Are you thinking about starting a career as a writer? If so, it’s essential to know the pros, cons, and unique challenges of taking this path. First off, not many people are cut out to be full-time authors, so consider yourself lucky if you have both the desire and the core talents to become one. Additionally, writing is an avocation that calls for a lot more planning than most other professions, primarily because the steep competition and crowded market demand that you know your stuff and have a second source of income while building up your writing resume. Here are four steps to get you started. Keep in mind that even though it might seem daunting at first, if you stick to your original goal, becoming a full-time author is within reach.

Brainstorm Your Precise Goals

When you hear the word author, what comes to mind? For most people, the field is all about novelists who write fiction best-sellers. In fact, that niche is just a tiny piece of the field. Most who make a living with their pens or keyboards are journalists, freelancers, ghost writers, technical specialists, and non-fiction book authors. Most who compose written pieces for pay are employed in the corporate world or toil as freelancers for dozens of different clients. Take time to sit down and spend an hour or more considering what niche best suits your aims and skills.

Have a Backup Plan

What’s the ideal backup plan for adults who want to delve into a serious, full-time career as writers? It’s a college degree, believe it or not. You probably already know that people who embark on acting, music, or standup comedy careers typically have a fallback strategy. That’s because some career paths are inherently iffy, and are no guarantee of steady, long-term income.

In other words, don’t give up you day job, or put another way, have a legitimate diploma in case your writing dreams don’t take off soon enough. The good news is that it’s easy to not only get a student loan but to research what the proceeds can be used for while you learn. For instance, if you’re operating a freelance writing business on the side, as many students do, you can’t use loan proceeds to pay for business expenses. However, you can spend the proceeds for anything school related, including books, tuition, room, board, fees, and similar expenses.

Study the Market

Do online research to find out what areas are easiest to break into. For instance, if you want to be on a creative team the comes up with TV scripts for sitcoms and soaps, be ready for intense competition. Freelancing and technical positions are much more realistic ways to pay the bills while you pursue other avenues like creating screenplays or television dialogue.

Workshop Large Projects

If you have a major piece in the works, like a fiction or non-fiction masterpiece, be sure to join a local writers’ workshop and get feedback about structure, content, flow, and other key components of the manuscript. Going it alone is neither wise nor profitable. Even popular literary talents like Stephen King run their books through workshop groups for early feedback and objective critique.

Best Cybersecurity Books – Recommendations from the Experts

Cybersecurity professionals also have the required reading literature. In software products, developers often focus on functionality and performance and only think about security as a last resort. Our experts have collected eight books on cybersecurity to put at the forefront of this area or keep close at hand as a desktop. All publications from the list are suitable for practicing specialized knowledge specialists or novice students mastering this area. The topics range from mobile and web applications, double data encryption to the Internet of Things, desktop programs, and containers.

VPN, Virtual Private Network – Stephen Brown

Stephen Brown is a Firewall and VPN Engineer at Cable & Wireless. Dana company is one of the most popular and top-ranked organizations in the telecommunications industry. For 15 years, the author has been studying TCP / IP networks. Stephen Brown also received an engineering degree. His list of accomplishments includes a certificate in Learning Solaris and CheckPoint Firewall.

Virtual Private Networks is the first and most affordable book that details the benefits of using a VPN. After reading the book, you will understand concepts such as double data encryption, authentication services, key sizes, and privacy. Knowing how to manage the above elements will help you secure your network.

If you want to study this direction, then in the book, you will find a complete guide for specialists involved in the implementation of VeePN. For organizations that need such employees, you will be a godsend. You will show that you have the right skills to design and install an organizational system in practice. The book describes perfectly what a double VPN is and how to use it.

Hacking: The Art of Exploitation (2nd Ed.) – Jon Erickson

The author does not teach how to use known exploits but explains their work and inner essence. First, the reader acquaints himself with the basics of C, assembly, and shell language learning to explore processor registers. Once you have mastered the material, you can start hacking – overwrite memory with a buffer overflow, access a remote server while hiding your presence, and intercept TCP connections. By learning these techniques, you can break encrypted wireless network traffic, successfully bypassing security and intrusion detection systems.

