Is a career in cyber security right for me?

First of all, I would not worry to much about choosing the right or wrong career. If you find yourself feeling like you made the wrong choice, no worries just change direction. There is nothing wrong with "trying on" a couple of different careers till you find one that speaks to you. Once you find it you will know. What I love about working in cyber security is that it is very fast paced. It changes so rapidly that you never get board. The one thing I can say that I don't like about this field is that sometimes you see people wasting incredible talent being criminals. My advise would be to stay current, never stop learning and always keep your mind open. There is always changes being made and you need to be able to move with it. If you keep your mind open you will be amazed what you can see and what you can accomplish.

Hi there, Anina!

First, my bonafides. I've worked in information technology for my entire career, so close to 20 years now. I started as a UNIX/Linux Systems Administrator and then moved into Network Planning and finally Cybersecurity. I didn't have a technical degree when I started (BA in Political Science), but I've since gone on to pick up an MS in Project Management, an MS in Information Systems Security, and I'm currently working on an MS in Information Security and Assurance with a focus on Vulnerability Management and Penetration Testing (graduating June 2017). I also hold the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and CISM (Certified Information Systems Manager) certifications.

Cybersecurity is a wonderful field to be getting into right now. The shortfall of people who are skilled in this area is enormous, and companies are hungry for qualified individuals who understand cybersecurity and can implement appropriate defenses for their networks and data. From a job-availability point of view, you can't go wrong with cybersecurity.

I first got into computers because I really dislike doing the exact same thing day after day. With computers in any area - programming, system administration, network engineering, cybersecurity, etc. - you'll find that there's always something new to learn. It really keeps your brain active! In every position I've held that's been the motivating factor, to learn new and interesting things every single day.

With cybersecurity, you'll be dealing with the nitty gritty aspects of things like how to protect networks from hackers and how to handle incident response when a hacker does manage to get in (and they always find a way, I promise you). You might help create policies for your company that inform employees of the standards and security measures they need to implement, you might be asked to develop an employee training program focused on security, or you could be the person who looks at things after an attack has happened and figure out exactly what went wrong. The point is that there are so many levels to this field and so much to learn you can't ever be bored!

I honestly can't think of any negatives to my job. I love what I do to keep my company's customers safe, and I'm always learning something I didn't know the day before. It's a really exciting time to be in cybersecurity, and it's only going to get more interesting.

I hope you find this helpful!

Laura

Hi Anina, I was just like you, wondering what career to pursue before graduating high school. I've changed like 4 times! Now that I've changed from civil engineering, to computer engineering, to hardware development, to product management of hardware and cloud....I just realized that cyber security is really cool and I might want to study that too. Its been 16 years since I started working, but just like our interests change, so does our external environment. When I started, the internet had just become a really new thing and there were no such things as smart phones. So things will change around you....And as long as you stay interested, and allow yourself to have no limits, then you too can be flexible with your career and adjust it the way you want to go. Even if you decide to accomplish other goals in your personal life, your career can pause, accelerate, or turn along with it. To be honest, Cyber security sounds like its critical given how connected we've become, and probably will be a must have vs. a nice to have for all corporations and governments. If you find it interesting, go for it!

Hi Anina,

Cyber Security is a great industry to work in because it is bigger than yourself. At the company I work for, I truly do believe we help the world become a safer place.

I also was worried about choosing the wrong career path at your age, but I would now tell myself at that age to not stress over determining your life path at such a young age. Do everything you can to become as well rounded as you can so that you have the ability to adjust.

I have had three completely different jobs at my company in the last three years (all voluntary moves) because your interests change as you grow. Don't be afraid to jump into whatever you feel is most interesting at the time, if that interest stays the same your entire life then that is great.

I was originally in customer support, and transitioned into enterprise sales, and am now a business analyst. I have enjoyed all jobs for different reasons and grew as a person through each experience. If you always are doing something that interests you, your work will speak for itself because you will enjoy it.

Hello Anina,

Great question that everyone should ask about their career/job. For me its all about the dynamics and continuous movement in this industry. Cyber criminals finds new ways to use on daily bases! to breach organizations, steal date etc. What make it special is that you need to be updated on a daily bases. You will never ever get bored of Cyber Security. On the other hand from the client side who usually expect you to know every thing, that's the challenge you will enjoy the most during your daily work when you meet your clients from different background and different industry. Remember its depends on what you want as well , implementation, sales, marking in cyber security

Thanks
HA

Hello Anina,

I don't think people realize how important Cyber Security has become in today
's society. As we come more digitally dependent, we have exposed our self to great harm. Attached is a scary Norton video, "In Search of The Most Dangerous Town on the Internet", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un_XI4MM6QI. It demonstrates the today's real threats and interview real cyber criminals. I get great satisfaction knowing that I work for a company protecting today's cyber world. Is this something you want to be part of? Cyber Security is one of the fastest growing industries in computer science which also lead itself to a large amount of opportunity. It is fast paced and constantly changing. My advise to you would be to focus on what comes easy to you which tend to be the things you enjoy the most. You will be more likely be successful and happy that way. Best of Luck.

Hi! Great question. First, don't be afraid of choosing the wrong career. Careers can change. The career I have today didn't really even exist as a career when I was your age, so be open to new things! Security is a great career if you are interested in people - security issues stem from people, either intentionally causing harm or unintentionally making mistakes, so it is a great place to figure out why people do things. It is a great career if you are interested in doing something important - the world is so interconnected, and cyberspace needs as much protection as regular space. It is a great career if you want to know how things work. I've been in security over 20 years, and it is NEVER boring. There is something new every day. It is not a good career if you are a type of person that doesn't like to learn new things, because you will always be learning!