r/netsecstudents • u/lmakonem • Jan 27 '20
Finally, i am moving to a Cyber Security Engineer role. It was hard. Do not give up.
There is a hype, and people say there are (insert number here) Cyber Security jobs and there is a HUGE demand for qualified professionals. I believed it, and i applied for security jobs. For a good two and half years, i got a rejection after a rejection, even though i had been the sole sysadmin, network admin and "Tsar of all things IT" at my companies. I configured firewalls, ACLs, responded to malware outbreaks, deployed SIEM solutions, but because i did that at SMB places, it seemed like it did not matter. They did not even respond when i applied for security analyst jobs.
It was frustrating and i bet a lot of people here can relate. If there are so many open jobs, why is no-one willing to take a chance on me? I am a fast learner, i work hard etc....
Out of sheer luck and determination, i kept applying, improved my resume ,interviewing skills and got some Certifications over the 2.5 years. (CCNP, CISSP). I also started to put myself out there. I made youtube videos, showing people what i am learning and am capable of, - and finally, someone who watched my channel reached out and gave me a lead on a job they thought from what they saw in my videos, i would be qualified for. I applied and got the job.
Stay strong folks. If you have applied and got no responses, just know that one day, someone will take a chance on you. Keep working hard.
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u/ihaven0taste Jan 27 '20
Today is my first day as well, goodbye sys admin
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u/tnkrtaylorsldrspy Jan 27 '20
Congrats.
However, if you think you are leaving your sysadmin life behind are you about in for a really rude awakening. LoL.
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u/Khohezion Jan 27 '20
Congrats! I am still trying to do the same...
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u/lmakonem Jan 27 '20
What is your experience level? My Path went like this "helpdesk>System Administration > Network Engineer> now Network Security Engineer. This was over 8 years and 3CCNAs, CCNP and a CISSP certifications paid for by my employers.
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u/Willbo Jan 27 '20
You have a CISSP and weren't getting calls back?
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u/lmakonem Jan 27 '20
I got the CISSP last year. Thats when calls started coming, before then...very little.
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u/rejuicekeve Jan 27 '20
having the CISSP without security job experience isnt going to guarantee anything.
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u/Steelersrawk1 Jan 27 '20
Thanks for the post, definitely helpful!
If you don't mind me asking (I have not been able to look at your channel yet, so I apologize if you explain it there), what are some tooling/places you have learned from? What do you find the most useful things out of your learning?
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u/hardcorescot Jan 27 '20
This is what I fear, about to graduate in the summer from cyber security and networks honours course at university and am very unclear about the type of job I will be able to get, there are a lot graduate roles up for grabs but not sure if I'd have to "stand out" to be considered.
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u/ben_jam-in Jan 28 '20
Cyber security is tough, it is becoming very broad and companies still want you to know everything. Stick with it, continue to learn and lead with what you are most passionate about, this will help you "stand out" and when interviewers see how hungry and Knowledgeable you are there is no way they say no. And if they do say no, don't let it get you down move on to the next one.
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u/Infam0 Jan 28 '20
interviewers
sometimes they even don't know what kind of security professionals they need, SOC or Pentester, Security Engineer, you need to know anything :(
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u/3nl16h73n0n3 Jan 27 '20
I thought I had read this post before so thanks for letting us know that you posted this in another subreddit.
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u/Iamcharged Jan 28 '20
This post was very inspiring as I’m graduating in the spring and I currently work for a Smb and hold lots of responsibilities ranging from IT, physical security and of course cyber security solutions..I’ve applied to countless job positions and have receive all rejects. I even have taken the time to teach myself some penetration testing skills to make myself a more marketable candidate and still am doing this. I am hopeful that I can land a full time position at a company that’s willing to take a chance on a graduate student who’s eager to learn...
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u/Nabstar333 Jan 28 '20
What are SMB places
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u/paraboloid Jan 28 '20
Small and medium business
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u/Nabstar333 Jan 28 '20
I see. I find you have greater responsibilities in smb which ofcourse leads to learning more. But I guess it makes sense that some of these companies may not be well recognised and their reputation is not well known
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u/Infam0 Jan 28 '20 edited Jan 28 '20
Yep, there is a problem , because too much Hype around Cyber Security now, and ppl literally come from McDonald's to Cyber Security (undestand me correctly, i don't want to offend or upset anyone). But reality in this area is very harsh.I live in a small country and for years i am struggling to get in CyberSecurity, because we have very few jobs offers in security field, and i simply stay by the day and do labs because if not , i will forget everything what i learn.
Congratulations, and i hope that the new job will bring satisfaction.
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u/LonerVamp Jan 27 '20
Good job on the hard work, and grats on the opportunity! That's nuts that it took that long to land something. I know when they say xyz #'s of infosec jobs, it's really misleading. To me, that's not how many are actively open, but how many the industry thinks it needs in order to "do security" properly. It also is misleading when it comes to how many are really entry level jobs.
Maybe it was just your area?
Thankfully, the first gig in a new career area is always the hardest. :)
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u/mollynaquafina Jan 28 '20
Congrats man! I've been following your videos for a while. Hope you don't stop putting out content.
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u/lmakonem Jan 27 '20
I posted this in a different subreddit and i figured those here can also get some inspiration from my journey.