It is public knowledge that cybersecurity is one of the in-demand professions and that there is a skills gap. While certifications may facilitate entry and progress, their relevance has been controversial in various industry forums and social media platforms. The proponents and opponents both have valid views. As someone with qualifications in cybersecurity, a master’s degree and few certifications, and whose career is progressing as planned, my view on this is: it depends.
Just like everything else in life, there is no direct path to success in cybersecurity. Some cybersecurity professionals think particular certifications are direct tickets to their dream roles. This is not usually the case, and progress may turn out to be slow and frustrating.
To eliminate the frustration, cyber professionals must be intentional in the certifications they choose to do or not do and the roles they choose to pursue. Without a properly defined career strategy, it is difficult to become intentional and as such, success will always be a mirage. To build and accelerate a cybersecurity career, cyber professionals must first take five considerations.
#1 Assess Your Passion
To get into cybersecurity and progress, you must have a genuine passion for the profession, so once you get in, you don’t leave after a few years. When asked by Cisco for the Diversity in Cyber Security: A Mosaic of Career Opportunities guide, twenty-two successful cyber professionals from all over the world indicated that passion is critical for success in this profession. This sentiment was also explored extensively by two scientific studies Follow your heart as you pursue your career: Study finds talent is less important than passion when it comes to professional success and What factors predict success?
Getting into the profession based on the hype and hope for jobs may only give you short term rewards and will not last long or even shape a long-term career you would like.
#2 Research Your Dream Role
Your dream role must be your guide; it will direct you to the path to get there. A Forbes article stressed that identifying the requirements in your dream role and maintaining commitment to that dream role are two key ways to land the dream role.
With the dream role defined, it is easier to build a career strategy to achieve it. The strategy could include working in specific cybersecurity or related fields, switching roles at work into ones aligned to your dream role, or doing some certifications.
#3 Know Your Personality
Cybersecurity is a very diverse profession with various specialisations, as illustrated by Rafeeq Rehman. Each specialisation is best suited for a specific personality. In her analysis of the impact of personality types on careers, Ashley Stahl argues that some individuals thrive working closely with people, but others work best independently. She further stresses that embracing our diversity and acknowledging our differences can help us use those differences to our advantage.
Although a recent scientific study on personality science found that it is possible to change personalities with persistent intervention and major events, it is important to pursue something that comes naturally to you; it will be easier to do.
#4 Get A Mentor
A mentor is someone with a wealth of knowledge experience in a field or industry, has several connections and is willing to sacrifice time to provide career guidance. The right mentoring relationship can be a powerful tool for professional growth, lead to a new job, a promotion or even a better work-life balance, according to this National Public Radio article.
A good mentor will ask the right questions to understand your passion, strength, and current situation to pass on wisdom gained through their own experiences. They can also connect you with the right people or community and provide advice on the certifications or education to pursue.
#5 Start Where You Are
What is your current career status? Are you employed or still a student? Are you already working in IT or in another area or even retired? Your response to these questions will clarify where you are vis-à-vis where you need to be and inform the actions to achieve your career goal. For example, If you are a recent graduate, you may need to start with certifications that do not require any experience like Security+ or start networking with professionals. In case you are already employed in an IT-related area, you may just need to explore ways to get involved in cybersecurity programs or activities – being a cyber champion is an excellent way to start.
In conclusion: entry, progress and success in the cybersecurity profession will depend on what you want to achieve. Unless you clearly define it and become intentional in everything you do to get there, you will waste a lot of time, money and become frustrated.
Although certifications are and will remain important in cybersecurity professions, doing every certification out there is not a good strategy. A career strategy defined using these considerations will determine the right certifications or education you need to pursue to make yourself a highly valuable professional in the open market and achieve your dream role.
