Hey all,

Just wanted to get some outside opinions.

I am really trying to get deeper into the career field I am shooting for (penetration testing) and need some freindly advise from the antionline team.

I have gone the certification route and have most every major ceritification, great, kudos for me. But where I stand now is that I have all the concepts and a great understanding of security in general but for me to enter into the penetration testers realm I need to take it to the next level.

I currently work on pen testing my work environment, with permission of course, but it seems unfair since I administer it...lol. Easy for me to cheat if I wanted to I guess. I am the CIO and network admin for the company, not in a full time pen tester position.

I guess what it comes down to is this:

1. What can I do that will allow me to work on pen testing on live systems as an intern to grow my skills?
2. What can I do to help me learn all the form and procedures that expose me to the business side of the field?

My first though was to find a mentor that will allow me to shadow them and I can gain lots of knowlege that way, but I have not been able to secure that goal. Basicly someone I could assist as an intern to help them perform pen tests, legally of course, and gain a deeper appreciation for the field.

Any ideas of thoughts? I have already set up a home lab and have been using that to test concepts on, but nothing beats the real experince and referances that I can proudly put on my resume.

I wish there was a site like. www.penetrationtesterinternslookhere.com or something, but no such luck.lol

Any advice is much appreciated as I really respect the AO community!