I currently work as Helpdesk analyst for a company that produces projectors. I am on the NOC that field technicians call into for any assistance. I would describe my job as having some elements of network, software, and hardware troubleshooting. Ultimately with my end goal I want to get into cybersecurity and be on a SOC somewhere. To achieve that I am working on my Net+ and building a home lab with some hardware I have to practice building a virtual network. Eventually I want to develop my coding skill and get my Sec+ and other certs. What are the opinions of those who are in both industries and any advice?
Lurk on r/homelab. Look up some vloggers doing homelab stuffs. Start learning Python (it’s the most common language for breaking into a lot of fields right now). Get on forums where people discuss these things.
Don’t go overboard spending money on hardware for the homelab prematurely. It’s easy to get caught up in building the perfect homelab over actually learning how to implement things. Start with the most barebones rig you can get away with and only start investing more when you’ve stretched it to its limit. Buy second-hand hardware when it comes to things like servers, though I wouldn’t recommend buying servers if you can get away with less, at least until you’re established.