How to Learn Cybersecurity as A Beginner by self in 2025

Going for a career in cybersecurity is one of the best decisions you can make in 2025 for yourself because the cybersecurity industry is growing at an astounding rate and the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals is at an all-time high now.

According to Markets and Markets, the cybersecurity market is expected to reach $298.5 billion by 2028 growing at a CAGR of 9.4%. This huge growth also means increased demand for cybersecurity engineers, cybersecurity analysts, consultants, penetration testers, and other popular cybersecurity job roles.

So, for every student or young professional looking to get into a cybersecurity career in 2025, this is the perfect time to invest in cybersecurity certifications and courses, gain the latest in-demand cybersecurity skills, and get started in this rewarding cybersecurity career path.

However, if you are a beginner, it can be difficult to start your cybersecurity learning journey, and can be confusing where to start.

In this brief guide, we will tell you how you can learn cybersecurity as a beginner by yourself in 2025.

Get the Basics in Place

If cybersecurity interests you, then you need to strengthen your interests. Start by researching about cybersecurity industry and get an idea of what it consists of. Cybersecurity is a vast domain that covers designing robust security measures to protect organizations as well as consumer devices and digital assets from various types of cyber threats.

So, watch YouTube videos, read blogs, and understand basic components of cybersecurity such as:

Risk management - identification and management of potential vulnerabilities and threats

Access control - limits access to systems and data according to user and permissions

Data protection - CIA triad where cybersecurity professionals ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

Incident responses - refers to the development and implementation of plans to respond to security incidents.

These are the four major segments in which the entire cybersecurity operations work.

These components further include the security of:

• Networks
• Devices
• Data
• Applications
• Cloud infrastructure
• Social engineering prevention
• IoT security
• Digital forensics and
• Compliance management

As a cybersecurity professional, you need to know how to implement effective cybersecurity measures along these segments.

You will need proficiency in cybersecurity skills like firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), antivirus and anti-malware software, encryption, and patch management.

These are the basics of cybersecurity, and you can find several resources including books, articles, and informational videos on these concepts to learn about them in detail.

Once you understand what the cybersecurity domain involves and the type of work you will be doing, you can proceed ahead toward this cybersecurity career path.

Free Certifications and Courses

When you start learning on your own through articles, videos, or blogs, you will find the contents to be scattered and no proper methodology to learn cybersecurity step by step. However, they serve as a good starting point.

After getting the basics in place, enroll in free cybersecurity certifications and courses. These programs offer a structured learning path and help you navigate through various domains of cybersecurity.

• Some of the popular free certifications and courses for beginners are:
• Cybersecurity for Businesses - The Fundamental Edition
• Introduction to the Dark Web, Anonymity, and Cryptocurrency
• Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
• Palo Alto Networks Free Cybersecurity Education Courses

These free resources will help you get a clear overview of the basics of cybersecurity over which you can build a strong foundation through specialized certifications and courses.

Take your Cybersecurity skills and knowledge to the next level with USCSI

The next step should be building a strong foundation in cybersecurity to take on any cybersecurity job role that comes your way.

The United States Cybersecurity Institute (USCSI) offers a comprehensive cybersecurity certification program for beginners called Certified Cybersecurity General Practitioner (CCGP). This online self-paced learning program is designed for graduate students and young professionals seeking careers in cybersecurity.

The program covers fundamental concepts of cybersecurity and helps the applicants build a strong foundation in cybersecurity over which they can build specialized cybersecurity skills.

Find a Specialty

With the foundational cybersecurity skills, you can start your cybersecurity career in 2025 as there are many cybersecurity jobs available for beginners all around the world. However, you can advance your career further by finding a specialty you want to excel in. You can choose your area of interest such as:

Application Security

• Network security
• Ethical hacking
• Research
• Cloud security

Information and data security and cryptography, etc.

There are specialized cybersecurity certifications and courses to master these fields as well, for example, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) to master ethical hacking, Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) for information systems security, and so on.

This way, you can learn cybersecurity on your own and ace your cybersecurity career in 2025.

Conclusion

The cybersecurity industry is huge and it can be really difficult to find a starting point to start your cybersecurity learning journey. Of course, several free resources and tutorials are available all over the internet, we recommend enrolling in free or paid cybersecurity certification programs that offer a structured learning path and will help you cover all the essential topics and knowledge in cybersecurity required to succeed in this career path. Cybersecurity is exciting but it is normal to get lost in your learning journey. Therefore, register in courses and certifications today and get started with your cybersecurity learning in 2025.