5 Cybersecurity Truths That NEVER change
Valuable insights that have always helped my career
I have been in Cybersecurity for more than 20 years which is both depressing and amazing at the same time
It has been humbling seeing how cybersecurity had evolved from something that was taken very casually to something that is discussed at the very top of the corporate ladder
At the same time .. things change rapidly in cybersecurity and it becomes overwhelming to keep track of everything !
Here are 5 pieces of advice given to me that have remained constant over two decades
Keep them in mind as you navigate the crazy world of Cybersecurity and I guarantee they will benefit you in the long term !
1 — Experience beats certifications, EVERY TIME
Do not get me wrong .. cybersecurity certifications are necessary
I am not one of those who scoff at people who do certifications and think I am better than them
BUT .. remember that while Certificates will open doors; it is your skills that keep you in
Do not become a certification factory and instead balance doing a certification with getting hands-on experience at the same time
That brings me to my next point
2 — Hands-on beats book knowledge EVERY TIME
You can read about incident response as much as you want
Create as many playbooks as you want
Nothing prepares you for that first incident where everything gets thrown out the window !
You will find out that actual scenarios play out much differently than what you read in a CISSP book
People’s egos and business politics can play a MAJOR part in how cybersecurity issues are resolved
The more you get hands-on the more you will realize that while book knowledge is good … the real world is WAAY different
3 — Niching down pays off in the long run
Chasing that generic information security manager title might be your dream
BUT it will not pay off with the big bucks in the long run
Niche down.. be it things like incident response .. cloud security .. AI etc.
Become the go-to guy for a particular area .. not the guy who knows a little bit about everything but never dove deep into any area
4 — Soft Skills can be a career maker or breaker
No matter how good your tech skills are .. you need to focus on your soft skills if you want to move up the ladder
The higher you go .. the more important it is to speak the language of regular people without drowning them in techno-babble
A good exercise is to try explaining how web application firewalls work to your mother .. if she understands it after a while then your soft skills are good !
Most CEOs are whip-smart but want everything explained to them in the simplest terms possible.
5 — A Mentor’s can cut your learning in half
Having a mentor to guide you can be invaluable
Do not be arrogant and think a few YouTube videos and articles like these are enough !
Find someone who has been in cybersecurity for many years and get their advice
It is amazing how much a mentor’s guidance can help you early on in your career
I hope these helped you out !