Get on your path to a cybersecurity career. Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field with a high demand for skilled professionals. With the increasing number of cybersecurity threats and data breaches, organizations are investing heavily in protecting their digital assets. This has created numerous opportunities for individuals interested in pursuing a career in cybersecurity. In this article, we will explore the steps you can take to kickstart your journey in the exciting world of cybersecurity.

1. Education and Certification: To begin your career in cybersecurity, consider obtaining a degree in cybersecurity, computer science, or a related field. While a degree is not mandatory, it can provide you with a solid foundation and increase your chances of securing a job in the field. Alternatively, you can enroll in online cybersecurity courses or pursue certifications such as CompTIA Security+, CompTIA Pentest+, CISA, and CISSP. These certifications demonstrate your dedication and validate your skills to potential employers.
2. Gain Practical Experience: In addition to formal education, gaining hands-on experience is crucial in the cybersecurity field. Participate in hackathons, engage in real-world cybersecurity projects, and consider internships or entry-level positions. Volunteering for cybersecurity projects or offering free evaluations to organizations can provide valuable experience and enhance your resume. Practical experience not only demonstrates your skills but also helps you build a network of professionals in the industry.
3. Stay Updated with Industry Trends: Cybersecurity is a rapidly evolving field, and it is essential to stay updated with the latest trends and best practices. Engage in online communities, attend conferences, participate in forums, and network with industry experts. Keeping up-to-date with cybersecurity news and developments will enhance your knowledge and demonstrate your commitment to the field.
4. Explore Job Roles in Cybersecurity: There are various job roles available in cybersecurity, each with its own set of responsibilities. Some popular roles include network engineer, information security analyst, ethical hacker, security architect, and chief information security officer (CISO). Research these roles to identify which aligns with your interests and skills. Tailor your learning and experience to match the requirements of your desired role.
5. Build a Strong Resume: When applying for cybersecurity positions, your resume plays a crucial role in showcasing your qualifications and experience. Include both relevant work experience and unrelated work experience to demonstrate transferable skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, and communication. Highlight your technical skills, such as knowledge of hardware, data management, and networking. Emphasize any progression or growth you have achieved in previous positions to showcase your adaptability and willingness to learn.
6. Confidence and Continuous Learning: Confidence is key when applying for cybersecurity positions. Do not underestimate your qualifications or sell yourself short. Apply for positions even if you feel you may be underqualified. Remember that every application and interview is an opportunity for growth and learning. Continuous learning is vital in the field of cybersecurity. Stay curious, keep up with industry advancements, and never stop honing your skills.

Starting a successful career in cybersecurity requires a combination of education, practical experience, staying updated with industry trends, and building a strong resume. By following these steps and maintaining a passion for learning and adaptability, you can embark on a rewarding journey in the field of cybersecurity. Stay dedicated, stay informed, and embrace the ever-evolving nature of cybersecurity to thrive in this exciting and in-demand profession.

Show Transcript

Welcome to the IT Job Coach Podcast the show that helps aspiring IT professionals navigate their way to a successful career. I’m your host, Frank DeMaio, and today’s episode we’re going to be diving into the exciting world of cyber security. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to make a career transition, this episode will provide you with valuable insights on how to kick start. Your journey into cyber. Security. So let’s get started.

Welcome to the IT Job Coach Podcast Your Go to source for IT career advice and guidance. Whether you’re just entering the workforce, seeking to make a career pivot, or you have recently experienced job loss, this podcast is here to support you now. Here is your host Frank DeMaio.

Before we jump into the specifics, let’s first understand why cybersecurity is such a hot field right now. With the increasing number of cybersecurity threats, data breaches organizations are investing tons of money into helping protect their digital platform their assets. All of the above, and so the demand for this type of position is just exploding. Tons of opportunities for skilled cybersecurity. Folks, so according to some recent studies, cybersecurity professionals have a average salary of about $76,000 a year in the US, and job satisfaction actually when they measured it, is right around 71%. So people are satisfied and they’re making some very good money. Also, the field is experiencing some rapid growth, and in fact there’s been some projections that between 2019 and 2029. I mean, it’s projected to increase about 31%.

That’s a slam dunk.

