respected in networking/security-focused roles.
9. GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) - A gold-standard certification for general security knowledge
B) Why Pluralsight helps:
1. Certification prep paths - Structured learning plans for certifications like Security+, CySA+, CEH, and more.
2. Hands-on labs and sandboxes - Practice real-world scenarios not just theory.
3. Skill IQ and Role IQ assessments - Help you identify gaps and focus your study time efficiently.
4. Up-to-date content - Courses aligned with the latest exam objectives and cybersecurity trends.
C) Strategy:
1. Finish Security+ then pick one intermediate certification.
2. Use Pluralsight’s hands-on labs to build experience.
3. Document projects or lab exercises (e.g., small reports on vulnerability scans, threat hunting) and include them in your resume/LinkedIn.
Recruiters aren't only looking for certifications. They're looking for proof of action and learning. Pluralsight helps you turn certifications into real skills you can show during interviews and on your resume.
A) Top Certifications to Consider:
1. CompTIA CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst+) - Focuses on threat detection, vulnerability management, and incident response. Highly valued after Security+.
2. CompTIA PenTest+ - Great for aspiring penetration testers or red team members.
3. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) - Validates skills in penetration testing and ethical hacking. Pluralsight has full learning paths for CEH exam prep.
4. (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) - A newer certification meant for beginners entering the field. Many companies now recognise this as a strong starter.
5. Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) by EC-Council - Perfect if you’re aiming for a Security Operations Center (SOC) internship.
6. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Basic certification for understanding cloud services, especially important because a lot of cybersecurity work is moving to the cloud.
7. Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals - If you're interested in cloud security (Azure, Active Directory), this one pairs well with internships in Microsoft-heavy environments.
8. Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate - Focuses on cybersecurity operations and is highly respected in networking/security-focused roles.
9. GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) - A gold-standard certification for general security knowledge
B) Why Pluralsight helps:
1. Certification prep paths - Structured learning plans for certifications like Security+, CySA+, CEH, and more.
2. Hands-on labs and sandboxes - Practice real-world scenarios not just theory.
3. Skill IQ and Role IQ assessments - Help you identify gaps and focus your study time efficiently.
4. Up-to-date content - Courses aligned with the latest exam objectives and cybersecurity trends.
C) Strategy:
1. Finish Security+ then pick one intermediate certification.
2. Use Pluralsight’s hands-on labs to build experience.
3. Document projects or lab exercises (e.g., small reports on vulnerability scans, threat hunting) and include them in your resume/LinkedIn.
Recruiters aren't only looking for certifications. They're looking for proof of action and learning. Pluralsight helps you turn certifications into real skills you can show during interviews and on your resume.
Teklemuz Ayenew Tesfay
Electrical engineer, researcher and Software Developer
198
Answers
Ethiopia
Updated
Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
You're laying a solid groundwork in cybersecurity through community college, the Google Cybersecurity Certificate, and CompTIA Security+. To boost your chances of landing an internship, think about adding beginner certifications like ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC), CompTIA Network+, or Microsoft SC-900. Platforms like TryHackMe, Hack The Box, and PortSwigger offer hands-on learning with certificates that showcase your practical skills. To gain real experience, try setting up a home lab with VirtualBox, Kali Linux, and Metasploitable to practice scanning, log analysis, and network defense. Share your projects on GitHub or LinkedIn, and join hackathons or Capture The Flag competitions through CTFtime.org or Major League Hacking (MLH) to increase your visibility and connect with professionals.
To further distinguish yourself, contribute to open-source security projects, volunteer for nonprofits, or complete free virtual work experiences on platforms like Forage, which simulate real-world tasks from companies like Cisco and PwC. Strengthen your defensive skills with CyberDefenders, Blue Team Labs Online, LetsDefend.io, and RangeForce Community Edition. Customize your resume to highlight your projects and tools, and stay active on LinkedIn by sharing your learning journey. By combining certifications, hands-on practice, real-world simulations, and community involvement, you’ll build the credibility and experience needed to secure your first cybersecurity internship. Keep pushing forward—you're on the right path to success!
To further distinguish yourself, contribute to open-source security projects, volunteer for nonprofits, or complete free virtual work experiences on platforms like Forage, which simulate real-world tasks from companies like Cisco and PwC. Strengthen your defensive skills with CyberDefenders, Blue Team Labs Online, LetsDefend.io, and RangeForce Community Edition. Customize your resume to highlight your projects and tools, and stay active on LinkedIn by sharing your learning journey. By combining certifications, hands-on practice, real-world simulations, and community involvement, you’ll build the credibility and experience needed to secure your first cybersecurity internship. Keep pushing forward—you're on the right path to success!
Sandhya Devasani
Senior Technical Writer
2
Answers
Bethel, Connecticut
Updated
Sandhya’s Answer
You are already on a strong path by finishing community college classes, earning the Google Cybersecurity Certificate, and working on your Security+ is more than most people do starting out. It’s okay to feel stuck; that’s part of the process.
At this stage, it helps to aim for entry-level roles like SOC (Security Operations Center) analyst, Level 1 cybersecurity analyst, or even a spot on an incident response team. These roles often involve monitoring alerts, analyzing basic threats, and escalating issues—perfect for someone getting started. You don’t need to know everything; you just need to show you're eager and willing to learn.
