“But then suppose you stepped into one of those rooms,’ he said, ‘and discovered another room within it. And inside that room, another room still. Rooms within rooms within rooms. Isn’t that how it might be, trying to learn Josie’s heart? No matter how long you wandered through those rooms, wouldn’t there always be others you’d not yet entered?”
― Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun
When I stood at my desk to write this piece, I thought of Klara’s journey into the realms of human emotion. As an artificial friend, the nuance and complexity of her charge Josie reminded me of navigating the world of cybersecurity, it feels rather like her journey, fraught with layers and a changing land scape; a living Matryoshka doll which is evolving before our eyes – and for me, the invisible mire and magic of human emotion is as interesting as the realm of cybersecurity.
Layers of cybersecurity
I began exploring a career in cyber security in my spare time, around 18 months ago. Following a career split between the NFP, health and communications sectors, I needed a new challenge and started to consider cybersecurity as a legitimate career. It seemed obvious once the idea surfaced, problem-solving and deep work win this introverts heart. As a tech sweetheart, I was drawn to the evolving security landscape where I would need to learn and adapt to the changing environment; a vital element as new threats emerge and present new problems to solve. What I have discovered is that there is no singular way into a career in cybersecurity, and, as with all STEM careers – the cybersecurity field is male dominated. One of the earliest lessons I learnt was to network with women in the field, as there is a tremendous community willing to help.
Navigating the cybersecurity skills gap
Based on my early research, many paths wend their way to cyber, a CS Degree or Masters, Certifications, Traineeships, IT-help desk – the list is long, so I explored options. Initially I wanted to learn to code and build a website, so I started The Odin Project – it was helpful but also seemed slightly left of field to where I wanted to focus my attention. I jumped into Hack the Box, With You With Me Pipelines and Google/Coursera Cybersecurity Professional Certification. I am currently completing the ICS2 Certified in Cybersecurity Certificate. I applied for and was successful in reaching talent pools for traineeships – I am still chilling in those pools, hedging my bets through other pathways and working on upskilling.
To be frank, the cybersecurity skills gap is a misnomer, because from these fresh eyes, there appears to be a huge talent deficit in cybersecurity, but very few entry level roles, making the skills gap less of a gap and more of a canyon (global data supports this). For people like me, driven to enter the field, we will build whatever transport we need to traverse the canyon. Connecting with others already in the field has helped me understand how they arrived in their roles and how I can cross the canyon based on my skills, experience and learning opportunities, which is unique, as am I; I am an n of 1.
Cybersecurity is continuous learning
Finding a community to belong to has provided me with guidance and mentorship to navigate the continuous learning required not just to enter the field for the first time, but to find the niches and areas I may want to focus my attention on. It is a massive, dynamic field. To illustrate just how massive here is a brief list of just some of the roles in cybersecurity I’ve jotted down:
Threat Intelligence Analyst
Cybersecurity Analyst
AI and Machine Learning Engineer
Blockchain Security Specialist
Cybersecurity Manager
Chief Information Security Officer
Security Operations Center Analyst
Incident Response Manager
Data Protection Officer
Privacy Manager
Cyber Risk Analyst
Insurance Underwriter
Compliance Officer
GDPR Specialist
Resilience Manager
Business Continuity Planner
Incident Responder
Forensic Analyst
Risk Manager
Security Architect
Cloud Security Architect
Cloud Engineer
Embedded Systems Engineer
IoT Security Specialist
Security Awareness Trainer
Learning and Development Manager
Diversity and Inclusion Manager
HR Specialist
Closing Thoughts: Lessons Learned and Future Insights in Cybersecurity
Upon pursuing a career in cybersecurity, I realised how much I love learning, it’s been a lifelong passion and so I appreciate how dynamic the field is. The flip side is how daunting it is to a new comer.
I’m excited to continue exploring the different niches within cybersecurity, upskill and to share my experiences and insights.
By staying open to learning and growth, and by supporting diversity and inclusion in this field, I believe we can all contribute to a safer and more resilient digital world. I’m keen to pay it forward, even at this germination stage of my career by sharing my experience.
For anyone reading this who is also beginning their journey, I would ask, what has been the most surprising discovery of the cybersecurity landscape? Shoot me a message and let me know, I’d love to hear about your experience. For the veterans, what would you have done differently in the early days of your cybersecurity career?
Take care out there.
S
Seeline CYBER 
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