Navigating the Cybersecurity Career Path

CHAPTER 3Where Can I Begin?

Summary

• Research: There is no agreed-upon career path for security and no commonly understood way of doing security. This can make it confusing for a person who is starting out.
• More research: Security jobs can be core security teams or in functions adjacent to security (such as legal, business analysis, or communications teams). Understand what roles are adjacent to security that might become pathways for you.
• Even more research: Check out Cyberseek.org and other websites to understand security jobs and the skills needed to do them. Review mindmaps to understand how they all fit together.
• Know yourself: Understand your comfort level with technology and how much business experience you have. Talk to security people who do what interests you and learn how they got there.

When people start thinking about working in security, they often begin by thinking that they want to work in security based on the ideas of a single person, such as the hacker or a single role they've seen (such as a pentester or analyst). Maybe they know and admire someone who works in security and think they'd like to be like that person. Perhaps they have heard that there are a lot of jobs available in security and think it could be a solid career to pursue.

So, they start looking at job postings, descriptions of roles, or security frameworks. They quickly learn that security is a term that encompasses many different types of roles, and soon they are overwhelmed with ...