You Have Gotten CCSK Certified .. Now What ??
A few mistakes to avoid after getting that cloud security cert !
Cloud Computing and by extension Cloud Security is red-hot right now
While there has been some backlash towards the cloud industry in recent years .. in my opinion it has more to do with companies not understanding how the cloud works and thus wasting a lot of time and money doing the wrong things
Cloud Computing IS the future of tech whether we liked it or not
The move towards AI and managed services overall make it inevitable honestly
In a few years nearly every company will have either a fully cloud, hybrid or multi-cloud environment in one form or another
For newcomers or professionals wanting to transition into the industry the Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) has emerged as a nice and easy entryway into the cloud security market
Earning the CCSK is definitely an achievement worth celebrating.
It validates your foundational knowledge in cloud security principles but .. the key questions remains .. WHAT NEXT ??
A major mistake I see professionals making time and time again is to jump onto the next major cert in Cloud Security which is the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
This is a major mistake in my opinion and this time + effort can be spent on other areas which will give much more benefit in the long term
Here is why:
CCSK gives you a broad understanding of cloud security concepts while the CCSP is much deeper. Jumping straight into CCSP without practical experience might mean you’ll understand concepts at a surface level, but lack the depth required to truly grasp and apply them in real-world situations.
CCSK and CCSP Certifications are theoretical. Without hands-on experience, it’s challenging to understand the nuances and exceptions that come with applying cloud security a real-world context.
It’s well known that that knowledge retention is higher when we apply what we learn. Get hands on so you reinforce your CCSK knowledge, making it a strong foundation upon which to build with CCSP.
Many employers value practical experience as much as (or even more than) certifications. Having a CCSP title without the experience to back it might raise eyebrows during interviews or job evaluations. It could be perceived as “becoming a certification factory” without the necessary depth of understanding.
CCSP is NOT CHEAP by any means and requires serious time and effort. By focusing on projects and gaining experience first, you’re giving yourself a better chance of passing the CCSP exam the first time around, thereby maximizing your investment.
So what to focus on ?
1 — Get Hands On
One of the absolute best things you can do is start getting some hands on experience with the cloud
Enroll with the AWS Free tier or equivalent with Azure or Google
Start playing around with the cloud security services within the free limits and understand them
Learn how to scan the cloud environment for vulnerabilities
Learn how IAM works in the Cloud
There are completely free workshops available such as those on
https://workshops.aws/
which are made by AWS experts which are excellent for getting hands on in a structured way
2 — Learn Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
It boggles my mind how many cloud security professionals miss this step
IaC is one of the most important part of cloud environments and understanding it is crucial to succeed in cloud security
If you cannot even spin up a simple server using IaC then start learning ASAP !
A large amount of security issues in the cloud get detected and fixed within IaC only.
Terraform has an excellent free tutorial present on their website which you can use to start learning: https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/tutorials
3 — Build Your Profile
While you are doing all this stuff .. a great way to build your personal profile is to learn this stuff in public
Choose a platform like Twitter (I am not calling it X), LinkedIn or Youtube and document your journey there
If you feel more confident why not create a Udemy Course
Or contribute to an open source project
If you want to make some money try looking for cloud security work on Upwork.
Or the easiest which is to write on a platform like Medium or Substack
This will boost your profile to millions of viewers an readers and increase the chance of people reaching out to you
Over time , consistent writing or posting will establish you as a thought leader whether you like it or not !
Heck .. if you keep at it you can even see some serious money coming in !
Giving back to the community is one of the best ways to grow your professional reach and put your profile in front of your next hiring manager