Cybersecurity isn’t just a career—it’s a mission. As hackers get more clever and cyber threats escalate, the world needs skilled professionals who can protect valuable information and keep systems safe. You know what that means? There’s a huge opportunity for you to launch your career in this high-demand field. But here’s the catch: simply saying, “I know cybersecurity” doesn’t cut it. To get hired, you need a portfolio that shows you’ve got the skills, the know-how, and the ability to solve real-world problems.
So, how do you start building that all-important cybersecurity portfolio? We’ve got you covered with our IT & Cybersecurity Fundamentals Workshop that gives you a strong foundation to hit the ground running. Whether you’re just getting your feet wet in the IT world or aiming to become a full-fledged cybersecurity expert, here’s a roadmap to building a portfolio that’ll turn heads (and land you interviews).
Why a portfolio matters in cybersecurity
In the fast-paced world of cybersecurity, employers want to know you can handle the heat. They don’t want to just see a stack of certificates or diplomas. They want to see your work—actual projects where you’ve applied your skills to solve problems. That’s where your portfolio comes in.
Think of your portfolio as your professional resume—except this time, you’re proving your skills with real-world examples. Show employers that you’ve not only absorbed cybersecurity knowledge but that you can use it to create solutions. Whether you’re designing a secure network or identifying vulnerabilities in a system, a solid portfolio gives you the edge.
What should your cybersecurity portfolio include?
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with everything you could include in your portfolio. The truth is, it’s all about quality over quantity. Here are the essential components you should focus on:
1. Key skills
The first step to building your portfolio is understanding what skills are essential in the cybersecurity world. Through our IT & Cybersecurity Fundamentals Workshop, you’ll get a crash course in all the right stuff. Some of the key skills you’ll learn include:
- Network security basics: Understanding how to secure networks and prevent breaches is the cornerstone of any cybersecurity role. You’ll learn how to protect everything from routers to firewalls and VPNs.
- Threat analysis: Employers want to know you can identify potential threats and vulnerabilities. This means you need to know how to use tools for penetration testing and vulnerability scanning.
- Incident response: When things go wrong (and they will), you need to act fast. That means being able to identify, contain, and remediate security incidents.
- Cryptography: Encryption is your best friend in cybersecurity. You’ll learn the ins and outs of cryptographic protocols and how to implement them securely.
- Systems management: From firewalls to servers, knowing how to manage and configure systems to prevent attacks is a skill that never goes out of style.
These skills will serve as the foundation for your portfolio. But don’t stop there—apply them to projects that will show off your technical prowess.
2. Real-world projects
Let’s face it: no one wants to look at a portfolio full of theoretical work. They want to see real-world projects that prove you can handle the job. Here are a few ideas for your cybersecurity portfolio:
- Penetration testing report: Show your ability to identify vulnerabilities by conducting penetration tests on a demo network or website. Document your findings and include your remediation steps in the report.
- Incident response plan: Develop an incident response plan for a hypothetical company facing a cyberattack. Include steps for detection, containment, eradication, and recovery.
- Firewall configuration: Design and implement a firewall to protect a sample network. Be sure to document your process and explain why you made each decision.
- Secure coding project: If you’re familiar with coding, demonstrate your skills by developing a simple web app and securing it from common vulnerabilities like SQL injection or cross-site scripting (XSS).
These types of projects will not only demonstrate your technical expertise but will also show that you can think critically and solve real-world problems—key traits that hiring managers look for in any cybersecurity professional.
3. Certifications and hands-on experience
While certifications aren’t everything, they do add credibility to your portfolio. As you work through our IT & Cybersecurity Fundamentals Workshop, you’ll be exposed to many of the core principles that form the foundation of certifications like CompTIA Security+ or Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). You don’t need to have them all, but they can certainly help boost your chances when you’re just starting out.
You can also gain hands-on experience by participating in online Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges, contributing to open-source cybersecurity projects, or even volunteering to help local businesses secure their systems. Here’s a list of some popular platforms where you can participate in CTF challenges:
- Hack The Box: A platform that offers a wide variety of CTF challenges, from beginner to advanced.
- CTFtime: A website that lists upcoming CTF events and allows you to track your team’s performance.
- OverTheWire: Provides beginner-friendly CTF games like “Bandit” to help newcomers learn basic security concepts.
- TryHackMe: Offers guided and self-paced learning with CTF-style challenges, and is excellent for beginners.
Building a cybersecurity portfolio with General Assembly
We know building a strong portfolio takes time—that’s why we’ve designed our IT & Cybersecurity Fundamentals Workshop to teach you the foundational skills to start building it today. From threat analysis to system configuration, you’ll learn the skills that top employers are looking for—and you’ll apply them to projects that make you stand out.
To take it even further, our experts are working on a new IT and cybersecurity learning path to dive deeper into the intricacies of IT and cybersecurity and offer you a more advanced, in-depth experience. Want to be one of the first to know when it’s live? Sign up for our waitlist, and you’ll get all the updates.
Don’t forget the presentation
Your portfolio isn’t just about the work—it’s also about how you present it. Here are some tips for making your cybersecurity portfolio stand out:
- Use GitHub: Hosting your projects on GitHub makes it easy to showcase your work and demonstrate your coding skills. Plus, it shows that you’re familiar with version control—a key skill in the cybersecurity world.
- Write clear documentation: Employers don’t just want to see your work—they want to understand your thought process. Include detailed documentation for each project, explaining what you did, why you did it, and the results you achieved.
- Show your growth: Don’t just highlight your finished projects—talk about how you’ve improved over time. Show how you’ve learned new techniques, tackled more complex problems, and taken on bigger challenges.
Why wait? Start building your portfolio today
Your cybersecurity portfolio is your ticket to standing out in a competitive job market. It’s your opportunity to show employers that you have the technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and real-world experience needed to protect systems and data.
Ready to build your portfolio? Sign up for our IT & Cybersecurity Fundamentals Workshop (use code BF2024 through December 31, 2024 for over 50% off) and get started today. With the right skills and the right projects, you’ll be well on your way to launching a successful career in cybersecurity.
Bonus: Don’t forget to join the waitlist for our IT and cybersecurity learning pathway to be the first to know when it launches. Take the first step toward a career in IT or cybersecurity—we’re here to help.