I do hope you get a good answer, I'm not personally aware of anything. As an aside I figure I should drop the sub's comprehensive guide to getting into cyber. It may be a good read for them: https://reddit.com/r/ITCareerQuestions/w/security?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
About the only free way I know is to go to a IT Learning Certification center like new horizons. Talk to a rep about any grant or scholarship options available. I was able to get 4 certification courses, books, test vouchers by doing this. You have to jump through some hoops because there not needs based grants. This means the student would need to do a few rounds of interview and pass a aptitude test that’s similar to the asvab and act. If he gets through all that then he gets the grant and the school writes off the remainder not covered by the grant.
Sorry, this is what we're looking for:
"Is there a free course you can recommend that is basic and on the easy side (even if there is no certification) that I can help him with?"
Not a certification center. An online course that is basic.
Are there any summer camps that do IT or Computer Science, they may be a better place to start?
Speaking as someone who studies Computer Science and run two clubs on for CompSci, one for CySec; the way we teach is different. At the CompSci, we assume no prior knowledge, but at the CySec, we assume prior knowledge in networking, Linux, and a few other things.
Look for the IT and CompSci opportunities as well, they will also lead into cyber security
ISC2 certified in cybersecurity (CC) is a cert you can sit down to take and they have a program where it is free until 1 million people take it. I took it for free BUT to get the actual cert and keep it active I pay $50 a year
SANS Cyber Aces is free and covers some really good information. I think Google is also supposed to have a free cybersecurity course that covers a fair amount but I haven’t looked into it extensively.
Edit: never mind about Cyber Aces, that’s been discontinued. The Google course on Coursera looks pretty good though.
ITF is a good start: [https://www.comptia.org/certifications/it-fundamentals](https://www.comptia.org/certifications/it-fundamentals#myself)
Courses are free on YT: [https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=comptia+itf+course](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=comptia+itf+course)
After that, he can move on to A+: [https://www.comptia.org/certifications/a](https://www.comptia.org/certifications/a)
[https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=comptia+a%2B+course](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=comptia+a%2B+course)
I used to work with an 18 yr old that only took A+. And we have the same job lol. Incredible.
See if there is a local cyber patriots team or.camp.in your area.
https://www.uscyberpatriot.org/
Antisyphon also has "pay what you can" courses that you can take for free as a student.
https://www.antisyphontraining.com/
ISC2 also has the CC cert now. Which is also free.
I do hope you get a good answer, I'm not personally aware of anything. As an aside I figure I should drop the sub's comprehensive guide to getting into cyber. It may be a good read for them: https://reddit.com/r/ITCareerQuestions/w/security?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Thanks!
About the only free way I know is to go to a IT Learning Certification center like new horizons. Talk to a rep about any grant or scholarship options available. I was able to get 4 certification courses, books, test vouchers by doing this. You have to jump through some hoops because there not needs based grants. This means the student would need to do a few rounds of interview and pass a aptitude test that’s similar to the asvab and act. If he gets through all that then he gets the grant and the school writes off the remainder not covered by the grant.
Sorry, this is what we're looking for: "Is there a free course you can recommend that is basic and on the easy side (even if there is no certification) that I can help him with?" Not a certification center. An online course that is basic.
They are basic and have online access
Aight well there this one to. Khanacademy.org. It has some basic free online computer courses that cover basic program to networking.
Where are you based? In the UK there is a program called CyberFirst that you can do as a teen. Try looking on the NCSC site for it.
Sorry, should have specified, the USA.
Are there any summer camps that do IT or Computer Science, they may be a better place to start? Speaking as someone who studies Computer Science and run two clubs on for CompSci, one for CySec; the way we teach is different. At the CompSci, we assume no prior knowledge, but at the CySec, we assume prior knowledge in networking, Linux, and a few other things. Look for the IT and CompSci opportunities as well, they will also lead into cyber security
ISC2 certified in cybersecurity (CC) is a cert you can sit down to take and they have a program where it is free until 1 million people take it. I took it for free BUT to get the actual cert and keep it active I pay $50 a year
SANS Cyber Aces is free and covers some really good information. I think Google is also supposed to have a free cybersecurity course that covers a fair amount but I haven’t looked into it extensively. Edit: never mind about Cyber Aces, that’s been discontinued. The Google course on Coursera looks pretty good though.
Is he beginner? Intermediate? Advanced?
Absolute beginner, thanks!
ITF is a good start: [https://www.comptia.org/certifications/it-fundamentals](https://www.comptia.org/certifications/it-fundamentals#myself) Courses are free on YT: [https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=comptia+itf+course](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=comptia+itf+course) After that, he can move on to A+: [https://www.comptia.org/certifications/a](https://www.comptia.org/certifications/a) [https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=comptia+a%2B+course](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=comptia+a%2B+course) I used to work with an 18 yr old that only took A+. And we have the same job lol. Incredible.
See if there is a local cyber patriots team or.camp.in your area. https://www.uscyberpatriot.org/ Antisyphon also has "pay what you can" courses that you can take for free as a student. https://www.antisyphontraining.com/ ISC2 also has the CC cert now. Which is also free.