Certified Ethical Hacker - Interviews, Project Portfolios & Certifications (Your competitive edge)

Colleagues, are you seeking to land the next job in your Certified Ethical Hacker journey … either within your current company or with a new employer? All hiring managers need to answer three fundamental questions in the interview process before making a job offer.

Interview Questions

1. Skills: Can you do the job?

2. Motivation: Will you do the job?

3. Fit: Will you be a team player and fit into the company culture?

Professional Portfolio

Creating a high qualityCertified Ethical Hacker professional portfolio combined with having industry-leading certifications - along with relevant work experience - will put you at the top of the candidate pool when answering the “Skills” question.:

What is a Project Portfolio? 

1. A project portfolio is a collection of projects, programs, and operations managed collectively to achieve strategic objectives. 

2. It demonstrates your diverse skills, experience, and proven ability to deliver results, showcasing your value and strategic impact to potential employers or for internal advancement.

What Makes a Project Portfolio Valuable?

1. Strategic Alignment: Connecting projects to organizational goals.

2. Resource Management: Efficient allocation of people and assets.

3. Risk Management: Identifying and mitigating potential threats.

4. Performance Monitoring: Tracking progress and outcomes.

5. Stakeholder Communication: Keeping all parties informed and engaged.

What are the best portals to host your project portfolio?

1. GitHub

2. LinkedIn

3. Behance

4. Dribbble

5. Kaggle

6. Hugging Face

7. Personal Website (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow - Offers maximum customization & a professional brand presence)

Industry-Leading Certifications & Training

• Applied Certified Ethical Hacker Specialization 

• Data Analytics Professional Certificate 

• Certified Ethical Hacker: Foundations using R Specialization

• Certified Ethical Hacker Fundamentals with Python and SQL Specialization

• Certified Ethical Hacker Specialization

• Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate 

• IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate

• IBM Certified Ethical Hacker Professional Certificate

• Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate (Exam PL-300) 

• Understanding Certified Ethical Hacker 

Get started today (teams & execs are welcome): https://imp.i384100.net/yqdGoD

Recommended Reading:

“The Upskill Gambit - Discover the 5 Keys to Your Career and Income Security in the Digital Age” (Audible) (Kindle)

Much success in your cyber career journey, Lawrence E. Wilson - Cybersecurity Certification Center (share with colleagues & friends)

Microsoft Azure Security Tools Specialization

Colleagues, in the “Microsoft Azure Security Tools Specialization” you will learn cybersecurity with Microsoft Azure tools. Ideal for professionals, our program covers authorization, cloud security, attack defense, and practical applied projects. Learn essential cybersecurity skills using Microsoft Azure tools and services with our comprehensive program. Ideal for professionals, it covers topics like authorization, cloud security policies, and attack defense strategies, equipping you to protect and manage enterprise security. Gain practical, hands-on experience through applied learning projects. Learn authorization and authentication techniques, including two-step authentication and single sign-on policies, through Azure security tools and Azure cloud security certification. Develop and enforce cybersecurity standards, policies, and compliance frameworks with comprehensive Azure cybersecurity certification. Implement cloud security policies and use tools like Microsoft Defender to protect against cyber threats. Manage and govern enterprise security with Azure Active Directory, focusing on access management and identity governance, and gain expertise with Microsoft Azure cyber security certification. Acquire highly marketable skills in Malware Protection, Data Management, Authorization (Computing), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Governance, Firewall, Cyber Threat Intelligence, LLM Application, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Records Management, Security Testing, System Testing, Active Directory, Cloud Computing Architecture, Cyber Attacks, Penetration Testing, Responsible AI, Data Ethics, and Authentications. Training lessons address: 1) Cybersecurity Identity and Access Solutions with Azure AD, 2) Azure Cybersecurity Solutions and Microsoft Defender, 3) Cybersecurity Testing and Prevention, 4) Cybersecurity Planning, Management, and Compliance, and 5) Copilot for Cybersecurity.

Get started today (teams & execs are welcome): https://imp.i384100.net/XmPmmy

Recommended Reading:

“The Upskill Gambit - Discover the 5 Keys to Your Career and Income Security in the Digital Age” (Audible) (Kindle)

Much success in your cyber career journey, Lawrence E. Wilson - Cybersecurity Certification Center (share with colleagues & friends) 

Introduction to Cybersecurity Tools & Cyberattacks (IBM)

