Review and Testimonial: Mark Vickers#

Mark is a Director for Talent Acquisition at a Fortune 200 US company. He took the course MOIS Certified OSINT Expert to commence his knowledge journey about Cybersecurity and to also increase his capability in sourcing hard to find talent globally.

Hello Mark! You have been a student on the MCSI Online Learning Platform for a while now. Can you please tell us about how you embarked on your learning journey?

I have been working in Talent Acquisition and Human Resources for 20 years in a number of global companies. I have always been interested in finding news ways of sourcing talent globally and discovered the world of Open-Source Intelligence in 2021. I could also see that CyberSecurity skills were going to be a potential longer term career pivot option for me, if the opportunity came up. I started signing up to newsletters, following professionals on LinkedIn and putting Google Alerts in place but everything I read made very little sense. I would read terms such as ‘blue or red teams’, ‘command lines’, ‘github’, ‘virtual machines’ and ‘linux or Ubuntu’ and find myself confused and frustrated in having look them up on search engines. I recognized that I needed an introduction to the Cybersecurity world. I did not want to complete another degree, nor did I have the time for a diploma or graduate certificate, so I started searching for a course that allowed flexibility around my demanding work schedule, was reasonably priced and would test my abilities. In addition, I wanted to be certain that the provider was well respected so that I could proudly add the course completion to my credentials. MCSI appeared early in my search, but I wanted to make sure they were the right providers, so I kept investigating further until I was confident. I knew within the space of a few days after signing up that I had made the right decision. MCSI gives you enough to get you started but does not spoon-feed you. Their approach ensures that you must do the work and study in the background to complete the exercises. Its very hands-on right from the start. I was recently using Ubuntu on a virtual machine running command line scripts on social media profiles and realized that I was performing the same tasks that were impossibly complex to me just a few months ago.

Did you enroll in any of the MCSI Certifications?

Yes, I enrolled in the Certified OSINT expert course.

That’s great to know! Did another MCSI Certification interest you?

Definitely. As my knowledge has grown about Cybersecurity I am planning on completing the MPT – Certified Penetration Tester next and then shift to MBT – Certified Blue Teamer. There are plenty of options so as I learn I may end up on a new path.

What was your first impression of the platform?

Excellent. Very easy to use and understand. What I appreciate is that everything is through a single platform. Not only do I see what is needed next but I can track my progress, receive feedback, submit assignments and conduct research through one portal. Its very well thought out and its obvious that time and attention has been spent on user experience.

Were you able to navigate through the platform with ease?

Very simple. Once you are logged in, I can see everything I need to.

How would you describe your learning experience so far?

Excellent. I recommend it regularly to friends and colleagues as a great way to balance your work, life commitments and ongoing learning ambitions. The instructors are quick to mark work and are really encouraging when I’ve made errors and need to repeat an assignment. I really appreciate that assignments aren’t just passed. If I get something wrong I’m simply asked to do it again. Also, if life or work gets hectic I’m not hounded to complete assignments. At times I’ve simply not been able to complete any assignments for weeks but I can pick up when I’m ready again and continue the journey.

Did you require any special equipment to work on the exercises?

No. I simply use my personal laptop. Of course I’ve had to learn a whole bunch about configurations to make things work, but I’ve not had to purchase anything above and beyond my laptop.

Did you encounter any challenges while working on the exercises? If yes, how did you navigate through them?

Yes, regularly. Apart from a single programming paper that I completed at University about 20 years ago my knowledge was very rudimentary and I’ve literally had to leverage the MCSI library, internet forums and youtube videos to learn. My biggest challenge was learning the basics of coding again and also how to run programs such as theharvester.py or sherlock etc. The good news is that everything I’ve needed to learn was available either through the learning platform or the internet. It takes time and focus but is achievable.

How was your experience submitting the solutions for every exercise?

Very simple and straightforward. Once your video is submitted or assignment uploaded it usually only takes a single working day to have your assignment marked and feedback provided.

For exercises that involved a video submission, did you have to learn video editing skills?

Not at all. I simply used my existing screen recorder or downloaded icecream free of charge. There are multiple pieces of software available for free.

Were you comfortable with how the exercises were graded upon submission?

Yes, the feedback is very helpful and honest.

How do you expect your career to advance with the skills you have gained from the Online Learning Platform?

I’ve trained my team across 13 countries on so many of the sourcing strategies that I have learned. I’ve also been asked by our US and European businesses to run training for them as well. The techniques I’ve learned have put us on the forefront of talent sourcing globally which is a huge business advantage. I can also see how this course will help to prepare me for future Cybersecurity courses.

Who do you think is the appropriate audience for this platform?

I think anyone from School leavers right through to experienced professionals looking to make a change. I expect that Cybersecurity will continue to grow and demand professionals with knowledge in this space.

On an ending note, what would you like to tell our readers about the MCSI Online Learning Platform?

If you are tentatively starting to learn about Cybersecurity and want a flexible, easy to use site that also challenges you, then this is the right choice for you regardless of your level of experience and industry background. Its simple to use, interactive and if you apply yourself, you will learn plenty in a short space of time. Highly recommended!