90-Day Cybersecurity Study Plan

📚 Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Goals and Audience
• Start Here
• Daily Breakdown
  • Day 1-7: Network+
  • Day 8-14: Security+
  • Day 15-28: Linux
  • Day 29-42: Python
  • Day 43-56: Traffic Analysis
  • Day 57-63: Git
  • Day 64-70: ELK
  • Day 71-77: Cloud Platforms (GCP, AWS or Azure)
  • Day 78-84: Review and Practice
  • Day 85-90: Hacking
• Bonus: Landing the Job
  • Day 91-92: One Page Resume
  • Day 93-95: Where and How to Apply
• Translations
• Contributors

📘 Introduction

Welcome to the 90 Days of Cybersecurity challenge!
This repository provides a structured, 90-day self-paced study plan designed to help learners build a strong foundation in cybersecurity. Whether you're a beginner looking to break into the field or a professional aiming to sharpen your skills, this roadmap offers a wide range of curated resources, hands-on tasks, and learning materials.

The daily modules cover essential and advanced topics, including:

• Networking fundamentals (Network+)
• Security principles (Security+)
• Linux basics and shell scripting
• Python programming for security tasks
• Traffic analysis and packet inspection
• Version control with Git
• SIEM tools and log analysis using the ELK stack
• Cloud security with GCP, AWS and Azure
• Penetration testing and ethical hacking
• Landing the job: a one-page resume and an AI-assisted job-search pipeline with career-ops

Each day is designed with actionable tasks, tutorials, and reading materials to help you stay on track. For a full list of resources, refer to learn.md.

🎯 Goals and Audience

📌 Goals

The primary goal of this 90-day plan is to help learners:

• Build a solid foundation in core cybersecurity concepts and practices.
• Gain hands-on experience through daily exercises and real-world tools.
• Develop the technical skills necessary for certifications such as CompTIA Network+ and Security+.
• Explore key domains including network security, system hardening, cloud security, scripting, and ethical hacking.
• Cultivate a consistent learning habit over 90 days to support long-term retention and growth.

By the end of this journey, you should feel confident navigating a variety of cybersecurity tools, concepts, and techniques.

👥 Intended Audience

This repository is ideal for:

• Aspiring cybersecurity professionals preparing for entry-level roles or certifications.
• IT professionals transitioning into a security-focused career.
• Students studying computer science, information systems, or network engineering.
• Self-learners seeking a structured and comprehensive study plan.
• Developers and DevOps engineers looking to better understand secure infrastructure and threat detection.
• Anyone curious about how cybersecurity works in real-world environments.

No prior experience is required, though basic familiarity with computers, networks, or programming will be helpful.

🚀 Start Here

New to the plan? Read this first, then jump to Day 1.

• Time budget: aim for 1-2 focused hours a day. The day numbers are a guide, not a deadline; it is fine to spend longer on a topic.
• Follow the order: Days 1-28 (networking, security basics, Linux) are the foundation everything else builds on. Do not skip ahead to hacking.
• Certifications are optional: the Network+ and Security+ playlists teach the concepts you need. You do not have to sit the exams to follow this plan or to get a first job.
• Track your progress: fork this repo (or copy the plan into a notes file) and tick off each day as you finish it.
• Everything is free: if a site puts content behind a paywall, use the alternatives listed in the same section or in learn.md.
• Questions or study buddies: use GitHub Discussions. Issues are for broken links and content fixes.
• Prefer another language? See Translations.

Day 1-7: Network+

• Watch videos from Professor Messer's N10-009 Playlist
• Complete any related practice questions or exercises.

Day 8-14: Security+

Strongly Recommend Professor Messer's:

• Watch the videos from Professor Messer's SY0-701 Playlist

Another Alternative You Can Use:

• Watch Pete Zerger's SY0-701 Playlist

Additional Practice:

• Complete any related practice questions or exercises.

Day 15-28: Linux

• Browse through the Linux Journey tutorials: https://linuxjourney.com/
• Complete Linux Unhatched on Cisco NetAcad: https://www.netacad.com/courses/linux-unhatched
• Complete all Linux Hands-on Labs on LabEx: https://labex.io/free-labs/linux

Day 29-42: Python

• Watch freeCodeCamp's Learn Python - Full Course for Beginners (free, ~4.5 hours)
• Complete Codecademy's Learn Python Track (the free tier covers the basics; later lessons need a subscription): https://codecademy.com/learn/learn-python
• Python.org: https://www.python.org/
• Real Python: https://realpython.com/
• Talk Python to Me: https://talkpython.fm/
• Read "Learn Python the Hard Way": https://learnpythonthehardway.org
• HackerRank Python: https://www.hackerrank.com/domains/python
• LabEx Learn Python by Labs: https://labex.io/free-labs/python

Youtube Course:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egg-GoT5iVk&ab_channel=TheCyberMentor

Day 43-56: Traffic Analysis

• Take the Wireshark University course: https://www.wireshark.org/#educationalContent
• Follow the Wireshark Tutorial on guru99: https://guru99.com/wireshark-tutorial.html
• Read through the TCPdump Tutorial on DanielMiessler: https://danielmiessler.com/study/tcpdump/
• Read through the Suricata Quickstart guide: https://docs.suricata.io/en/latest/quickstart.html

Youtube:

• Wireshark Tutorial for Beginners series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjvR4LmwcMU&list=PLBf0hzazHTGPgyxeEj_9LBHiqjtNEjsgt&pp=iAQB
• Suricata Network IDS/IPS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0-vsjhPDN0&pp=ygUhIFN1cmljYXRhIElEUy9JUFMgU3lzdGVtIFR1dG9yaWFs

Day 57-63: Git

• Complete Codecademy's Git for Beginners course: https://codecademy.com/learn/learn-git
• Follow the Git Immersion tutorial: http://gitimmersion.com
• Try Git: https://try.github.io
• Use Learn Git Branching for an interactive Git CLI simulator.