Certifications like Network+ or (ISC)²’s entry-level cert can help, but just as valuable is hands-on practice. Even setting up a home lab or working through TryHackMe or Hack The Box exercises can show real initiative. Reach out to local businesses, nonprofits, or even your school—many need help with basic IT or security tasks and may welcome a motivated student offering support. Join LinkedIn, and do some learnings there, which will help you to know more about the current market trends. By doing this you may know your best interest, and start your career from there.
Good luck.
At this stage, it helps to aim for entry-level roles like SOC (Security Operations Center) analyst, Level 1 cybersecurity analyst, or even a spot on an incident response team. These roles often involve monitoring alerts, analyzing basic threats, and escalating issues—perfect for someone getting started. You don’t need to know everything; you just need to show you're eager and willing to learn.
Certifications like Network+ or (ISC)²’s entry-level cert can help, but just as valuable is hands-on practice. Even setting up a home lab or working through TryHackMe or Hack The Box exercises can show real initiative. Reach out to local businesses, nonprofits, or even your school—many need help with basic IT or security tasks and may welcome a motivated student offering support. Join LinkedIn, and do some learnings there, which will help you to know more about the current market trends. By doing this you may know your best interest, and start your career from there.
Good luck.
Easton Gallegos
Staff Auditor
2
Answers
Castle Pines, Colorado
Updated
Easton’s Answer
Hi Aaron,
I was in the same place as you just a couple years ago, getting internships in this field has changed drastically over the past couple of years. I'd like to echo what Sandhya said, at this point in your career it might be best to focus on getting an entry level job instead of an internship. Getting certifications is great, but I can tell you as someone who has plenty of them, it's not enough to get an internship today. Instead, having some prior experience is far more beneficial.
Some people have already mentioned this, but HackTheBox is a great resource for learning and demonstrating both blue and red-team knowledge, you can also try and create your own lab, or rent out a server/domain to further demonstrate your knowledge (and use this lab/server to test/defend against different attacks).
There are also dedicated organizations which help to provide challenges meant to demonstrate or teach you hands-on knowledge of these areas. For instance Overthewire contains several CTF-styled games to teach you the basics of BASH, and OWASP (a major CYB organization) maintains a program called webgoat which teaches you 14 of the most common web-application vulnerabilities and how to exploit them.
If your goal is more blue-team oriented I would recommend looking for jobs in SOC centers. It is possible to find both part-time as well as remote positions for SOC which would both pay better than an internship would be likely to as well as teach you the basics of incident response prior to moving into any other roles. Cybersecurity is often portrayed today as an entry-level role but in truth it requires a large amount of knowledge in other related fields like networking. Because of that, any experience is good experience, even if it's not in CYB but is in a related field like IT or networking.
I was in the same place as you just a couple years ago, getting internships in this field has changed drastically over the past couple of years. I'd like to echo what Sandhya said, at this point in your career it might be best to focus on getting an entry level job instead of an internship. Getting certifications is great, but I can tell you as someone who has plenty of them, it's not enough to get an internship today. Instead, having some prior experience is far more beneficial.
Some people have already mentioned this, but HackTheBox is a great resource for learning and demonstrating both blue and red-team knowledge, you can also try and create your own lab, or rent out a server/domain to further demonstrate your knowledge (and use this lab/server to test/defend against different attacks).
There are also dedicated organizations which help to provide challenges meant to demonstrate or teach you hands-on knowledge of these areas. For instance Overthewire contains several CTF-styled games to teach you the basics of BASH, and OWASP (a major CYB organization) maintains a program called webgoat which teaches you 14 of the most common web-application vulnerabilities and how to exploit them.
If your goal is more blue-team oriented I would recommend looking for jobs in SOC centers. It is possible to find both part-time as well as remote positions for SOC which would both pay better than an internship would be likely to as well as teach you the basics of incident response prior to moving into any other roles. Cybersecurity is often portrayed today as an entry-level role but in truth it requires a large amount of knowledge in other related fields like networking. Because of that, any experience is good experience, even if it's not in CYB but is in a related field like IT or networking.
Timothy Davis, MBA, CISA
18
Answers
Panama City, Florida
Updated
Timothy’s Answer
College programs in Computer Science often focus on programming, but many cyber security jobs involve network infrastructure. To prepare, consider taking courses in network security and getting certifications like Network+ or Security+. Some community colleges or technical schools offer certificates that can be just as effective, or even better, for getting into this field. An Associate degree is a good option because it can count toward a bachelor's degree if you want to continue your education later, which is helpful if you want to move into management.
If you're open to it, joining the armed forces can be a great way to enter cyber security. You'll gain experience, get paid, and earn certifications. The military might also pay for your college education once your service is complete. This path almost guarantees a job because of the high demand for professionals with security clearances.
If you're open to it, joining the armed forces can be a great way to enter cyber security. You'll gain experience, get paid, and earn certifications. The military might also pay for your college education once your service is complete. This path almost guarantees a job because of the high demand for professionals with security clearances.