Plotting Your Cybersecurity Career Path
As you embark on your cybersecurity career journey, it’s important to have a plan and know what options are available to you. There are many different paths you can take, and the right one for you will depend on your skillset, interests, and goals.
Let’s explore some of the more popular cybersecurity career paths and help you plot out the best path for your future. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to make a switch, this article will give you some insights designed to help you move forward with confidence.
Consider your options – What job opportunities are available for you to choose from?
The number of roles and job titles that show up when you search for cybersecurity opportunities can be overwhelming. Let’s break down a few of the most common roles.
- Security Analyst. Security analysts monitor and analyze an organization’s systems and networks for security vulnerabilities, investigate incidents, and propose solutions to enhance security.
- Security Engineer. Security engineers design and implement security solutions and technologies, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption mechanisms, to protect an organization’s infrastructure and data.
- Security Architect. Security architects design and build secure systems and networks. They develop security frameworks, define security requirements, and ensure that the organization’s infrastructure and applications adhere to security best practices.
- Penetration Tester. Also known as an ethical hacker, a penetration tester identifies weaknesses in systems and networks by attempting to exploit them in a controlled manner. They help organizations identify and address vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them.
- Forensic Analyst. Forensic analysts investigate security incidents and gather digital evidence for legal purposes. They use specialized tools and techniques to analyze systems, recover data, and support investigations related to cybercrime or policy violations.
- Cybersecurity Consultant. Consultants provide expert advice and guidance on cybersecurity matters. They assess an organization’s security posture, recommend improvements, and help implement security solutions tailored to specific needs.
To help you narrow your search a bit, ask yourself this question: Am I more of a breaker or a builder?
Some folks like testing the limits of systems and applications and looking for ways to make them do things they were never designed to do. These folks tend to enjoy careers as red teamers and penetration testers. But some folks like anticipating how attackers might get in so they can shore up their defenses ahead of time. These folks tend to enjoy careers as engineers and architects.
Define your goals – What do you want to achieve in your cybersecurity career?
Establishing meaningful goals is an essential step when beginning a cybersecurity career. Your goals should be both challenging and reasonably achievable, with the right guidance and hard work.
Ideally, you should aim to become a skilled practitioner in the field of cybersecurity by increasing your technical proficiency. One of the best ways to improve your skills is to build your own cybersecurity home lab so you can get some hands-on practice.
As your expertise develops with experience, you may want to stretch yourself by developing leadership skills related to governance and risk management, as well as skills that facilitate effective communication between organizations concerning security practices. This will allow you to expand your professional network while also helping foster important stakeholder relationships.
But don’t be fooled into thinking you need to pursue a career path in management or leadership. You can lead by example as an individual contributor, exploring security concepts in-depth and maybe even contributing to open-source cybersecurity projects.
Having clearly articulated goals affords you a greater chance of success in your cybersecurity career.
Research the industry – What are the current trends in cybersecurity and which companies are leading the way?
Cybersecurity has never been more important than it is now considering the prevalence of technology around us. Companies in a wide range of industries are taking proactive steps to increase cybersecurity measures and protect their customer’s data.
Right now, there are over 3,000 cybersecurity companies across 17 unique categories.
- Application Security
- Blockchain
- Cloud Security
- Data Security
- Digital Risk Management
- Endpoint Security
- Fraud & Transaction Security
- Identity & Access Management
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs)
- Messaging Security
- Mobile Security
- Network & Infrastructure Security
- Risk & Compliance
- Security Consulting & Services
- Security Ops & Incident Response
- Threat Intelligence
- Web Security
If you’re interested in a career in forensics or incident response, then you might want to hear what vendors in those same spaces have to say. If you’re interested in application security, then you could learn a lot from vendors who make products for application security and web security. And EVERYONE working in cybersecurity should have at least a basic understanding of identity & access management.
