As human society becomes more digital, businesses, financial institutions, and governments transmit an unprecedented volume of data – often of great use to threat actors for financial gain or political agendas.
Many cybersecurity professionals enter the field from other tech industries such as programming or IT. How can aspiring cybersecurity professionals build up their experience?
Internships
Cybersecurity is one of the most desirable and lucrative IT careers available today, as it offers fast-paced challenges and ever-evolving situations – perfect for tech professionals seeking something with more cerebral stimulation than hands-on work. Plus, there’s room for advancement and growth within this exciting field; therefore if you’re curious to jump in, practical experience is vital to increasing your career opportunities.
Internships are an excellent way to gain experience, and don’t necessarily need to be paid internships. Many entry-level cybersecurity positions are unpaid but still provide invaluable opportunities to learn skills across a variety of areas in cybersecurity – this provides you with a broad base of knowledge to aid your pursuit of becoming a security analyst, penetration tester or another cybersecurity specialist.
If you’re seeking unpaid internships in cyber security, try exploring the offerings from local government and technology companies, or searching online internship programs through sites like Indeed. Experience is key; the sooner you gain it in this industry before looking for paid roles, the greater your chance of landing one that pays well will be.
People who have experience working in IT can make the switch more easily by starting in network-related jobs like systems administration and network engineering, commonly referred to as feeder roles for cybersecurity positions such as cyber analyst or security engineer roles.
A key to becoming a cybersecurity expert lies in cultivating the appropriate mindset, and being open to training opportunities. A new cybersecurity specialist must be willing to recognize gaps in their expertise, taking advantage of learning opportunities that could fill them quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, team players are key. Capable managers are an asset in any IT organization but particularly so for cybersecurity specialists whose teams must function like cogs in an intricate machine in order to protect sensitive data.
Volunteering
Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing industries, with professionals needed across every sector. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to break into this field without prior experience or an undergraduate degree program in cybersecurity – however there are various methods you can use to acquire the necessary skills for entering this workforce – from education programs and courses through mentorship programs and beyond.
Volunteer work can be an excellent way to gain hands-on experience in a particular field and develop relationships that could eventually help secure paid positions later. Your supervisor at an organization might even inform you about job openings for paid roles! Using volunteer time as well, education courses such as CompTIA Security+ certification may also give an edge when searching for entry level cybersecurity roles.
Skills you acquire while volunteering can set you apart when applying for jobs in your field. Furthermore, many organizations that take on volunteers provide recognition for their efforts – this could take the form of newsletter mentions, social media mentions or certificates of achievement. By seeking these opportunities to volunteer your services to employers in this way, you can show that you possess both experience and knowledge within this sector.
As well as developing technical expertise through educational resources and other means, there are also soft skills you can develop which can set you apart from your peers. For instance, by connecting with others in the field via cyber security groups or meetings online and offline meetings and events or networking conferences you can develop good communications and networking abilities which could set you apart from others in the field.
If you are serious about entering the cybersecurity field, an undergraduate degree or intensive coding boot camp could provide the essential skills and knowledge you need. Eleven Fifty Academy provides training that includes real-life attack scenarios where students practice real-world response as incident responders or cybersecurity analysts.
Taking on Projects
Cybersecurity is a specialized field, and professionals may find it challenging to jump directly into it without prior experience in similar roles. However, those with previous IT or military backgrounds may find their skillsets translate well to cybersecurity roles.
As part of any cybersecurity role, it’s crucial to work on projects that will hone your skill set. For example, if you possess coding abilities you could use them to create a keylogger which records any person who uses the system – not only will this give you valuable hands-on experience in cybersecurity but it will also look impressive when included on your resume!
Other projects you can undertake to develop your cybersecurity skills focus on technical aspects of security, such as analyzing threats and vulnerabilities. You can learn about security risk analysis through reading up on it or signing up for an online course devoted to the subject. Taking part in cyber competitions and hackathons is another great way to gain experience.
Some competitions feature ethical hacking challenges, where you will use similar techniques used by cybercriminals to penetrate company systems and find vulnerabilities. Such competitions provide great opportunities to gain experience and expand your resume.
As part of their cybersecurity career goals, security pros must possess excellent communication skills. Security professionals often must inform non-technical staff members of the risks posed by certain forms of data breaches and how to prevent them. Furthermore, they must explain complex concepts clearly so they are easily digestible by non-experts.
To effectively communicate, it is key that you remain active on social media and interact with fellow cybersecurity professionals in your industry. Participate in online events like webinars or join a local DEF CON group – doing this will allow you to meet like-minded individuals while also building up an informal support system you can turn to when needed.
Networking
Cybersecurity professionals bring immense value to companies, which is reflected in their salaries. On average in the US, cybersecurity salaries average about $76,808 annually and it is one of the most rewarding fields; 71% reported being satisfied in their roles according to one workforce study.
Critical thinking skills and superior problem-solving abilities are required of a cybersecurity specialist, while their ability to keep a cool head under pressure are essential in this career path. Colleagues frequently review each other’s work as part of collaboration efforts.
People often make the transition into cybersecurity from other professional fields. Military, legal and law enforcement backgrounds often make for good transitions into this role, as their analytical and investigative abilities lend themselves well. Furthermore, software engineers may make an excellent transition into this profession: these experts use their programming expertise to design security measures while monitoring information systems against cyber attacks.
Find mentors within cybersecurity to gain experience is another effective strategy for expanding knowledge in this field. This can be accomplished online via webinars and podcasts as well as offline events like networking. If possible, reach out to someone currently holding an advisory role and arrange an informational interview – ask about their day-to-day tasks, interests within cybersecurity as well as their journey into it all.
While cybersecurity may not be for everyone, its future appears promising. With growing digital threats and data breaches putting more of us at risk than ever, demand for skilled cybersecurity specialists seems likely to outstrip other occupations; making this field an excellent career option for tech enthusiasts who wish to protect their organization’s information. It would be wise for anyone who wishes to enter this field to start planning early as preparation can make or break success on this path.