The network security book provides a comprehensive understanding of programming, machine architecture, network connections, and hacking techniques. With this knowledge, your possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Materials for working with this edition are available in the form of an Ubuntu Linux boot disk, which can be downloaded and used without affecting the OS installed on the computer.

Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker – Kevin Mitnick, William L. Simon

Kevin Mitnick is widely regarded as the most elusive computer hacker in history. It penetrated the networks and computers of the world’s largest companies. No matter how quickly the authorities realized, Mitnick was faster, rushing through telephone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks in a whirlwind. For many years he scoured cyberspace, always outstripping his pursuers not by one step, but by three steps, and earned the fame of a man who cannot be stopped.

Ghost on the Net is a gripping unthinking story of intrigue, suspense, and incredible escapes. This visionary portrait with such ingenuity, insight, and perseverance that the authorities had to rethink pursuing him completely. The echoes of this epic battle are still being felt in the computer security industry today. The book can be downloaded for free for review, read online, or bought the full version.

Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World – Joseph Menn

A modern person should always take care of personal data safety because hackers can easily use a person’s data at the peak of technology development. The Cult of the Dead Cow is a book that describes the first group of hackers who helped shape the concept of cyberspace. Their public antics have attracted attention in the past, but almost no one knows the real stories until now. And in some cases, even the names of these people. And yet, the real history of the “Cult of the Dead Cow” allows us to understand the vector of development of computer security systems and raises fundamental ethical questions. The Cult of the Dead Cow is the ultimate book to influence how people think about cybersecurity and care about data protection. Read, download, listen to the book – you will discover new knowledge in the field of cybersecurity.

Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking – Christopher Hadnagy

Chris’s book reveals social engineering’s essence: this phenomenon is described and sorted out on the shelves in an accessible form. The new edition also reflects the principles of decision-making and the peculiarities of manipulating this process. Hacking computer systems has long been a surprise, and manipulations have existed for as long as humanity. This book will teach you how to defend against them and understand, prevent the risks associated with social engineering, and how VPN chaining can protect you.

Christopher Hadnegie, a world-renowned social engineer, teaches you to recognize all types of manipulation and counteract fraudsters of all stripes. No one else will be able to force you to do what you did not plan to do – the part with money, give out important information and commit dangerous actions. All of the examples that Hadnegie gives come from his personal and professional practice. Among information security books, this work is the best.

 Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon – Kim Zetter

Countdown to Day Zero tells the story of Stuxnet. The story revolves around the world’s first digital weapon, which affected the lives of many people. The book raises important questions about a war in which we can all become collateral damage. Zetter expertly explores the interplay of politics and technology. This led to a consensus that America and Israel were jointly responsible for the now-infamous worm.

 The Cuckoo’s Egg – Clifford Stoll

Unlike a bad dancer, only cuckoo eggs get in the way of a good sysadmin. They are put into his computer by evil hackers to hatch programs that make their cuckoo dad a superuser. The gallant sysadmin does not sleep and brings the attackers to the surface for a year or two; this time, the hacker party has flown abruptly. This is a summary of the classic book by computer security expert Cliff Stoll “The Cuckoo’s Egg.” This documentary detective without mistakes describes the work of hacker hunters who managed to figure out unscrupulous Germans transferring hacked Pentagon information to Soviet intelligence in exchange for money and cocaine. The book, of course, is already historical, but it is nevertheless read with interest.

It seems that university is the period that helps to prepare ourselves for adult life. During this time, we discover our strengths and weaknesses, gain experience and try to understand what our goals are. Of course, every student is unique. We study at different faculties and have different plans and dreams. 

However, there is one thing we have in common. We all want to be ready for what lies ahead. Fortunately, books can give us a hand with that. Authors all over the world write about techniques and qualities that are essential for us to be successful. The world is developing very quickly and we must take it into account, too. 

So, if you want to be ready for whatever the future has in store – here are 6 must-read books for you!

Meg Jay – The Defining Decade

Someone says that years from twenty to thirty are your second youth. Others believe that it’s the beginning of adulthood. Dr. Meg Jay, a psychologist, claims that this is the most important decade in a person’s life. It literally determines your fate. During this period, we lay the foundation for the future of such areas as work, love, as well as health and intellectual development.