A few things you can do to further your research include:
- Follow companies that you’re interested in on LinkedIn
- Connect with company employees who are active on social media
- Watch videos on a company’s YouTube channel
- Sign up for trials or free training from these vendors so you can learn how their products work hands-on
These companies have entire teams of people devoted to solving specific cybersecurity challenges. By taking advantage of the knowledge they’re willing to share, you can get a much better sense of the path you’d like to follow in your own career.
Build your skillset – Which skills will help you achieve your goals and how can you acquire them?
Building your skillset is one of the most rewarding and beneficial endeavors a person can pursue. Having the right combination of hard, transferable, and soft skills can give you an edge in any field or industry.
When developing this skillset keep in mind what your specific career goals are. It’s important to understand the unique skills you need to meet them and create a plan for obtaining them.
Hard, technical skills are very common in cybersecurity. In order to secure a technology, you should first understand how that technology works. It can be difficult to secure network devices and the data they transfer if you don’t understand basic network protocols or the fundamentals of configuring these devices.
CompTIA developed a series of four (4) certifications designed to help learners build their security knowledge on a stable foundation of IT knowledge. That path is as follows:
- IT Fundamentals+ (ITF+)
- A+
- Network+
- Security+
Whether or not you choose to sit for the certification exams, you can round out your technical knowledge by reading books and watching videos that explain the concepts covered by each of these certs.
If you’d like to eventually pursue a career in security management or leadership, then you should absolutely complement your hard skills with soft skills. LinkedIn Learning has hundreds of courses on Management Skills and Leadership Skills, including Soft Skills for Information Professionals.
The additional effort put into building a refined skill set will pay off if it brings greater success in achieving your short-term or long-term goals.
Network with others in the field – Attend conferences, join online communities, and reach out to experts in the field.
Establishing a strong network within your field is an invaluable asset in launching an impressive career.
Attending conferences is one of the best and most efficient methods for connecting with leaders in the industry, making such events ideal for learning from, and forming relationships with, them directly. The Infosec Conferences website contains a robust list of conferences you might attend, and their directory of BSides Security Conferences is extensive (although incomplete).
Online communities also offer many opportunities, such as receiving direct feedback from professionals already working in the field. Again, LinkedIn is a great resource for networking with security professionals. You can connect with folks directly, and you can join groups to discuss specific topics.
Additionally, you can build your network by joining professional groups in your area. Local chapters of ISSA, ISACA, (ISC)2, and OWASP are certain to have connections with security teams at organizations you’d like to work with. Reach out to these professional groups and see how you can get involved.
Keep up to date on new developments – Read articles, blog posts, and whitepapers from thought leaders in the industry.
Staying up to date on the latest developments in any industry is an essential part of understanding where the industry is headed and what career opportunities are most needed.
Following cybersecurity thought leaders can ensure that you remain informed and don’t fall behind. You could use Feedly to build a list of RSS feeds from thought leaders in this space, folks like Bruce Schneier, Brian Krebs, Graham Cluley, and Troy Hunt. Articles, blog posts, and whitepapers from these experts are full of actionable insights, fresh perspectives, and new ways of approaching old problems.
Stay the course
Achieving success in a cybersecurity career requires a mix of focus, skill development, and networking. But most of all, it requires grit. As long as you keep showing up and sticking with it, you’ll make progress toward your ultimate goal.
Define your goals early on, based on the aspects of cybersecurity that you’re most interested in, and use those goals to inform your research of the industry.
As you build your skillset, consider how those skills will help you achieve your professional goals. Take advantage of vendor expertise to accelerate your learning and your experience.
Connect with others who are also working in the field. Attend conferences, join online communities, and reach out to experts for advice and guidance.
Finally, make sure to keep up with new developments by reading articles from thought leaders in the field. This will help you identify new opportunities as they arise.
By following these steps, you can set yourself up for a successful and rewarding career in cybersecurity.
And if you follow Simplifying Cybersecurity on LinkedIn, you’ll see posts from time to time that provide additional insights into plotting your cybersecurity career path.
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