Day 64-70: ELK

• Follow the Complete Guide to the ELK Stack on Logz.io: https://logz.io/learn/complete-guide-elk-stack/
• Get started with the Elastic Stack using the official docs: https://www.elastic.co/docs/get-started

Day 71-77: Cloud Platforms

Any one of them works fine.

GCP:

• Explore the GCP Getting Started Resource : https://cloud.google.com/getting-started/
• Google Cloud Platform Documentation: https://cloud.google.com/docs/
• Google Cloud Platform Blog: https://cloud.google.com/blog/
• Google Cloud Platform Community: https://cloud.google.com/community/
• Try hands-on challenges with Google Cloud Skills Boost

AWS

• Explore the AWS Getting Started Resource Center: https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started/
• Browse through the AWS Tutorials: https://aws.amazon.com/tutorials/
• Learn through gamified labs on AWS Cloud Quest

Azure

• Go through Azure Fundamentals: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/azure/
• Complete the Microsoft Learn Azure labs with sandbox environments

Day 78-84: Review and Practice

• Go back through Days 1-77 and review any weak areas.
• Complete hands-on challenges on TryHackMe: https://tryhackme.com
• Set up a home lab using VirtualBox or VMware to practice what you have learned.
• Try building a small project that combines networking, Linux, Python, and security concepts.

Day 85-90: Hacking

• Try to hack the challenges on Hack the Box: https://hackthebox.com
• Practice on vulnerable machines on Vulnhub: https://vulnhub.com

Youtube:

• Ethical Hacking Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FNYvj2U0HM&ab_channel=TheCyberMentor
• Ethical Hacking Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH4JCwjybGs&ab_channel=TheCyberMentor

Day 91-92: One Page Resume

• Use the provided resume template: https://bowtiedcyber.substack.com/p/killer-cyber-resume-part-ii
• Cybersecurity Resume Template: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/cybersecurity-resume
• Cybersecurity Resume from Resume-Now: https://www.resume-now.com/templates/cyber-security-resume This template also has sections for skills, certifications, and experience, along with a summary, and a section for education. It also includes a section for technical skills.
• Save a copy of your finished resume as Markdown (cv.md) as well; you will reuse it with career-ops on Day 93. List the labs, CTF rooms and projects from Days 15-90 as hands-on experience.

Day 93-95: Where and How to Apply

• Search for jobs on Indeed: https://indeed.com
• Look for opportunities on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com
• Explore entry-level cybersecurity roles and career pathways on CyberSeek: https://www.cyberseek.org/pathway.html

Run your job search with career-ops

career-ops is a free, open-source job-search system that runs inside an AI coding CLI such as Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot CLI or Antigravity CLI (free tier, no API key needed). Paste a job URL and it scores the posting against your cv.md (1-5), generates an ATS-friendly tailored PDF and tracks every application in one place. It never applies for you; you always review and submit.

Before using any AI CLI, redact sensitive personal data in cv.md (for example address/phone) and review the tool/provider’s privacy and data-retention settings before pasting your resume content.

1. Set up (Day 93): install Node.js, skim the setup guide, then run npx @santifer/career-ops init. Good security habit: npx downloads and runs the latest release, so check the release notes before running it (pin a version with @santifer/career-ops@<version> if you want a reproducible install). Open your AI CLI in the new career-ops folder and follow the onboarding chat. Tell it your target roles (for example SOC analyst, security analyst, junior penetration tester) so the evaluations fit entry-level security jobs.
2. Evaluate (Day 94): paste 10-20 postings you found on Indeed or LinkedIn. Only apply to roles that score 4.0/5 or higher; treat it as a filter, not a spray-and-pray tool.
3. Apply and prepare (Day 95): generate tailored CVs for your shortlist, apply, and use the interview-prep mode to build your STAR stories before the first call.

Translations

• Arabic / العربية
• Chinese / 中文
• French / Francais
• Hindi / हिंदी
• Portuguese / Portugues
• Russian / Русский
• Spanish / Espanol

🎉 Contributors

Thank you for being a part of the 90DaysOfCyberSecurity community! We appreciate everyone who helps improve our content.

Contribution Categories:

• Documentation: Improve or add to the study material and guides.
• Tutorials & Guides: Create or enhance tutorials explaining complex concepts.
• Suggested Resources: Recommend useful tools, articles, books, or other resources.
• Ideas / Topics: Suggest new topics to be added to the learning materials.
• Review & Feedback: Provide feedback on existing materials and suggest improvements.
• Community Support: Answer questions and help others in discussions or issues.
• Tests & Quizzes: Add quizzes, challenges, or tests to check learning progress.
• Real-World Applications: Share real-life examples or case studies of cybersecurity practices.
• Mentoring: Help others with study advice, tips, or hosting study sessions.

Thank you to all contributors for your amazing work! 🎉

Contributors ✨

Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):

This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind welcome!