TCD #001: The Importance Of A Strong Plan

I’ve spoken to quite a few people over the last few months that have been attempting to transition into cybersecurity for quite some time.

It becomes evident that the #1 reason they have struggled to get into the industry is because they are wildly unfocused and don’t have a specific path to follow.

Although the information is available out there, some people simply struggle to identify what it is that they are actually trying to achieve within cybersecurity.

So today, I want to give you a small approach, or framework (if you can call it that), that I would use to make a successful transition into the cybersecurity industry.

Identifying the path that you want to take

Before we get started, it’s important to note that cybersecurity is a diverse and broad industry.

Although many people from the outside believe that it’s rather compressed, this is simply not the case, and it actually equates to a wide range of different areas.

So the first thing to do, is look at the different areas available, and identify what appeals to you the most.

You can do this by reading UK Cybersecurity Council’s Careers Route Map (See: UK Cybersecurity Council’s Careers Route Map).

I have chosen this route map, because it’s the most comprehensive and accurate resource that I’ve found to date in relation to career pathway discovery.

Go through the different options available, and make note of the job titles, or areas that interest you the most from the route map.

Finding the relevant fundamentals to learn

After completing step #1 you should have a list of job titles that you’re interested in learning more about.

What you’re going to do next is take those job titles and start looking at the job market for the expected, or desirable requirements (See: LinkedIn Job Search).

Once you've read through enough job descriptions, you'll notice that a pattern begins to emerge for particular job titles that you're interested in (the requirements).

You should be taking notes of the areas that the job description requires you to have proficiency in, as well as any certifications that are useful to have.

Getting the credentials to show competency

By now, you should have a list of job titles that you’re interested in along with fundamental or desirable requirements for each role.

If you’re still interested, you should start to set time aside to study the fundamentals for the role that you’ve chosen.

There are many resources that you can use to do this, including blog posts, videos, and books, but a popular method is to use online training platforms (See the: LinkedIn Training Platforms & Twitter Training Platforms posts).

Conclusion and final resources to consider

In summary, it’s important to have a path to achieve a desirable outcome. Picking cybersecurity and then trying to get into it from scratch can be a very daunting task.

So, to get started, do the following:

1. Research and identify an area that interests you the most.
2. Find the relevant fundamentals associated with that path.
3. Study and obtain credentials to show that you’re competent.

That’s all for my short guide on getting into the cybersecurity industry.

I hope you were able to take something useful away from it that will assist you or provide you with a workable strategy for achieving a successful transition.