Colleagues, in the “Introduction to Cybersecurity Tools & Cyberattacks” program from IBM you will explore the evolution of cybersecurity and discover the critical thinking model. You’ll also cover threat actors, malware, ransomware, and defenses against social engineering. Additionally, you’ll learn about internet security threats and security controls. You’ll explore the fundamentals of identity and access management (IAM), authentication, and access control. Learn: How to apply key cybersecurity concepts, tools, and methodologies to protect digital and physical assets, recognize various types of threat actors and malware and explore preventive measures, identify various internet security threats and common cybersecurity best practices, and understand authentication and identity management concepts for safeguarding your organization. Gain high demand skills in Security Awareness, Authentications, Cybersecurity, Incident Response, Cyber Attacks, Distributed Denial-Of-Service (DDoS) Attacks, Identity and Access Management, Malware Protection, Network Security, Computer Security Incident Management, Multi-Factor Authentication, Security Controls, Threat Detection, and Human Factors (Security). Skill-based training modules include: 1) Cybersecurity Insights, 2) Cybersecurity Threats, 3) Cybersecurity Controls, 4) Identity and Physical Controls, and 5) Final Course Wrap-up - you will complete a final project on multifactor authentication that will provide you with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in this course. You will also take a graded exam to evaluate your understanding of various cybersecurity tools and attacks.

Get started today (teams & execs are welcome): https://imp.i384100.net/yqdGoD

Recommended Reading:

“The Upskill Gambit - Discover the 5 Keys to Your Career and Income Security in the Digital Age” (Audible) (Kindle)

Much success in your cyber career journey, Lawrence E. Wilson - Cybersecurity Certification Center (share with colleagues & friends)

Ethical Hacking - Career Earnings Analysis (December 2025)

Colleagues, implementing a well-defined, forward-thinking career development plan can boost your career and income growth over a 30-year life cycle. According to Verified Market Reports the “Ethical Hacking Certification Market Revenue was valued at USD $1.5 Billion in 2024 and is estimated to reach USD $4.3 Billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 12.5% from 2026 to 2033.” By making modest investments in your professional training and certification will reward you with greatly enhanced income potential.

Assumptions:

• Duration: 30-year career lifecycle (e.g. age 25-55)

• Salary: $140,00/year - Cybersecurity Jobs (compensation will vary by location - we will use a US average for our analysis)

• Education Level: This model is based upon the individual having a BS/BA degree. A MS/MA degree adds an extra 5%-10%+ to annual income

• Training & Certification: 5%-10% income lift/year

• Salary - Annual Increase per CPI Inflation: 2.5%/year

• Base Case: Junior Level - age 25/1st certification

• Intermediate Case: Senior Individual Contributor - age 30/2nd certification

• Advanced Case: Mid-Upper Management - age 35/3rd certification

• Expert Case: Technical Refresher - age 40-45/4th certification

Junior Level (5 years of experience):

• Title(s): Junior Ethical Hacking Specialist, Security Analyst, Junior Penetration Tester, Vulnerability Analyst, Cybersecurity Intern

• Base income: $162,260/year

• Sample Certs: Certified in Ethical Hacking (ISC2), CompTIA PenTest+, EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH):

Intermediate (10 years of experience):

• Title(s): Penetration Tester, Ethical Hacker, Incident Response Analyst, Security Consultant

• Base income: $196.434/year

• Sample Certs: Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN)

Advanced (15 years of experience):

• Title(s): Senior Penetration Tester, Cybersecurity Architect, Red Team Lead, Threat Hunter

• Base income: $240,046/year

• Sample Certs: Offensive Security Web Expert (OSWE), GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester (GXPN), Offensive Security Exploit Developer (OSED)

Expert (Executive-Refresher) (20 years of experience):

• Title(s): Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Distinguished Security Engineer, Security Research Scientist, Director of Cybersecurity

• Base income: $391,953/year

• Sample Certs: GIAC Security Expert (GSE), Offensive Security Certified Expert³ (OSCE³)

Income Comparison:

• Base Case: Junior Level - $162,260/year

• Intermediate Case: Senior Individual Contributor - $196.434/year

• Advanced Case: Mid-Upper Management - $240,046/year

• Expert Case: Technical Refresher - $391,953/year

Note: For a more comprehensive roster of cyber certifications see CIAT, Cisco, EC-Council, Infosec Institute, NICCS along with Coursera, edX, (Pearson), Udacity, and Udemy.

Ethical Hacking Specializations, Master Classes and Certifications:

• Applied Ethical Hacking Specialization 

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

• CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Complete Course & Exam

• Google Ethical Hacking Professional Certificate

• Ethical Hacking: Foundations using R Specialization

• Ethical Hacking Fundamentals with Python and SQL Specialization

• Ethical Hacking Specialization

• IBM Ethical Hacking Professional Certificate

• IBM and ISC2 Ethical Hacking Specialist Professional Certificate 

• IBM Ethical Hacking Analyst Professional Certificate

• Learn Ethical Hacking From Scratch

• Microsoft Ethical Hacking Analyst Professional Certificate

• Understanding Ethical Hacking 

Get started today (teams & execs are welcome).

Recommended Reading:

“The Upskill Gambit - Discover the 5 Keys to Your Career and Income Security in the Digital Age” (Audible) (Kindle)

Much success in your cyber career journey, Lawrence E. Wilson - Cybersecurity Certification Center (share with colleagues & friends)