Notes from the field and the learning process.

How I prepared for SC-200

I already had SOC experience with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender when I began preparing. The exam still required focused study because it covers several Microsoft Security products and expects an understanding of how they work together. It was also strongly focused on KQL.

Resources I used

• Microsoft Learn
• John Savill's videos for understanding the theory
• Microsoft's hands-on SC-200 labs
• KC7 Cyber for learning KQL
• Practice exams

Final thoughts

SC-200 was one of the most useful certifications I studied for because it directly matched my security operations work. By the time I took the exam, I felt more confident using Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, and KQL in investigations.

How I got into cybersecurity

It started when I discovered Hack The Box. At first, I was simply curious. The idea that you could break into a machine, find vulnerabilities, and think like an attacker immediately caught my attention. I started with easier machines and spent many evenings after school working through them.

It quickly became more than a free-time interest. I worked through Academy modules, read write-ups, watched tutorials, and tried again whenever I got stuck. The challenge could be frustrating, but each solution made me want to understand why it worked and how to improve.

I became especially interested in Windows systems and Active Directory: how attackers move through networks, abuse misconfigurations, and escalate privileges. That led to Pass-the-Hash, enumeration, privilege escalation, and eventually a graduation project about Pass-the-Hash attacks in Active Directory environments.

My focus then expanded from understanding attacks to detecting, investigating, and stopping them. SOC work gave me practical experience with suspicious activity, detections, logs, and incident investigation. That operational foundation now strengthens my work as a Cloud Security Engineer, where my primary focus is securing Microsoft Azure environments.

How I prepared for CCNA

When I started studying for Cisco CCNA, I already had a basic understanding of networking but wanted a much stronger foundation. Understanding networks properly also supports security work because so many investigations and controls depend on network behavior.

Resources I used

• The Cisco CCNA learning path
• Packet Tracer
• Jeremy's IT Lab video course on YouTube

What worked for me

• Studying one topic at a time
• Practicing subnetting every day
• Building labs in Packet Tracer
• Troubleshooting broken configurations
• Using practice exams to identify weak points

Final thoughts

CCNA gave me a stronger understanding of how networks work. That foundation continues to help with incident investigation, firewall and network security work, and technical troubleshooting.