My Cybersecurity Journey as a Student : From Curiosity to Finding My Own Way of Learning

Hi, this is Ganesh Naidu.

In 10th grade, I developed a strong interest in cybersecurity. It wasn’t about exploiting systems — it was about understanding them and learning how to secure them: “I can break this, and here’s how you can fix it.”

Even during my intermediate (PU), I was waiting for the right chance to explore this field deeply. That opportunity finally came in my first year of engineering (BE), where I started actively exploring cybersecurity.

My journey wasn’t structured. I spent around one year exploring —  in my first year of engineering. But honestly, I didn’t start with strong basics.

At that time, I used AI tools a lot to try different things. I was doing many tasks, but I didn’t truly understand what was happening behind the scenes. I also tried learning networking in the traditional way, but it felt boring and hard to stay consistent.

So instead of forcing myself into a method that didn’t work for me, I changed my approach.

I started focusing more on practical learning — exploring tools, experimenting, and then trying to understand the concepts behind what I was doing. Slowly, things started making more sense.

I won’t say my plans worked perfectly. In fact, many of my initial plans failed. But those failures helped me realize one important thing:

Everyone learns differently.

Advice for Beginners

In today’s era, many beginners struggle to learn in the traditional way. Just reading theory or following structured courses may not work for everyone.

The real question you should ask yourself is:
“How do I understand things best?”

For me, my plans failed in the beginning. I tried different paths, got confused, and didn’t always understand what I was doing.

But over time, I figured out my own way of learning.

You should do the same:

  • Don’t blindly follow others

  • Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything at first

  • Focus on what makes sense to you

Find your own learning style, stay consistent, and keep exploring.

Closing

This is just the beginning of my journey, and I’m still learning every day.

— Ganesh Naidu

🔗 LinkedIn: Ganesh Naidu

💻 GitHub: Ganesh Naidu

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

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