Evolve Security Academy

I started the program in October 2023 and graduated in 2024 from Evolve Security Academy.
Right after finishing the bootcamp, I landed a job within days and even came back as a teaching assistant because I had such a great experience. Before the bootcamp,... Read More I was living paycheck to paycheck. It genuinely made me job-ready and completely changed my trajectory.
The instructors were excellent, and I’ve had nothing but positive experiences throughout. My first role out of the program was as a Security Analyst, and now I’m working as a Cybersecurity Engineer. I went from making around $50k a year to $180k and I can work from anywhere in the world.
If you put in the work, this can truly be life-changing.

When I joined Evolve Security Academy, I had just graduated with a degree in Computer Science and had no real cybersecurity experience. I understood technical concepts, but I did not know how security worked in practice.

Evolve gave me that bridge. The... Read More program is hands on and focused on real world work. We analyzed traffic, ran vulnerability scans, worked in SIEM tools, mapped findings to MITRE ATT&CK, and wrote professional reports. One of the most valuable experiences was working with a nonprofit organization to conduct a full risk assessment. We identified risks, documented findings, and provided recommendations, which made the learning feel real and impactful.

Evolve also provides strong career support through a dedicated career coach who helps with resumes, LinkedIn, job applications, and interview preparation. That guidance made a big difference for me.

I came in with no cybersecurity background and left ready to step into the field as a cybersecurity professional.

The instructors taught the course in a way that was understandable. As someone who came into the course with minimal knowledge of Kali and pen testing in general, I felt that they took the extra time and effort to ensure that I was following along with... Read More the course material and were always open to my questions in office hours. "

Evolve Security Academy was honestly a great experience. It’s super hands-on, you’re not just reading slides or watching lectures. We actually worked with real tools like Splunk, Zeek, BurpSuite, and AWS, and that made a huge difference in how confident... Read More I felt going into the field.
The instructors and TAs were awesome. They really care about helping you learn and actually get it, not just rush you through. The group projects made it feel like a real SOC environment, and everyone supported each other the whole way through.
After graduating, I even came back as a TA because I believed in the program that much. If you’re serious about getting into cybersecurity and want real, practical experience, this is 100% the move.

My experience with Evolve Security Academy has been outstanding. The curriculum is hands-on and focused on real-world skills, with labs that help you master essential tools . The instructors are supportive and knowledgeable, creating a collaborative learning... Read More environment. The program offers great career preparation, from resume building to mock interviews, and provides strong networking opportunities with professionals in the field. Overall, it's an excellent choice for anyone looking to break into or advance in the cybersecurity field.

Recently finished an intense 8-week OSCP bootcamp with Evolve Security Academy and honestly, it was one of the best learning experiences I’ve had. The training was super hands-on, challenging in all the right ways, and I walked away with a ton of new... Read More skills.

What really made it special was the people. I met some awesome folks along the way, and having a community to learn and struggle through the tough parts with made it not just valuable but also super fun. My mentor was super knowledgeable and she was always very patient and would make sure everybody understood everything before moving on to another topic. She also continued to support me even after the bootcamp ended and helped me overcome any obstacles along the way.

I would highly recommend to Evolve Security Academy anyone interested about getting into pentesting and passing their OSCP exam!

I went into this bootcamp knowing the Olga from a previous cohort. At the time she was an assistant instructor, but for this class she was the lead instructor. Her guidance and knowledge helped me pass the final and I'm more confident in my methodology... Read More when approaching boxes and labs.

After passing the Evolve Security Academy final exam, I'm excited to attempt the OSCP in the next couple of months.

I highly recommend this class to anyone who is struggling with understanding concepts or techniques in the PEN-200 course.

The only con I would mention is that I would've liked to have more designated time to the material. The cohort is 8 weeks long and we met Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with 3 1-hour office hours times throughout the weeks. Although the instructors were available to be reached out to, I would've benefited from more time with the instructors to go over what I was struggling with during that week.

If you're considering a cybersecurity bootcamp and want an environment where you're genuinely challenged, fully supported, and thoroughly prepared for long-term success, I can’t recommend Evolve Academy highly enough.

From the beginning, Evolve creates... Read More an atmosphere that pushes you to grow not just technically, but professionally and personally. The curriculum is demanding—in the best way possible. It's designed to simulate real-world scenarios and ensure you’re job-ready by the time you graduate. You’ll be exposed to a wide range of cybersecurity tools and techniques, including threat analysis, network security, ethical hacking, and incident response. Everything is taught through hands-on labs and live instruction, so you're never just passively absorbing information—you’re applying it constantly.

What truly sets Evolve apart, though, is the level of support and dedication from the staff. Every instructor and mentor is invested in your success. They take the time to get to know you, understand your goals, and guide you along the best path to achieve them. The job prep support is also top-notch.

I'm so glad I found the Evolve Security Academy Cybersecurity Program because it would have been near impossible for me to curate all the course content, exercises, quizzes, labs, etc. on my own (despite the vast availability of free resources, this simply... Read More is a very hard thing to do). The format (live online lectures, coupled with some recorded lectures and work you do on your time) was very effective! You don’t miss out on class and instructor interactions, and, at the same time, you get through much of the material on your own time. Class meetings were M-Th evenings for 2 hours—that made it easier to do than a longer stretch of 3 hours. Office hours were held every evening we had class, so you get the best opportunity to ask questions and stay abreast of the material. The Saturday classes were every other week for 5 hours, which allowed time for assessments, extended exercises, and labs. The curriculum was laid out in a logical sense, with additional resources given if you want to learn/practice even more. Having quizzes, many labs, and assessments kept us in line with the material. The best part of the program: the instructors and teaching assistants (T.A.s) -- knowledgeable professionals, fully available and helpful to a 'T'. Even though I loved all the instructors, I would say this program would not be the same without the close assistance of the T.A.s! I'd highly recommend the ESA bootcamp because it's a professional program and very well executed, with a huge amount of learning opportunities, and it prepares someone for an entry-level job in cybersecurity. The support in terms of instructors, TAs, the director, our career coach, the CyberLab learning portal, etc. is truly outstanding!

Pros: The course was amazing, it created a solid push for me to obtain the OSCP certification. I've acquired new and valuable skills and techniques, which will be surely helpful for me in the future career. Other than that, I've met new friends, who shares... Read More the same goals, we talked and shared things with each other, which meant a lot to me. After the course, I felt like my knowledge was strongly consolidated and was ready to tackle the exam. [Update April 2024]: I passed the OSCP with 90 points. Cons: There is one small thing that I'd recommend, is to update the CyberLab platform, I perceived that some of the contents aren't up-to-date. For example, Buffer Overflow has been announced to be removed from the OSCP exam; therefore, it might not relevant unless there is a public exploit available for it. The Control Panel features can be further improved, especially, the search function. I couldn't search for the machine name at the time I did the course. Overall, I'd give a solid 4/5.