Shadowing Practice: From Zero to SOC Analyst: Complete Roadmap (2026) - Learn English Speaking with Video

If you are starting from zero and you want to become a SOC analyst, you have probably been drowning in advice.

Get this certification, watch this YouTube channel, learn this tool, take this course, and then you are right back where you started.

More confused than when you began.

So in this video, I am going to give you a complete roadmap from zero experience to SOC analyst ready.

I will show you exactly what to learn, what order to learn it in, and the free resources I would recommend at every single phase.

This is a video I wish I had when I was starting out.

If this is your first time seeing one of my videos, hello my name is Steven and I've been working in cybersecurity for over a decade, mainly within the security operations domain.

On this channel, you will find videos on career guidance, lab walkthroughs, and SOC-related projects that you can tackle and put onto your portfolio.

I also run a free community for aspiring SOC analysts like yourself called the MyID4SOC community.

So if you want to be surrounded with like-minded individuals working towards the same goal, I would highly recommend checking it out.

You'll also find a free Kickstarter guide in the community as well.

Link will be in the description down below.

So the first phase of becoming a SOC analyst has nothing to do with cybersecurity, unfortunately.

You need IT first, and I know that is not what most people want to hear, especially if you have been watching cybersecurity videos for months, and you're itching to get into the cool stuff.

But hear me out.

SOC analysts spend their days investigating activity on operating systems, networks, applications, and endpoints.

If you do not understand how any of these things work first, you cannot tell when something is wrong.

You will be lost in your first week on the job.

So that is why we start here.

For the IT phase, the resources that I would recommend or all free.

TCN Security has a free practical helpdesk course that walks you through the basics of being a helpdesk technician.

They also have a free Linux 100 fundamentals course that you absolutely need because as a SOC analyst, you will deal with Linux systems constantly.

For Windows, KevTech on YouTube has incredible free content.

He walks through Active Directory, Windows Server Administration, all the practical stuff that you actually use on the job.

And for the broader IT foundation, Professor Messer has a free CompTIA A-plus course on YouTube.

The A-plus is the IT generalist certification, and even if you do not take the exam, which is optional by the way,

the material covers everything from hardware to operating systems to troubleshooting.

Once you have the IT foundation, the next phase is networking.

And honestly, this is the phase where most beginners struggle

because networking just feels boring compared to learning a sim or playing with malware.

But networking is the language that all of those tools speak.

If you do not know networking, you cannot investigate a suspicious connection.

For free networking resources, Professor Messer has a Network Plus course on YouTube.

It covers OSI model, TCP IP, routing, switching, all the fundamentals.

For hands-on practice, you do have two free options.

GNS3 is a network emulator that lets you build virtual networks and configure devices.

Packet Tracer is similar and is made by Cisco.

Both are free.

Either one will let you build networks and break them, which is way more valuable than watching videos.

Now, if you're wondering which one to pick first, well, Packet Tracer is easier to get into, at least in my opinion, but GNS3 is more powerful.

So I would start with Packet Tracer and then graduate to GNS3 when you want more depth.

Now we get into security.

This is the phase where you learn the core concepts that the rest of your career is going to build on.

Things like the CIA triad, threat actors, attack types, defense, and depth, all of the stuff that shows up in every security conversation you will ever have.

For free resources, you guessed it, Professor Messer comes back here with the Security Plus course.

Same format as the others, free YouTube playlist, study notes available on the website, and the material is pretty solid.

The other resource I would recommend is TCM Security's Practical Security Fundamentals course, as it is free and it covers similar material.

And I would actually recommend doing both.

From here, you should have IT, networking, and security fundamentals.

Now, you can start learning the tools and workflows that you will actually use on the job.

For Sims, specifically with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft has a free learning track called SC200, which covers Microsoft Sentinel, KQL, and Defender.

It is on Microsoft Learn and is completely free.

For Splunk, Cisco does offer a free career path

that is available on their education portal that covers the basics and is called the Cybersecurity Defense Analyst Path.

Security Blue Team also has free content that I would recommend.

They have a free version of their introductory training that covers the basics of Blue Team work.

And honestly, my channel does cover a lot of this too.

