This is a follow-up from the last time I posted on here (the responses last time were very helpful).

I've decided to give up on my BSc for now. I have some experience in IT and a Canadian College Diploma in computer programming. Most of my background is in web development, but I’m looking to pivot into cybersecurity.

My biggest issue is that my networking fundamentals aren’t very strong. I understand programming and general IT concepts, but I never really built a solid foundation in things like TCP/IP, subnetting, network infrastructure, etc. (I did learn some of the basics for that during my diploma, but it was purely intro stuff I haven't thought about in a while.)

Right now I’m considering getting a certification both to learn what I need to for an entry-level cybersecurity job, and to give me an edge. I've been doing some research, and I'm not exactly sure how to go about it.

Do I do the free Cisco Networking Basics course, do the ISC2 CC, do the CompTIA Security+, then eventually CISA (because apparently I can't do this one off the jump)?

I’m not sure if I should even be aiming for CISA since I know it’s more focused on auditing/GRC (don't know what these actually mean in the context of cybersecurity, but that's what the internet says) than general entry-level cybersecurity. But that's the cybersecurity buzz word I think.

I also tend to learn much better in a structured instructor-led environment than completely self-teaching. Are there any Canadian college/university programs, bootcamps, or max 2 year programs that actually teach cybersecurity from the fundamentals, including networking, operating systems, security concepts, labs, etc. all the way to certification prep?

Like this York one I found looks perfect, but I'm not sure.

Ideally I’m looking for something that would give me the foundation needed for certifications like Security+ and eventually CISA, rather than a bootcamp that assumes I already know networking.

So like do I just self-study? Is a bootcamp or college program a waste of time and money?

For anyone who made a similar transition from programming/web development into cybersecurity, what path worked for you?

Due to unfortunate circumstances and stupid decisions, right now all I have going for me is a Computer Programming Diploma from Humber, and 4 years of experience working part-time for a business that teaches kids to code (I'm basically a manager but still get paid minimum wage).

I'm technically currently enrolled at Western, but I don't have the financial support to go back next semester. I'm currently trying to find out if I can switch to an Online program, but the red tape is horrific right now. Then I have the option of going back to Humber and going for their Cybersecurity Comp Sci BSc. But I think it would take 3 years. On the plus side, it's affordable and closeby, and I can keep working at my current job or new job if I (hopefully) get one. Plus there's co-op opportunities, and I think cybersecurity is slightly more secure right now.

Or I could just pour all my energy into looking for a new job with what little experience I have, and give up on school. That being said, I took a gap year from Western and have been applying since April 2025 and only got 3 interviews that went nowhere.

What do I do?

I'm trying to make my first API with an accompanying website, and I'm using tutorials. I decided the MERN stack was the way to go, since it seemed popular and easy.

I have some experience with SQL itself, but have never connected a database to an actual application.

So I got to the point of making my database in mongoDB when I saw some stuff about how mySQL is more secure than noSQL, and how noSQL has some disadvantages.

The api/website I'm making is just a pet project, but if it ever does become popular, would I have to move my databases? Or is this a "cross that bridge if/when I get there" situation?

Alternatively can I have the same database in multiple places at once? As in, bot mySQL and noSQL?

I'm trying to join some... not entirely sure what they're called. Like those projects where a group of people all work on a single community project. I hear discord is a good place for stuff like that. And beginner hackathons too. Any advice would be super helpful. Edit: Open Source Projects is what I meant 😅

Sorry, I know this isn't exactly a dev question, but how do I make a project without a tutorial? I know how to make functional code that does simple things, or to solve a problem/question. But nw I want to try to make some projects to add to my portfolio. I've found websites with different ideas, and I can find some tutorials, but what if I don't have a tutorial? Like, what do I do if I want to make something from scratch myself?

• I was applying to a job, and then I had to answer a question about web scraping, which I'm not familiar with. I answered all the other questions with no issue, so I decided might as well put in the effort to learn the basics and see if I can do it in a day.
• Yes, it was *somewhat * easier than I expected, but I still had to watch like 4 YouTube videos and read a bunch of reddit and stack overflow posts.
• I got the code working, but I decided to run it again to double-check. It stopped working. Not sure why.
• Testing is also annoying because the "web page" is a google doc and constantly reloads or something. It takes forever to get proper results from my print statements.
• I attached an image with the question. I haven't heard back from them, and I've seen other people post what I think might be this exact question online, so hopefully I'm not doing anything illegal.
• At this point, I just want to solve it. Here's the code:

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import requests
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

def createDataframe(url): #Make the data easier to handle
    #Get the page's html data using BeautifulSoup
    page = requests.get(url)
    soup = BeautifulSoup(page.text, 'html.parser')

    #Extract the table's headers and column structure
    table_headers = soup.find('tr', class_='c8')
    table_headers_titles = table_headers.find_all('td')
    headers = [header.text for header in table_headers_titles]

    #Extract the table's row data
    rows = soup.find_all('tr', class_='c4')
    row_data_outer = [row.find_all('td') for row in rows]
    row_data = [[cell.text.strip() for cell in row] for row in row_data_outer]

    #Create a dataframe using the extracted data
    df = pd.DataFrame(row_data, columns=headers)
    return df

def printMessage(dataframe): #Print the message gotten from the organised data
    #Drop rows that have missing coordinates
    dataframe = dataframe.dropna(subset=['x-coordinate', 'y-coordinate'], inplace=True)

    #Convert the coordinate columns to integers so they can be used
    dataframe['x-coordinate'] = dataframe['x-coordinate'].astype(int)
    dataframe['y-coordinate'] = dataframe['y-coordinate'].astype(int)

    #Determine how large the grid to be printed is
    max_x = int(dataframe['x-coordinate'].max())
    max_y = int(dataframe['y-coordinate'].max())

    #Create an empty grid
    grid = np.full((max_y + 1, max_x + 1), " ")

    #Fill the grid with the characters using coordinates as the indices
    for _, row in dataframe.iterrows():
        x = row['x-coordinate']
        y = row['y-coordinate']
        char = row['Character']
        grid[y][x] = char
    for row in grid:
        print("".join(row))

test = 'https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQGUck9HIFCyezsrBSnmENk5ieJuYwpt7YHYEzeNJkIb9OSDdx-ov2nRNReKQyey-cwJOoEKUhLmN9z/pub'
printMessage(createDataframe(test))

My most recent error:

C:\Users\User\PycharmProjects\dataAnnotationCodingQuestion\.venv\Scripts\python.exe C:\Users\User\PycharmProjects\dataAnnotationCodingQuestion\.venv\app.py 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\User\PycharmProjects\dataAnnotationCodingQuestion\.venv\app.py", line 50, in <module>
    printMessage(createDataframe(test))
  File "C:\Users\User\PycharmProjects\dataAnnotationCodingQuestion\.venv\app.py", line 30, in printMessage
    dataframe['x-coordinate'] = dataframe['x-coordinate'].astype(int)
                                ~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable

Process finished with exit code 1

Like if I'm using print statements to test my code. Is it okay to leave stuff like that in there when "publishing" the app/program?

Edit: So I meant logging. Not "tests". Using console.log to see if the code is flowing properly. I'll study up on debugging. Also, based on what I managed to grasp from your very helpful comments, it is not okay to do, but the severity of how much of an issue it is depends on the context? Either that or it's completely avoidable in the first place if I just use "automated testing" or "loggers".

Was going through a Python tutorial, but it seems kinda dated. Wanted to know if people regularly use docstrings in the workforce. Or are they somewhat irrelevant because you can convey most of that info via comments and context? Do jobs make you use them?