The Harsh Truth About Working in Cybersecurity

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All opinions or statements in this video are my own and do not reflect the opinion of the company I work for or have ever worked for*

[sfaaf]

Nicole, I am going on two decades of being burnt out by being in IT. You touched on many points that are true about the IT field, people, and environment. I am happy that shed light on this! Also, you explaining what the root cause of burnt out is helps me pinpoint my own struggle as to what is causing the burnout. I am glad you found what you want to do to de-stress. Thank you for all your posts!

[funktion_og]

probably the 5th youtuber I've come accross with a cyber secutiry IT channel that quit their cybersecurity job because of burnout.

[bjmc]

Thank you, Nicole, for sharing your knowledge and your life. I've enjoyed watching your videos Found your channel a couple of years ago, after my son began studying CS, now in his 3rd year of college. My prayer is that you keep listening to that voice to guide you. May you be blessed in your new endeavors. You have been a blessing to watch. Take care and have safe travels!

[SavageScientist]

I just enrolled into a PHD program instead of getting my CISSP i think that certificate is great for management but i want to become an expert in application security. Having a PhD would not really open any doors but dammit the respect is all i want. LOL congratz sister.

[SimplyCyber]

hey Nicole.. great video and congrats on the new job. def resonate on making content for 'the algorithm' vs. content thats enjoyable to make at the time you want to make a video. Appreciate the walkthrough of how you identified the burn out and what you're doing to address it. the trips and looking fwd to them is great. literally going to post this comment then go to vrbo and get a family trip on the calendar for the spring to get that same 'on the calendar, X days until a trip' vibe going. all the best and happy holidays.

[danpeoples]

Hi Nicole, Speaking to my own journey. Finding out about "the who" and "how I got here" was pretty key for me in overcoming social pressures and finding personal fulfillment. Recognizing personal identity and desires kind of re-mapped my whole life really. I think People often feel unhappy under the pressure of societal norms or others expectations. Maybe some people really Shouldn't have children for example, but they have been told by society that happiness is having kids. Some might never find happiness and never realize why they are unhappy, I feel for them. Thankfully it sounds like you have a great outlook and can see your own path. Still love all your content - no matter what! Best of luck to you in whatever you end up doing in life.

[estradavanessa]

Very cool to see you doing what makes you happy instead of what you think you have to do! Would love to see videos about AWS.

[MocaJesus]

This was the realest video I've seen in a very long time. You deserve the world! Go follow your passion! Im soo proud of you for listening to your inner voice and pivoting out of something no longer serving you! Thank you so much for sharing this, as someone who has an immense following (on a completely different platform) I TOTALLY relate to the feeling of just posting to get likes and views.. and being so burnt out and frankly bored with it besides the slight ego stroke it gives you..but then you lose the passion to post what makes YOU smile as opposed to what makes algorithms smile. I purposely don't link to this account so I can have a space away from all the online noise and days I don't post are so blissful to me even tho I know it affects my analytics.. Consider taking a break to focus on your needs. Anyway, I'm definitely still following and rooting for your journey! I think its time I make a change myself tbh..

[felixcalderon]

Honestly Nicole thank you so much for the videos you've made! Burnout is never fun and if you feel like you need a change of pace go for it! You should never feel guilt about putting yourself first. You've already made so many great contributions for those in cybersecurity and especially for those starting out! I hope that you keep on working towards the future that you wish to pursue and live a happy life :v

[JeannieHart]

Hi Nicole, I met with you briefly with interest in your upskills program. I'm a nurse changing careers. This topic of burnout is one of the main reasons I chose not to move forward. I really want to discern what will be different from the burnout I have experienced as a nurse. I make a comfortable living. So that is not a huge concern. However, I don't want to leap into similar stress. I'm looking for better work life balance. That is most important for me and my family. Glad you have a plan moving forward. Best of luck, in your new role, and more importantly enjoy your upcoming travel!! Happy Holidays!!

[mariejae]

I was burnt out just earning my cybersec degree... it took me longer because I have no experience and the college has certs as part of the curriculum. So sometimes that haulted my progress. I really struggled with Network+
Overall, cyber is a lot to keep up with, and I see now it's not a career for newer IT people. I get rejections, even for internships.
I'm attempting to learn more QA tools and move on from cybersec but I'm still really interested in Digital Forensics. My learning is all over the place 🤦🏾‍♀️

[muratucak]

It is great to hear from you again Nicole. I hope you enjoy with aws cloud security. Do what you really like.

[sheenaforero]

Nicole thanks for sharing! Love the honesty! Your AWS Cloud content I will be along for the ride! And I’ll give a thumbs up for that technical content! 😊

[GabrielYeager]

Thank you for posting this! You described my current situation and why I am changing careers into security awareness training.
I hope your plans to focus on yourself are successful!

[SupportSquirrel]

100% but I gotta say that while this is not specific to IT it is by far worse in IT and especially in Cyber. That is why so many people are needed in cyber: people get into the field and are so overwhelmed and pushed to learn and know EVERYTHING all the time that you get what I call "cert'd out". I have a bunch of certs in various things and it got to where I felt like I was being pushed to get 1 or 2 a year by my company. Sometimes, though, you get a good management team who understands this and if you find your voice and speak up like I did you can back down, re-focus and change gears into a different PART of the same field. But that's not always the case. Still - the skills you learned and used will always be usable and can be taken anywhere. Do what you want to do and, within reason of course, the money will follow. I have no doubt you'll land on your feet because you basically hit every single point that all of us at your level and beyond think and feel.

[Mr..Roboto]

Appreciate the videos you’ve been posting and totally understand what you went through regarding being burned out. It helps me understand that cybersecurity is huge and I need to pace myself. I need to find a role that fits my personal life where I can enjoy other things that are non-IT related.

[dreamjok]

I appreciate your content and the great thing is that those videos are still there for others to view. I wish you the best happiness and look forward to seeing what you are learning and are interested in. 🙏😊

[solideroftheapocalypse]

Thank you for all your content you've done helped MANY ppl ...post What you FEEL.. be happy

[johannawood]

I totally get you!! So happy that you are stepping back and able to destress. Before I took up my cyber job, I did watercolor painting and hand lettering (which I do miss). Best of luck to you!

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

❤ thanks for this its so helpful ..was thinking about trying to change career at 50

And it seems like the more i learn the more there is to learn.

..you know like if you go down one branch of study it turns into 5 similar branches that needs to be studied...then each one of those has another 5 etc.

Although i am slowly getting better

It seems just that some people are naturally better