I have walkthroughs on Sentinel, Splunk, KC7, KQL, and real investigation workflows.

Now, I do want to talk about AI, and this is the section

that is going to set you apart from a lot of

the candidates who are applying to the same SOC role that you are.

AI is becoming part of the SOC analyst workflow, whether we like it or not.

Tools are integrating it directly, and analysts who know how to use AI well are pulling ahead of analysts who do not.

I've actually created a video talking more about this topic, which you can find in the description.

For free AI resources, TCM Security has an AI fundamentals course, and it is a solid starting point.

Anthropic has free courses on prompting and using AI tools effectively.

And Microsoft has an AI 901 certification track on Microsoft Learn, which is essentially their AI fundamentals path.

Now, you do not need to be an AI expert, but what you do need to understand is how to use AI as a tool to accelerate your work.

Know how to write a good prompt, know when AI is wrong, and know how to verify an output.

Speaking of such, I do have a SOC Automation Project 2.0 on this channel

that walks you through integrating OpenAI directly into a SOC workflow.

So I would highly recommend checking that out if you want to put a pretty cool project onto your portfolio.

Now, let's talk about certifications.

And I am going to be completely honest with you here because this is where a lot of money gets wasted.

The certifications that I would actually recommend for someone starting out are CompTIA Security Plus and Microsoft SC200.

Security Plus lets hiring managers know that you have foundational knowledge, whereas SC200 lets them know that you have knowledge about the Microsoft security stack,

which by the way, a lot of SOCs have today.

Now, I'm not a big fan of chasing certifications.

I would always rather see someone with hands-on experience and a real portfolio than someone with a stack of certs.

But I have to be honest with you about what I've been seeing in the job market lately.

CompTIA CESA Plus has been showing up more and more in SOC analyst job postings.

So if you are working through your certification and you are not sure what comes after Security+, then CESA Plus is worth considering.

But just know that you do not need all three right away.

Start with Security+, add SC200 when you are diving into Microsoft Sentinel,

and then look into CESA Plus if you are seeing it come up more in the jobs that you are applying for.

What I would not do is collect 10 random certifications hoping that one of them lands you a job.

I mean, certifications can help you get past resume screening, but they do not get you the job, which brings me to the next phase.

Projects, in my opinion, is one of the biggest differences between candidates who get interviews and candidates who get ignored.

The three projects that I would recommend you build are the following.

The first is an Active Directory project.

So spin up a domain controller, create users, configure group policies, and then attack it.

This teaches you how Windows environments actually look like and what suspicious activity looks like inside them.

The second is the SOC automation project.

Build a small environment with a SIM and EDR and some kind of alerting pipeline.

Tools like Waza, Sentinel, and Splunk all have free options that work for this.

Generate some attacks, watch them get detected, and then document what happened.

The third is a SOAR EDR project.

SOAR stands for Security Orchestration Automation and Response.

Build a small workflow that takes an alert from your EDR and then enriches it with threat intelligence.

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And then either auto-contains or escalate based off of the data.

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This right here is the kind of project that makes a hiring manager go, Oh, this person actually understands the workflow.

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Oh, and by the way, all three projects are inside my free community.

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Now, when you are doing these projects, be sure to document everything as you go.

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Take screenshots, write up what you found, then put it on GitHub or LinkedIn.

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And that right there is your proof of work.

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Alongside building up your own projects, you should also be working through hands-on labs that simulate real sock work.

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Some of the free resources that you can use are try hack me, hack the box, cyber defenders, security blue team, and malware traffic analysis.

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If you work through even half of these, you are going to be in a way better position than the average candidate applying for entry-level SOC roles.

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And that right there is the roadmap.

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We have IT fundamentals, networking, security fundamentals, SOC analyst skills, AI, the right certifications, real projects, and hands-on labs.

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Just know that all of these free resources alone is going to take time.

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It takes discipline and it takes the ability to figure out what to do next when you get stuck.

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Now, before I tell you about my paid option, I want to be very clear about something.

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The MyD for Forge is SOC analyst specific.

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So if you are completely new to IT and you have not yet built up the foundations, your first step is not the Forge.

