I am going to be totally up front and honest with you. This is going to hurt, so be prepared.... If you want to go into a more technical role, the upskilling you are doing now isn't showing that. You have been a data analyst for 4 years, and only have an A+ to show for it. If you were really serious about being a technical resource, then start kicking it in the ass. The best time to start is right now. Especially since you have spent the last 4 years on cruise control, and focusing on entry level certifications. Now that is out of the way, here are the good, bad, and ugly of cybersecurity. The good: Job security and pay. If you have the skills in cybersecurity, you will find that you can make 6 figures very easily and have job security no matter where you go. With all the layoffs happening right now, I don't see many security people being laid off. If they do get laid off, they have a job days later. The bad: Getting to the higher level roles in cybersecurity require you to work your ass off. You have to know the areas you are protecting. No one is going to hire a network security engineer that doesn't have a firm grasp on networking. So I typically steer anyone away from the industry who has been in the industry for a long time but hasn't pushed themselves technically. Cybersecurity, like most higher level IT positions, requires a lot of drive and determination. The ugly: Even when you get your cybersecurity dream job, you will find that many organizations make the same mistakes. Not enough budget to implement the proper controls. Not enough time to really make meaningful security changes. Not enough businesses willing to adopt the right security controls or changes. The list goes on and on. I consult in the cybersecurity industry, and a bulk of my time is spent trying to convince companies they should protect themselves better. Only to be turned down, and then contacted months later after they get their asses handed to them. I would much rather work with companies that are proactive instead of reactive, but that doesn't happen very often. More on reddit.com

Painfully doing general IT and help desk for a company dreaming one day to land a cybersecurity job. Im studying linux to achieve the first diploma goal! More on reddit.com