CythorityReviews of cythority.com

I'm Cythority's first-ever student, and I've been able to see this program grow from the very beginning to where it is today. I originally joined while I was still in high school, and what I learned helped me land my first tech job at a Fortune 500 company before graduating. A few years later, after working as a SOC Analyst at an MSSP supporting multiple clients, I decided to come back to Cythority in June 2026 to sharpen my skills and get more experience in areas I wanted to improve. Having been here since the beginning, I can say the program has changed a lot. When I first joined, the training and resources were pretty limited. Now, members get hands on experience using enterprise security tools, investigating threats, troubleshooting issues, and learning how a real SOC operates. A lot of these are the same tools and processes I've personally used while working in cybersecurity. Another thing that's improved is the career development side. Before, much of the focus was on resumes and optimizing LinkedIn profiles. Now, there are resources for personal branding, interview preparation, and even tools that help automate the job application process. The AI interview tool was especially helpful for me when preparing for interviews and played a big part in helping me land my new position. But one thing that's always stood out to me is the community. Everyone treats each other like family. We hold each other accountable, help each other when we're stuck, and genuinely want to see one another succeed. That's something I've appreciated since day one. On June 24, 2026, I rejoined the program, and exactly 90 days later, on September 24, I received an offer for a Tier 2 SOC Analyst position supporting Alaska Airlines. It's also the highest paying position I've received in my cybersecurity career so far. I do want to be transparent that I already had professional cybersecurity experience before coming back. But the additional training, hands on experience, and interview preparation helped me build on what I already knew and better prepare for this opportunity. My biggest advice to anyone thinking about joining is to treat the program like a real job. Show up to your shifts, ask questions, take the courses seriously, and get involved. Don't expect to join and automatically receive a job offer because that's not how it works. You still have to put in the effort. Overall, I'm grateful for Cythority and how much the program has improved over the years. I've seen firsthand where it started and how much work has gone into making it better. It's helped me at two different stages of my career, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's serious about getting into cybersecurity or continuing to grow in the field.

I came into Cythority with about five years of IT helpdesk and support experience, but I knew I needed more hands-on cybersecurity experience if I wanted to make the transition into the field. The vSOC gave me that opportunity. I was able to work with industry-relevant security tools, practice investigating alerts and incidents, and develop a much stronger understanding of how to think through problems from a defender’s perspective. What really stood out to me was the mentorship and the community. The one-on-one coaching was valuable, but so was being surrounded by other people working toward the same goal. There were plenty of evenings spent asking questions, working through investigations, reviewing reports, and helping each other improve. The experience helped me build both my technical skills and my confidence, and ultimately helped prepare me for the next step in my career. I recently accepted a Cyber Investigator role where I’ll be working on incident response and investigations involving AI and LLM abuse. For anyone considering Cythority, my advice would be to take full advantage of the environment. Ask questions, stay consistent, learn the tools, and put in the work outside of the scheduled sessions as well. You’ll get the most out of the program if you’re willing to take ownership of your own development. I’m grateful for the mentors, the community, and the experience I gained while I was there.

William has been an important part of my development in cybersecurity. Through his VSOC program at Cythority, I gained hands-on exposure to real-world cybersecurity tools and workflows used across security operations, including SIEM, EDR/XDR, threat hunting, incident response, and security investigations. What I especially appreciate about William is his commitment to helping IT professionals bridge the gap between certifications and practical cybersecurity experience. Beyond the technical training, he provided guidance and encouragement throughout my career transition and helped me become more confident in communicating and demonstrating my cybersecurity skills during interviews. The experience and mentorship I received through William and Cythority played an important role in preparing me for my transition from end-user computing into a Cybersecurity Analyst position. I’m grateful for his support and would recommend William to IT professionals who are serious about developing practical cybersecurity skills and advancing their careers.

When I began with Cythority, I had no professional cybersecurity experience, degree, industry certifications, or connections within the field. I was also in a very dark place personally, recovering from a serious car accident that nearly took my life, dealing with heartbreak, grieving the loss of my 2 dogs who meant everything to me, and having to pause my life while pivoting into an entirely new career. I was scared, I was in pain every single day, I had 0 connections, I knew nothing about IT or Cybersecurity outside of my gaming background, but I knew I needed to rebuild my life with urgency, and Cythority gave me the opportunity to apply myself toward something meaningful. William Sims’ leadership played an important role in my development, not only as our SOC Manager, but also as a mentor and true friend being there for me at all times. He taught me to trust my judgment, confidently take ownership of my investigations, communicate clearly, and accept honest feedback. Throughout my internship, I gained hands-on experience with enterprise SIEM, EDR/XDR, and SOAR platforms, along with incident response, threat hunting, vulnerability research, detection tuning, and professional reporting within a real VSOC environment helping clients on a daily basis. During that time, I earned my Network+ and Security+, strengthened my technical foundation, and developed the confidence to explain and defend my analysis during interviews. That experience ultimately helped me secure a fully remote Security Analyst II position with a respected cybersecurity organization. Financially, my return on investment was 10X. I am now in a much stronger financial position than I was while working at the gym and earning approximately $48,000 annually. However, the true value extends far beyond money. Cythority helped me regain my confidence by giving me a reason to keep going every day, build a legitimate cybersecurity career, and become part of a community of like-minded, humble individuals who continuously learn from and support one another. Most importantly, it helped change the direction of my life during one of its most difficult periods. I will always be grateful to William, the leadership team, and everyone within Cythority who believed in me and contributed to my journey. To anyone considering an opportunity with Cythority, understand that the experience will reflect the effort you are willing to put into it. If you remain hungry, coachable, consistent, and willing to trust the process, the knowledge, mentorship, and relationships you gain can genuinely change your life just as they changed mine.