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Your first step is the IT, networking, and security fundamentals that I walked you through earlier in this video.

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Build those up first.

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Use the free resources that I listed and get comfortable with the basics.

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Once you have those foundations down and you are in the position to invest, then the MyD for Forge could be your next step.

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The Forge is an ongoing community built specifically for aspiring SOC analysts who are ready to do the work.

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We have a structured 90-day SOC accelerator program that walks you through alert triage, investigations, and documentation step-by-step.

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We have a defer course to level you up beyond what most entry-level training covers.

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You get continued access to the SOC simulator with simulated clients including Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, and Defender XDR.

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So you are working with real alerts, and we do run monthly capture the flag events.

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And you are also surrounded by a community of people working towards the same goal as you.

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Now, the reason why I am positioning to forge the way I am is

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because working with real alerts on real enterprise tools is the true test of whether you are ready for the job.

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You can read about SOC analysts' work for years, but until you sit down and triage a real alert, you do not actually know if you can do it.

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The Forge does give you that practice in a safe environment where you can make mistakes

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and then learn from them before you ever set foot in a real SOC.

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But at the end of the day, whatever path you pick, the most important thing is that you start and commit to it.

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That is it for the video, and I hope that you found that informative.

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If you did, let me know by hitting that like button and subscribe if you want to.

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Remember to stay curious and do things differently.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “From Zero to SOC Analyst: Complete Roadmap”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Soc, security, analyst, project, certification. This video has 134 sentences and 2122 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:49. The speaker talks fast, about 180 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
analyst noun	/ˈænəlɪst/	Someone who analyzes.
certification noun	/ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/	The act of certifying.
workflow noun	/ˈwɝkfloʊ/	The flowrate at which a flow of work takes place.
forge noun	/fɔɹd͡ʒ/	A furnace or hearth where metals are heated prior to hammering them into shape.
cybersecurity noun	/saɪbəsɪˈkjʊəɹɪtɪ/	Security against electronic attacks such as cyberwarfare or cyberterrorism.
automation noun	/ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/	The act or process of converting the controlling of a machine or device to a more automatic system, such as computer or electronic controls.
aspire verb	/əˈspaɪɚ/	To have a strong desire or ambition to achieve something.
configure verb	/kənˈfɪɡə(ɹ)/	To set up or arrange something in such a way that it is ready for operation for a particular purpose, or to someone's particular liking
malware noun	/ˈmæl.wɛəɹ/	Software which has been designed to operate in a malicious, undesirable manner.
simulate verb	/ˈsɪm.jə.lət/	To model, replicate, duplicate the behavior, appearance or properties of.
triage noun	/ˈtɹi.ɑʒ/	Assessment or sorting according to quality, need, etc., especially to determine how resources will be allocated.
walkthrough noun	/ˈwɔːk.θɹuː/	A tour of a space, such as a property for sale or rent.
integrate verb	/ˈɪn.tɪ.ɡɹeɪt/	To include as a constituent part or functionality.
surround verb	/səˈɹaʊnd/	To encircle something or simultaneously extend in all directions.
prompt verb	/pɹɑmpt/	To lead (someone) toward what they should say or do.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
work through verb	To get past a difficult or stressful situation by thinking or talking about it.
build up verb	To erect; to construct.
start out verb	To emerge suddenly; to jump out.
come back verb	To return to a place.
come up verb	To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
figure out verb	To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
get past verb	To continue around a blockage; to get around (something); to surpass something that is in the way.
show up verb	To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	have probably been drowning · I've been working · have been watching
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be surrounded · will be lost · is made
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	exam, which is · them, which is · Learn, which is

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, you're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: walkthrough /ˈwɔːk.θɹuː/, anthropic /ænˈθɹɒp.ɪk/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: certification /ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, automation /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/, triage /ˈtɹi.ɑʒ/, suspicious /səˈspɪʃ.əs/, foundational /faʊnˈdeɪ.ʃə.nəl/
Long words — get the stress right: certification /ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, cybersecurity /saɪbəsɪˈkjʊəɹɪtɪ/, automation /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/, accelerator /əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/, emulator /ˈɛmjəˌleɪtəɹ/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like analyst, certification, workflow.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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