I’ve had a tough time answering the question - “How do I get into Cybersecurity?”
My initial reaction is to suggest reaching out to anyone in the field with a job title that interests you and ask to hear their story—learning about someone’s experiences and how their day-to-day looks like would give you a much clearer picture of whether or not that is an avenue that you should pursue.
I’d feel good about that answer for a moment, but I’d follow up and realize that the people I’d advise hadn’t found the person to reach out to. Cybersecurity is such a broad field that it can be a real challenge to find out what domain you’re interested in. I realized my advice was also just as broad. So I’ve decided to put together an article that would finally answer the question.
Enter a feedback loop
Feedback loops are everywhere. In nature, business, the arts, and everything in between. A feedback loop is a system in which output is used as input for future operations. During the first stage, input is created. During the second stage, input is captured and stored. During the third stage, input is analyzed, and during the fourth stage, the insight gained from the analysis is used to make decisions.
To start your search, take a peek at the list of Cybersecurity Domains and choose a random five that seem remotely interesting to you.
Once you have your five, dedicate time learning/doing something related to the domain every day for a month. It can be extremely challenging when you don’t know what you’re passionate about. Unfortunately, by waiting for something or someone to come around and motivate, you are choosing inaction over action.
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” -Dale Carnegie
Even if you choose the wrong path to pursue that month, you are still moving closer to your goal. Remember that indecision is not a vantage point from which you can assess your options. When the worst-case scenario is you learning, I’d say it’s absolutely worth the time.
The Corridor Principle
Imagine you’re looking down a hallway with a row of doors to your left and right. As you move down the corridor, new doors open up on both sides of you. On the other side of these doors are opportunities. One person proceeds down the hall, and the other stays at the start looking to gather more information to guarantee they choose the right door.
The Corridor Principle states that simply starting a venture enables entrepreneurs to see other opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have seen or taken advantage of.
By increasing your chance for learning opportunities, you allow yourself more opportunities to find out if your pursuit of a passion is worth the effort and investment it’ll take to succeed in that field.
Final Thoughts
Just start. I’ve never heard someone say that they wish they started later, and I figured that this method was slightly better than printing out that image of the domains, closing your eyes, and throwing a dart at it. But that might not be a bad option either!
Good luck out there!