I speak with several people on a regular basis about their desire to learn more about a career in cybersecurity and many of the same questions are asked in each conversation. Some people are from outside the technology industry entirely while others are looking to transition from their current technology field role into cybersecurity. I wanted to share some of my personal tips and tricks for learning more about the cybersecurity industry and a few shout-outs to the people and resources that have helped me along my way.
I have worked in technology for over 21 years, with a primary role of business development and I chose to narrow my focus to cybersecurity in 2016 when I was looking for a new challenge while working at TELUS. I was extremely fortunate to have our Security Sales Director take a chance on me, knowing I did not have a ton of cybersecurity experience in the past. Throughout my personal journey into cybersecurity my motto has always been “Learn, learn, learn and learn some more! Be grateful, volunteer and pay it forward!” I have been truly fortunate to work with some fabulous formal and informal mentors throughout my career and I have relied on them extensively over the last 5 years as the cybersecurity field can be very confusing to navigate at times.
In your journey, I would encourage you to really get to know what drives you! What is your passion? Follow it. It is okay to change your focus once, twice, or as many times as you like to lead a fulfilling professional life. The ability to pivot within the cybersecurity field is easy and there will be multiple opportunities that you learn about throughout your career.
It is important to share that a job in cybersecurity is not just a techno weenie sitting in front of the keyboard hacking away. Although to be fair, during COVID I feel very much like a techno weenie hacking away on my keyboard while squirrelling away in my home office for the better part of 2 years now. The cybersecurity field is quite vast and includes a wide variety of focus areas, some of these are included below in laymen’s terms.
- Privacy, Data & Stakeholder Protection
- Technology (Vendors, Service providers, Resellers)
- Cyber Insurance
- Audit & Assessment
- Governance, Risk, Compliance
- Digital Forensics & Cybercrime Investigation
- Incident Response & Security Intelligence
- Sales, Pre-sales, Post-sales Support
- Software Development & Engineering
- Security & Business Technology Architecture
Here are my tips and tricks that might be helpful for you too! Build Your Network:
- Engage Online: Follow people on LinkedIn / Twitter etc. speak with them, ask questions, comment on content they share. Subscribe to newsletters and news feeds.
- Join a community: Whether in person, or virtual. My fave is ISACA with over 200 chapters in 188 countries.
- Explore Career Paths: Interview people about their careers and learn what their path into cybersecurity looks like, no two are the same.
Read Industry Reports (many are updated & published annually):
- DBIR 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report
- World Economic Forum - Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022
- Deloitte - 2021 Future of Cyber Survey
- PWC (Price Waterhouse Cooper) - 2022 Canadian Digital Trust Insights
- EY (Ernst & Young) - Global Information Security Survey 2021: Business Growth with
- Cybersecurity
- Accenture - The state of cybersecurity resilience 2021
- KPMG - Cyber Security Considerations 2022
- Infosecurity Group Magazine - Cybersecurity Trends for 2022
- Forbes - Cybersecurity Trends To Watch Out For In 2022
- Cyber Defense Magazine - Looking Ahead: Five Security Trends For 2022
- Mission Critical Magazine - Six Cybersecurity Trends to Be Aware of in 2022
- Security Magazine - 7 trends that will impact the security and identity industry in 2022
- HelpNetSecurity - Trends that will shape the security industry in 2022
Get to Know Cybersecurity Frameworks:
- NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- CIS (Center for Internet Security)
- ISO/IEC 27001 (International Organization for Standardization / International Electrotechnical
- Commission)
- COBIT an ISACA Framework
My Fave Women in Cyber:
- Keren Elazari
- Alyssa Miller
- Alissa Valentina Knight
- Jen Easterly
- Rinki Sethi
- Eliza-May Austin
- Naomi Buckwalter
My Fave Podcasts:
- ISACA Podcast
- Architect Tomorrow
- Darknet Diaries
- Down The Security Rabbit
- The Cyber Ranch Podcast
- Cybercrime Magazine Podcast
- Go Tanium
- Hacking Humas
- Smashing Security
- Cyberwire Daily
- Cyber Security Today (IT World Canada)
- MaliciousLife
- CISO Security Vendor Relationship
- The Cyberlaw Podcast
- We Hack Purple
- Getting Into Infosec
- The Digital Forensics Files
- Caffeinated Risk
- Click Here
- Human Factor Security
- Taskforce7 Radio
- Hacker Valley Studio
My Fave YouTube Channels:
- Architect Tomorrow
- Go Tanium - Tech Talks
- Cyber Security Matters
- Alissa Knight
- Stefanie Drysdale
- We Hack Purple
- Black Hat
- Security Weekly
- OutofBand
Women in Cyber Networks:
- ISACA's One In Tech Foundation: SheLeadsTech
- Women in Cybersecurity
- Women Cyber Security Society
- 50 Women In Cybersecurity Associations And Groups To Follow from Steve Morgan with
- Cybercrime Magazine
Resources to Explore Career Path Options:
- ISACA - Outlines New Pathways and Training Resources for Cybersecurity Careers
- CyberSeek Cybersecurity Career Pathways
- CSE (Communications Security Establishment) from Government of Canada - Cyber Security
- Career Guide
- TechData / ExitCertified - Top Cybersecurity Career Paths and Certifications
- cybersecurity GUIDE - Find a cybersecurity career
- NICCS (National Initiave for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies) - Cyber Career Pathways Tool
- NICE (National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education)