For those that want to still get short-term contracts before they can qualify for permanent jobs, penetration testing is a skillset that cybersecurity experts will find valuable. Since it is a niche in the greater cybersecurity industry, penetration testing is highly recognized, and so can land you into jobs with ease. Penetration testing courses teach professionals how to find weaknesses and vulnerabilities in computer systems using the same tools and techniques that malicious hackers employ. It fits the saying, "To catch a thief, think like a thief." Penetration testing gives you a hacker mindset that you can use to scour for any exploitable gaps in computing environments and networks. Let's go over some of the minimum pen test skills that experts in cybersecurity need to have.