So how do you start a career in cybersecurity? I get this quite a bit from folks who reach out to me because they’re just graduating from college. Say they don’t have really any experience in cybersecurity, but they have this great education. They know a lot about cyber. Security, but it’s hard for them to get their foot in the door. If you’re not a college graduate with a degree in cybersecurity, consider getting one right. If you want to get into cyber security, consider getting a degree. And while it’s not mandatory pursuing an undergraduate program in cybersecurity, you know either cyber security IT, computer science, they can provide you with a really solid foundation. And employers may also require that degree for you to get your foot in the door there, and some of them made for require a masters degree for some of their. Higher level positions. But if formal education isn’t your preferred path, you know, don’t worry. You can enroll in maybe some online cyber security courses, and a lot of times those courses are very affordable and accessible. And even regardless of your prior experience, you are. If you put your mind to it. And you really focus, you can learn the skills necessary for the. Step three is earn a cybersecurity certification. I always recommend certifications in any IT position that you’re applying for, because certifications can demonstrate your dedication to professional. Both and they can validate your skills to a potential employer, so some of the certifications for security could be CompTIA security plus CompTIA, PENTEST plus CISA, plus CSP plus G SAC and OSC P to name. There’s also some other underlying certifications that can help you in this space as well. Network plus maybe a Cisco certified network associate certification even higher level Cisco certification CCNP and even even. Other than that, so think about what it is that you want out of your career and really try to look for these certifications and achieve them because they can really say a lot about you to.

What else you got?

Getting a college degree in cybersecurity or training and certifications? Those aren’t always going to just guarantee you success right out of the gate, so you also need to develop your skills in the cyber security space. So that means taking part in actual hands. On work in cybersecurity, right, you can get involved in, like, hackathons and a bunch of other of those kinds of things as well. So it’s important to actually get in there and take action.

What else you got?

Now one of the other key things with cybersecurity is you really want to stay updated with the latest trends and best practices. This is key to cybersecurity when you’re actively in the job. That’s why you have to love it so much, because you really need to take an active role in keeping up to date, making sure that you are participating with online. Communities networking with folks in the industry maybe participating in forums, right, attending conferences if you can. These are all really important things. You always want to make sure you’re up to date with cybersecurity best practices, cybersecurity happenings that are going on out there. So make sure that that’s always a key part even before you get a position. This can help build a really strong foundation for you.

What else you got?

And then obviously getting practical experience. So look for internships, entry level positions, volunteering for cybersecurity projects.

Top tip of the day.

Volunteering actually is a really great way to get experience under your belt and get some experience for your resume too, because that that can go a long way. So look for opportunities for that even go out and seek it. If you see an organization, maybe even a. Nonprofit or something along those lines, go and ask them if they have thought about cybersecurity and if they haven’t, maybe you can help them do a free evaluation and and that kind of thing. And that might really help to get you some hands on experience. It’s going to help them. And it’s going to get you something for your resume.

What else you got?

Now that we’ve covered the steps to start a career in cybersecurity, let’s talk about popular job roles in the field, and I’m just going to go through these fairly quickly. Network engineer right. self-explanatory. Obviously network engineering and a company is very important and that’s an underlying underpinning I should say, position for cybersecurity. The other things that you can look for are information security analysts, right? Folks that are looking to protect sensitive information, they can formulate plans to prevent cyber attacks looking at compliance with policies, determining appropriate actions to address threats. Right? These are all fun things that you can do if you’re interested in cybersecurity. And being an analyst, one of the other positions is ethical hacker, right, known as pentester, Ethical hackers. Look for system vulnerabilities by testing networks and using various tools. And ultimately they’re going to provide organizations with valuable insights in improving their security measures. Then you also have security architect. Right. These folks are researching and proposing security solutions for organizations they’re designing and developing them, building robust security structures, right to prevent things like malware attacks, preventing installation of software that’s malicious and. Helping to just build up and help with the overall security infrastructure of a company and then of course we have chief Information Security officer right, the senior level role, which is really responsible for overseeing all of the information security, developing and implementing security programs. Briefing stakeholders on security concerns, right, building Rd. maps and strategies for the entire organization. Now that you have an idea of some of those key things to start out with and some of those positions, now it’s time to take action, right? Start identifying the role that aligns with your interests and skills. And then focus on acquiring that those necessary things such as certifications, the knowledge building a network of other cybersecurity minded professor. Or friends and family. Maybe you know some folks personally that are really into cybersecurity. Those are great resources to tap on the shoulder and learn more about things and partner with them. So now let’s talk about resume tips for someone in the cyber security space. And this is this is whether you’re. A non traditional candidate, you’re just starting your career, whatever that might be. Let’s go over some of these tips.

Here’s the rundown.

