From Help Desk to SOC: How KevTech Broke Into Cybersecurity Without Certs

About this episode

Kevin Apolinario shares his journey from IT support to becoming a cybersecurity analyst without certifications.

What happens when you go from fixing executives’ laptops at Goldman Sachs to defending against cyber threats in a SOC? In this episode of Simply Defensive, hosts Josh Mason and Wade Wells sit down with Kevin Apolinario — better known as KevTech — to unpack his journey from IT support to cybersecurity analyst, all without a single certification. Kev gets real about what it’s actually like to land your first SOC role: the flood of alerts, the burnout, learning Excel the hard way, and relying on ChatGPT to survive scripting. He also shares how TryHackMe, Hack The Box, and constant hands-on practice built the foundation for his success. If you’ve ever wondered what breaking into cybersecurity really looks like, this conversation pulls back the curtain — no fluff, no spin, just honest talk from the trenches. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:29 Guest Introduction: Kev Apolinario 00:51 Transition to SOC Analyst Role 01:53 Challenges and Learning in Cybersecurity 06:43 Handling Alerts and Fatigue 10:26 Importance of Teamwork and Asking for Help 19:56 Executive Support Experience 27:02 Advice for Aspiring Blue Teamers Follow Kevin on YouTube…

People in this episode

Hosts: Josh Mason, Wade Wells

Guest: Kevin Apolinario

Topics covered

• hands-on practice
• burnout
• teamwork
• cybersecurity
• SOC analyst
• IT support
• career transition

Keywords

• cybersecurity
• SOC
• IT support
• career transition
• hands-on practice
• burnout
• Excel
• ChatGPT

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Goldman Sachs, TryHackMe, Hack The Box

Products: ChatGPT

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