The biggest mistake I see in students new to security is jumping straight into pentest tools without first solidifying their networking and OS fundamentals. Real ethical hacking isn't about running a script — it's about deeply understanding how a system works so you can understand how it breaks.
My recommended path is always: networking & Linux fundamentals → recon and scanning tools → learning a standardized methodology → practicing in legal lab environments → specialized certifications.
For an overview of the core penetration testing methodology frameworks:
Top Penetration Testing Methodologies: https://www.stationx.net/penetration-testing-methodologies/
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