So the first tip is to include unrelated work experience, while sometimes that can be counterintuitive, showcasing work experience outside of security and IT fields can. Actually help and work in your favor. So even if you don’t have security or IT experience, there’s some things that employers are looking for that may not be in that space. So customer service, right, the ability to do great things under pressure, any of those types. Of positions can really help demons. Your work veracity. Next thing is we really want to talk about that experience. OK? Workplace experience is very key. So we’ve talked about previously getting out there in the community looking for volunteer opportunities. If you don’t have any experience doing things. OK, you can build your own environments at home and then work on some cyber security techniques and things that you can do at home. Work on projects. I always tell folks if you don’t have work experience for the positions that you’re looking to apply for or the positions that you’re looking to get. Use projects as a way to bridge that gap. So go out there, work on your own equipment, figure out ways to secure your own environment, build more robust networks, whatever that is personally for. You if you have a drive for cybersecurity, right? This stuff’s going to be fun for you. So you’re gonna go out there, you’re gonna do these things for yourself. You’re gonna look for maybe friends and family that you can help them with. You’re going to look for nonprofits. You can even go and look for small businesses and say, listen I I’m looking to get some experience. You know, I won’t do anything. To, you know, hinder your cybersecurity that you currently have. If you thought about it, let me come in and do a free evaluation for you. It’s just I want to. I’m looking to get more experience and a lot of times and folks will say yes because small businesses don’t have the budgets. To address cybersecurity in ways that really matter at times, and I think it really is concerning to small business owners that maybe cybersecurity really isn’t at the forefront of their mind. So that can really help you in getting that experience on your resume, because having that on your resume is very important. Bridging that gap.

What else you got?

So the next tip that I can give you is emphasizing your soft skills, right? We’re not just as employers looking for folks with technical expertise, but strong soft skills as well. So use your resume to highlight those experiences. Demonstrate your communication, your teamwork, your problem solving abilities, right. All of those really great things. Communication, collaboration skills. Those are all really important things. Make sure those are on your resume now. We’ve said don’t worry about technical all of those things. Now let’s talk about the technical pieces that should be on your resume as well. Right. Technical skills are very, very important in any IT position that you’re applying for. So computers, right, hardware, data management, networking and. Those are all very important things to make sure that you have on your resume as well. So don’t forget those as your top skills. As they can be extremely important, this isn’t specifically for cybersecurity, but one thing on your resume that can always be a help for you is showing progression for positions of higher levels of responsibility and growth and learning. So if you started off in. In roll in we’ll. Call it specialist one and you were promoted to specialist two and then to three. Show that progression in your resume. OK, those are always very helpful as well. It doesn’t have to be in cybersecurity. Those are ways to show that you’re willing to grow, that you’re able to learn, and you’re able to adapt. So always keep that in mind. And make sure you put those in your resume. You might say. Well, I really only worked for company A, but you held three different positions with them, with varying levels of responsibility, so make sure you include that things to also think about in any job search confidence, right? Confidence plays a significant role in your job search. Don’t sell yourself short by assuming you’re under qualified. OK, I know plenty of people who are totally shocked by the position that they’re in because they believe they had no business getting the job that they got. And if you don’t apply and you aren’t confident in applying for those positions, you’re never going to get the position. So you may want it, but if you don’t apply because you don’t feel like you could get it. You’re not going to the only way you possibly can is if you apply. It’s kind of like winning the lottery, right? If you don’t play, you’re not going to win. Make sure to do that. Get in there. Put your name in the hat. It doesn’t matter. The worst case it’s going to be a learning experience. It could also lead to. Maybe you’ll get an interview. That’s a practice, right? You you get to practice more of your interview skills and and helps you to grow, become better in job searching.

What else you got?

One of the.

Other things to consider with cybersecurity is your career path, and obviously there’s roles like engineers and pen testers and all of those other things. But if you go out to the national initiative for cybersecurity education, which is N ICE, the cybersecurity workforce framework, you can explore where your strengths. Bit in the bigger picture it can be digital forensics sales, right? There’s a whole plethora of different positions out there. So if cyber security sounds really. Cool to you, but you’re not really sure what position you might want. Go out there and do some research and think about what it is that you might be best suited for and what you would really enjoy. Remember, a successful career in cybersecurity requires continuous learning adaptability. Just stay curious right in life, in everything you do. Keep up with industry advancements and never stop honing your skills, so that’s going to wrap it up for today’s episode of the IT Job Coach podcast. I hope you found this guide on how to start a career in cyber security helpful, informative and inspiring. Join us next time as we delve into another exciting topic. To help you navigate the ever evolving it job market, thank you so much.

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