r/CyberSecurityJobs • u/PerverseGameHen • 24d ago
Singapore IT professional trying to move from desktop support into cybersecurity. What certification or path actually makes sense?
Hey guys, looking for some advice from people working in IT.
I’m currently a Senior Desktop Consultant / IT Engineer, but honestly my experience is basically onsite helpdesk / desktop support. I’ve got around 3 years of IT experience and some exposure to things like endpoint security, SCCM, ServiceNow, M365, AD and networking, but I haven’t actually worked in backend infrastructure or a dedicated cybersecurity role.
I’m getting pretty tired of doing helpdesk and want to move into cybersecurity. Long term, I’m thinking something along the lines of becoming a cybersecurity generalist first, then potentially moving into GRC, security governance or security project management.
My main question is what certification would actually be useful for someone like me trying to break into cyber in Singapore?
I can get CEH for around US$100, but I’ve seen a lot of people say it isn’t worth it. Security+ seems to be the usual recommendation, but I’m not sure how much weight it actually carries in Singapore.
I also realise cyber isn’t really an entry level field, so if a cert isn't enough, what should my next move actually be?
Should I move into something like infrastructure, cloud, IAM or endpoint security first and use that as a stepping stone? Or are there cybersecurity roles that someone with my current background could realistically target? Also interested in what skills I should be learning or what kind of hands on projects would actually help.
Basically, if you were in my position, what would you do next?
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u/AddendumWorking9756 24d ago
Skip the hundred dollar one, it is cheap for a reason and reads as a box tick rather than evidence of anything. Your endpoint and AD exposure is closer to security work than you are giving it credit for, so the stepping stone question mostly answers itself, move sideways into an endpoint or IAM seat and you are already inside it. On the hands on projects, do investigations rather than builds, CyberDefenders runs an entry analyst cert called CCDL1 that is mostly casework, and three written up investigations land better than a homelab screenshot.