Sonnets, Swatches & SIEMs: An English Major’s Cybersecurity Pivot

Hi friends,

If you’d told me while analyzing Shakespearean sonnets or sourcing organic cotton for my slow fashion brand that I’d soon be configuring AWS IAM policies or dissecting network packets… well, I’d have assumed you’d misplaced your protagonist. Yet here I am, a literature graduate and ethical fashion founder—plunging headfirst into cloud security.

The Spontaneous Pivot

Late 2024, I made a decision that surprised even me: I enrolled in cybersecurity courses. No gradual transition, no "tech friends" to guide me (seriously, zero connections in the field!). Just raw curiosity about how data moves, lives, and stays safe in the cloud. I knew nothing about tech but enrolled in Netacad's Introduction to cybersecurity course and few others (all from Netacad.) After this, I discovered ISC2, and sat for the exam after studying really hard. The more I learned, the more I needed to learn.

My Toolkit So Far

✅ ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC): Passed in February 2024 (my first security cert!).

🌍 Altschool Africa: Currently immersed in their Cybersecurity Engineering program.

🔐 Focus Area: Cloud security (AWS/Azure), threat modeling, and compliance.

Why This Won’t Be a Perfect Journey (And That’s Okay)

Let’s be real: switching fields is thrilling… and terrifying. Here’s where I’m bracing for impact:

The Knowledge Gap:

No CS degree? No network? Every acronym (looking at you, CSPM and SIEM) feels like learning a new language. I’ll share resources that help me bridge gap and where I stumble.

Tool Overwhelm:

From Terraform to Wireshark, the tech stack is massive. Expect raw notes on labs where I misconfigured a firewall or got lost in Kali Linux.

Balancing Acts:

Juggling my slow fashion brand (@The Nhieolarh) with midnight study sessions? It’s messy. I’ll be honest about burnout and breakthroughs.

The "Who Do I Ask?" Dilemma:

When you don’t know anyone in cybersecurity, simple questions feel daunting. (Example: How do you practice cloud pentesting safely without a corporate lab?)

What This Blog Will Cover

🧪 Lab Diaries: Step-by-step walkthroughs of my Altschool projects, TryHackMe rooms, and cloud security simulations.

📉 Failures Publicized: Misconfigurations, exam flops, and "why did I think that would work?" moments.

🏆 Tiny Victories: My first reverse-engineered malware, compliant policy drafts, or a clean vulnerability scan.

🤝 Community Spotlights: Conversations with mentors, peer reviews, and guest posts (hint hint!).

My Open Invitation

I need your wisdom. If you’re in cybersecurity, cloud engineering, or career-pivoting:

Correct my mistakes in the comments.

Suggest tools/resources.

Share your own "day one" stories.

Connect with me on LikedIn/X (formerly Twitter)

This isn’t a solo mission—it’s about building a village. Different perspectives (especially non-traditional ones like mine) make security stronger.

Onward, Together

To anyone else feeling like an outsider in tech: Your background is an asset. My literature training taught me to analyze narratives; fashion taught me iterative design. Now I’m applying that to security architectures.

Let’s normalize asking "stupid questions," celebrating small wins, and lifting each other up. The cloud can’t protect itself.

That'll be all for now, but if you've ever wondered how ACLs actually work in practice, we'll be simulating it next, using Cisco Packet Tracer.

Cheers,

Ibukunoluwa

Writer | Slow Fashion Advocate | Cloud Security Newbie