Entry-level Cybersecurity Careers. A Dilemma.

Entry-level cybersecurity careers can be difficult to land. Why are entry-level opportunities so rare and what can you do?

⏰ Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:46 - Why are entry-level jobs difficult to land?
3:48 - What can you do to help?
4:36 - Strategies
6:18 - A closing thought to consider.

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[dannyboycalifornia]

Hack a company to get their attention. Leave your resume on their server.

[randommoosebrains]

It’s rough for the newbies - the catch being once you are in it’s easier to progress up the ladder. Hot take - if you can learn a side skill adjacent to information security. For example, being a data analyst can down the road let you learn skills to ingest data from vulnerability scanners for c level executives. Just my 2 cents. Good luck to all the people applying 👍🏼

[lonelygoner]

finally a youtube that admits its hard to get in. theres a lot of gatekeeping in the cyber industry but learning stuff associated with cyber is a must

[MisturInfamous]

4:55 I cannot vouch for this strongly enough. In my last year of my Cybersecurity bachelor's degree, I joined my university's cyber club. One year with them taught me arguably more about cybersecurity than 3 previous years in classrooms, and I'm kicking myself for not joining sooner. It may be different for other universities, but my university's club served as a gateway to various CTFs and competitions like NCCDC, NCL, and MANY others. Being in there also helped me make some of the closest friends I have to date. To any freshman/sophomore cyber students reading this, PLEASE take advantage of this. You're not going to learn nearly as much as you need to just by getting A's in curriculum classes. You'll be putting yourself leaps and bounds ahead of the competition by getting hands on experience through experience like that which I described.

[UnixGuy]

I hear you on the networking and going to events front! Haven't been to any events since 2020

[iTzDynamic]

i love the ending "just.... yeah... have a good day and keep applying." bro isnt a robot, speaks from real world experience as he's in the struggle with us. i appreciate you bro because im doing a cybersecurity course and when it comes to doing projects, i get this random anxiety. the quizzes? im a God send. Mini test? easy af. Actually putting the pen to paper on a self paced i appreciate you being so transparent and showing us that YOU as well dont have all the answers. thank you for helping people such as myself push through to have a better future/career. good luck on your journey brother!

[artywatts]

I think what is often overlooked is, that your entry level IT job should be at an organization that actually has to do with IT. I recently started my first job as an IT Support at a firm that administrates several hundred client networks. During the interview I expressed my strong interest in cybersecurity and they are pretty open to let me explore the other positions in the company. Because of this I can learn stuff about cybersecurity, even though it’s not my “official” job title. Contrary to this many people start at any Helpdesk they can, at firms that basically have nothing to do with IT and only let you fix tickets that have very few to do with actual cybersecurity.

[natalieritter]

Don't be afraid to accept short temporary contract jobs that are not exactly what you want. It gives you experience and builds your resume.

[dannajeon]

Not only cybersecurity is hard, I'm a lawyer and getting my first job was terrible hard. I think is like that, sadly, in all fields

[bradtaylor]

A good opportunity to look for would be a getting a job at a startup or relatively small company, but start out by doing something different such as being a software tester (or something tech related). Then when the company expands they will most likely need to create a security team, in which they could look internally first so you can progress, if they know you are interested (depending on the company, of course). This is what I did. I went from IT apprenticeship > software tester > information security officer > infrastructure and security engineer over the course of 10 years and I don't have a degree. These opportunities can be hard to come by, sometimes it's just luck in my experience.

[Gym_Halpert]

I like how you emphasize adaptability, I can relate to the necessity of a change in strategy. I spent 6 months applying with a “bulletproof” resume according to career services, only to run it through an ATS and realize it was probably filtered out almost immediately. I had to adapt, rewrite with professional help, and am building out a blog/content site for pentest writeups from HTB.

Great content, the market is difficult but your perspective is motivating and refreshing 💻

[TangyWaterpark]

Awesome video!

I recently graduated with a degree in Cybersecurity a few months back. While I have had roughly 2 interviews per month since I graduated (near a large city), I have been unable to break past the second interview (had 2 second interviews).

The technical interviews, often as the second interview, were difficult for me. I understand these concepts but had a hard time recalling important information such as TCP/IP stack, port numbers, encryption, DNS, etc. Once I refreshed and overviewed what I recall from the interview, I understood it after some quick review. I was humbled and since then, I have been studying like crazy, taking on projects, running CTF exercises, and attending a conference. I already feel way more comfortable and confident to any following interviews I get.

[g_i..]

But Boyd Lewis promised me 100k salary after 60 days of training in his academy.

[JimRohn-uc]

It’s interesting Cybersecurity is so hard to get into because every other day I see an article about how there’s a bajillion unfilled cybersecurity jobs…. Especially for the government which sometimes has even stricter requirements….

[KeanuReevolution]

I would recommend working on interpersonal skills and other professional skills outside of technical to boost your resume. That's it if the box and makes you unique compared to other candidates. I've learned that technical skills only get you so far. The interview is more about getting to know you as a holistic worker, not just regurgitating info

[WolfRobles]

I’m an appliance repair technician who also did A/V home theater systems for many years, running wires setting up A/V racks. Those are two random fields but somehow found myself in those career paths. I’m currently just starting my cyber security career, starting out with google cybersecurity cert and plan on doing comptia sec +, I love how you mention setting yourself apart. I know for me, it will be tough and I have a long road ahead and likely insurmountable odds when compared to other candidates, I hope that being customer facing among with other skills in my line of work will help. Very accustomed to diagnosing, troubleshooting and identifying issues. I’m finding cyber security to fit me like a glove this far. Excited to learn and grow, thank you for this video. I kind of went on a rant but I find this to be very informative and realistic.

[BrianBetron]

Great suggestions: I have been in the tech industry for 35 years on the sales side. People have to remember that success takes time. I was self employed for 10 years before I started making real money. You always have to be improving by reading and studying.

[Sci-Fi_Fan]

Thanks for providing us the suggestions on how you would overcome those common hurdles cyber entry level job seekers tend to face. It's all about solutions.

[johnczech]

Another great video Grant! Thanks buddy!!

[bommytommie]

I think ur projecting yourself as the audience to which I think is awesome because is such an authentic credibility to give advice to yourself/youngerself