These 4 mistakes will destroy your Cybersecurity career
Avoid these mess ups in the awesome cybersecurity career ahead of you
As someone who has spent a fair amount of time in Cybersecurity (over two decades now) .. I feel compelled to always educate newbies about what mistakes I made when starting out
While cybersecurity was not so glamorous as it was two decades ago .. it is incredible how much ( and how little ! ) it has changed
I would like to share these goof ups which I have seen others ( and myself ) committing which can damage your cybersecurity career in the long run.
1 — Thinking that upskilling means certs and courses
Upskilling in Cybersecurity does not mean getting the latest cert
Upskilling in Cybersecurity does not mean getting the latest course or workshop
Technology changes way too fast for certs and courses to keep up
You need to get hands on with new trends and tools to stay up to date otherwise risk being left behind
I knew a guy who was the best AS400 security person I have ever worked on and who has paid handsomely for this
Unfortunately he got laid off and found out just far behind the market he was once he started applying for new jobs.
This was due to him being in his comfort zone for so many years
Commit to lifelong learning but in a smart way. Stay on top of trends and remember that once you stop learning .. you are sidelining your own cybersecurity career
2 — Not developing your Soft Skills
Answer these questions:
Can you explain technical stuff to your CISO without engaging in technobabble
Does the thought of you giving a security presentation to management make you feel dizzy with fear ?
Can you distill a complex incident into a simple PowerPoint presentation for the CEO ?
If the answer to the above was NO then you need to work on your soft skills ASAP .. the inability to communicate will hamper your career growth like nothing else
3 — Becoming Overconfident
Overconfidence in your own self and against cyber threats can be a disaster waiting to happen
I have seen
Billion dollar cybersecurity frameworks being undone by that one application no one thought was critical
CISOs being blindsided by a single firewall rule no one knew about
Teams that have carried out complex incident response scenarios realizing it was a simple password sharing incident that caused a major breach
Cyberspace is a beast that can never really be tamed and thinking you have seen it all is one of the biggest mistakes anyone can make in this industry
4 — Not focusing on your Physical and Mental Health
This last thing is the most ignored and can be the most devastating to your career
Tech careers can be stressful but Cybersecurity takes it to a whole new level and ignoring your health can be a disaster in the making
Ask yourself:
How often do you work out ?
How often do you disengage from work in a day ?
How often do you work late in your job and is work-life balance a joke ?
In the long run a lack of focus on your physical and mental well-being will 100% lead to burnout and health problems