What This Is

Inner Study is a private community for post–Security+ learners building real, job-ready cybersecurity skills through practice, scenarios, and feedback.


What you’ll do inside

  • Alert triage scenarios

  • Log interpretation practice

  • “What would you do next?” decisions

  • Explain-your-thinking drills

  • Hiring-aligned feedback

  • Plus more!

How it works

Inner Study is designed for focused, sustainable progress.

You’ll participate through structured practice posts and guided discussions, working through realistic cybersecurity scenarios at your own pace. Each activity is built to help you think clearly, make better decisions, and explain your reasoning.

You can expect:

  • Regular practice scenarios and prompts

  • Structured discussions centered on why decisions matter

  • Thoughtful feedback aligned with real job expectations

  • A professional, focused community environment

Participation is primarily asynchronous, with occasional optional deep dives to go deeper when it makes sense.

Inner Study

  • $50.00 / month

Ready to move beyond Security+ and focus on what matters?

Join Inner Study

FAQ

  • Who is this for?

    People who have: Have completed Security+ or equivalent, Want to move beyond theory, Are willing to practice consistently, Care about learning how the job actually works.

  • Who is this not for?

    People who are absolute beginners. Check out the free community "The Outer Study".

  • Do I really need the Security+?

    No but you should have equivalent knowledge. In the Inner Study, we build on this knowledge to get you job ready. We highly recommend you get an entry level theoretical certification as almost all hiring managers for SOC 1 roles are asking for it.

  • Is it live or self-paced?

    A little of both. We will have live workshops and self-paced work for you to complete. We highly recommend you engage in all of it.

  • Can I cancel at anytime?

    We encourage you to use a trial to determine if this community is the right fit for you. See our current cancellation policy for any questions on this topic.

  • Does this guarantee a job?

    No but we guarantee that you will learn the skills that are being used today in the top Security Operations Centers.

Instructor(s)

Mike Small

Instructor

Micheal Small is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with deep technical roots and a passion for empowering learners to tackle real-world threats. With more than one decade of experience in both defensive and offensive cybersecurity operations, Micheal has built a reputation as a trusted leader, educator, and practitioner.

Micheal’s career spans a wide array of roles including security operations lead, penetration tester, malware analyst, incident responder, and purple team manager at a major financial institution where he led automation of security testing and crafted hands-on training for SOC analysts. Most recently, he returned to Adapt Forward as Technical Lead of Detection and Response, overseeing detection engineering, threat evaluation, and response capabilities across multiple operation centers.

A retired Army veteran, Micheal blends mission-driven insight with practical cybersecurity know-how and holds a broad set of industry certifications (18). He is widely recognized in the cyber community for mentoring emerging talent and shaping the next generation of practitioners through clear, applicable guidance.

In this Academy, Micheal draws on his extensive field experience to break down complex concepts into actionable skills. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to sharpen your defensive and offensive security capabilities, his instruction helps bridge the gap between theory and practice.