The book includes insights from people of different professions. Psychologists, sociologists, neurologists, and top managers open up about the significance of this decade. Things you pay attention to between your twenties and thirties have a huge impact on your career, personal growth and relationships.

Meg Jay explains why exactly you shouldn’t postpone the beginning of adulthood and waste these ten beautiful years. Read The Defining Decade and be sure that your youth will bring amazing benefits for the future.

Of course, it might be hard to focus on the reading when there are loads of college papers to hand in. Students turn to essay writer services to free up some time for their hobbies and other activities. Professionals from PaperWriter can give you a hand with anything. .

Thanks to the academic help platform, you can forget about upcoming deadlines and be sure that your paper will get the highest grade. Besides, you can also read Studyfy reviews to know more about other students’ experience before using the service.

Jim Al-Khalili – What’s Next?

Scientists make discoveries and decisions that affect their future every day. We come up with amazing solutions to improve our everyday life and solve lots of problems. But can anyone foresee what awaits humanity? In this book, the world’s leading experts, led by Jim Al-Khalili, use cutting-edge science knowledge to give the reader an idea of what lies ahead.

Will teleportation be possible? How will the climate change?  What will happen if artificial intelligence takes over us? Will people be healthier with DNA treatment? What miracles of technology can we expect? Read this book to know all the answers. 

Malcolm Gladwell – Outliers: The Story of Success

We often catch ourselves thinking that life is not fair. Why do some get money, fame and glory, while others get nothing? We tend to think that successful people achieve anything they want thanks to their brilliant education and outstanding talents. However, Gladwell discovers that personal qualities don’t always help people rise to the top – sometimes it all comes down to chance.

The author looks at success from different perspectives. He provides an analysis of many factors on which achievements may depend. Gladwell relies on the results of various studies and analyzes the biographies of prominent people. Thus, he demonstrates that we are complex creatures and predicting someone’s life path turns out to be an impossible task. 

Gladwell encourages us to reflect on the possibilities that open up to us every day. Always look around in search of new opportunities – that’s the author’s main point.

Keith Ferrazzi – Never Eat Alone

Have you ever thought that everyone you know, from a family member to the postman, is a door to a whole new world of other people? It seems like the ability to build relationships is one of the most essential nowadays. If we communicate with others openly and sincerely, these contacts will definitely work for us in the future. 

Ferrazzi is sure that communication is everything, whether you are a famous entrepreneur or just a student who starts their career. The author shares his tips on building a circle of good friends and acquaintances. The book reveals valuable secrets of interpersonal communication that are rarely discussed by teachers or coaches. 

So, if you still believe that the importance of networking is exaggerated, read this book. After all, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know that matters most.

Robert Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter – Rich Dad, Poor Dad

No doubt, if you want to be successful in life, you will have to make smart decisions with your money. However, we often lack financial literacy. Why? The authors of the book believe that American children don’t receive the necessary knowledge about budgeting at school. Thus, it takes a lifetime for them to achieve financial well-being.

However, there is another way – you can make money work for you. Kiyosaki shares insights on mastering the art of investing and managing money wisely. He emphasizes the role of financial education. According to him, we can make a fortune by investing in assets and real estate as well as starting and developing our own business.

The author insists that anyone can become rich, regardless of their education or social status. So, the book helps you to stay motivated. Remember: your enthusiasm and determination – that’s what really matters. 

David Rose – Enchanted Objects

The internet and technologies change the world we live in. No doubt, gadgets and objects that surround us will look completely different in 5-10 years. David Rose designs Internet-connected devices and uses his experience to answer such questions: 

• Which jobs will be relevant in the future?
• Will telepathy, teleportation and immortality be real? 
• How will cars, umbrellas, wallets, musical instruments and other things look in a few decades?

Read this book to discover whether fairy tales and fantasy will enter our reality.

Final Thoughts

Being a student gives lots of advantages and a chance to make mistakes is one of them. A path towards self-improvement is never easy, but becoming a better version of ourselves is worth it. To be successful, we should start working on our character and attitude as early as possible. 

The world is becoming more demanding and challenging every day. We may not be able to change it, but we can always start from ourselves.