Cybersecurity Career Path Guidance and Mentorship

Stop sending your leaders to cybersecurity seminars. Pair them with a 24-year-old analyst instead. For years, we’ve relied on a standard playbook to educate our senior leaders. We provide them with high-level metrics and heat maps, discussing risk in abstract terms that are often sanitized for an executive audience. But I’m starting to believe this approach, while well-intentioned, is creating a dangerous blind spot. The messy reality is that the front lines of cyber warfare are not in the boardroom; they are on platforms like Discord, Telegram, and the countless new apps our teams use every day. The threats are not just technical exploits. They are sophisticated, AI-driven social engineering campaigns and psychological tricks that are born out of modern digital culture. This is a culture that many seasoned leaders are, understandably, not a part of. Recently, I was chatting with a junior analyst about their weekend. They casually mentioned how a friend's online account was hijacked through an elaborate scam on a gaming platform. The level of detail they provided was astounding. They explained the specific psychological triggers the attacker used, the speed of the attack, and the social proof that made it so convincing. That informal, two-minute story was a more valuable piece of threat intelligence than many formal reports I've read. This is why I’ve become a passionate advocate for Reverse Mentoring as a core security strategy. Imagine pairing a senior executive with a junior security analyst, not as a one-off meeting, but as a genuine mentorship relationship. The executive gains a real, unfiltered understanding of the modern threat landscape, developing a kind of "threat empathy" that a PowerPoint chart could never convey. For the junior mentor, the experience is transformative. They gain invaluable exposure to executive thinking and learn how to articulate technical risk in terms of business impact. It is the best leadership training we could offer them, demonstrating that their voice and unique perspective are crucial to the organization's success. Ultimately, building a truly resilient culture requires this kind of intellectual humility. It’s about recognizing that in an age of rapid change, wisdom isn't always tied to tenure. The most secure leaders won't be the ones who have all the answers, but the ones who are brave enough to learn from anyone. 🔔 If you found this perspective valuable, follow me for more insights on the intersection of cybersecurity, leadership, and culture. ♻️ Feel free to share this post if you think it could spark a conversation in your network. #Cybersecurity #Leadership #Mentorship #ReverseMentoring #FutureOfWork #CISO #Management #CorporateCulture

Dear Cyber Security Career Seeker: If You Don't get Grease on your Hands, You Won't Succeed. When I'm mentoring, the most common thing I hear is "I want to be in Cyber Security". This excites me. This is a great field to work in. However, when someone says they want to get into Cyber Security it is like saying they want to play sports. Which sport do you want to play? Do you want to be on offensive security? How about Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)? Even better, how about defensive security? Any of these paths that you choose can still be extremely confusing. Picking a path is important, otherwise it can be overwhelming. However, even after choosing a direction, the path isn't always clear. What if you aren't learning the right SIEM for the next job you apply for? Maybe you are learning Splunk, but what if your next job requires something else? What if your bootcamp is teaching you Nexpose, but there seems to be more demand for Nessus? I hear OpenVas is good, so should you be learning that? Maybe? Let me make this easy for you. No matter what tool you use, they all have one thing in common. It is one thing that hasn't changed much at all and is at the core of how everything works, including every network as well as the entire internet. It's this simple thing called TCP/IP. What is it? It stands for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. Without getting technical, it is what makes every single device you have work. The cell phone you carry, uses TCP/IP. Your laptop, uses TCP/IP. EVERYTHING that communicates over the internet uses TCP/IP. Every defensive tool uses TCP/IP. Every offensive tool uses TCP/IP. If you understand it, you have the ability to understand any tool that exists. If you learn how TCP/IP works and how to analyze network packets you will be way ahead of most. Think of it like this. TCP/IP is basically the motor of the internet. If you learn how cylinders, pistons, crankshafts, valves, and heads work, it doesn't matter what make or model the motor is placed in, you will still understand it. If you take an auto mechanics class, they don't start by teaching you different models of cars. They start by teaching you how the motor works. Don't getting stuck worrying about which tool to learn. Learn the fundamentals and learn them well. If you want to be a blue teamer, understanding TCP/IP and knowing how to analyze packets will give you the ability to drive any SIEM out there. If you want to be a Penetration Tester, understanding TCP/IP and packets will help you determine your game plan for attack. If you are pursuing GRC, understanding how the internet works will play a major part in helping an organization secure itself. If you're not willing to get greasy tearing the motor down, leave the tools in the tool chest. If you ARE willing, you'll learn how to keep it running forever. Want to Work with me? Visit me at ➡www.breakincyber.com⬅. #cybersecurity #informationsecurity #infosec #leadershipbyexample

Ready to start a career in #cybersecurity? Here's a Cybersecurity Career Decision Tree to guide you on your journey! Starting a career in cybersecurity can be exciting yet challenging, especially for newcomers. To navigate effectively, you need a clear roadmap. This decision tree outlines crucial steps and choices for a successful cybersecurity career. It's a valuable tool whether you're from a technical background or starting fresh. Self-Assessment: • Technical background: Explore education and certification options. • Non-technical background: Focus on foundational IT skills. Education and Certification: • Technical background: Pursue advanced certifications like CISSP or CEH. • Non-technical background: Start with CompTIA Security+ or Network+ for a strong foundation. Choose a Specialization: • Technical background: Follow your passion, whether it's network security or penetration testing. • Non-technical background: Explore cybersecurity career options and choose your interest. Hands-On Experience: • Set up a home lab for practice. • Gain practical experience through online labs and challenges. • Consider volunteer security work. Apply for Jobs: • Tailor your resume to showcase skills and certifications. • Apply for entry-level positions like Security Analyst. Career Advancement: • Consider specialized and higher-level roles like Security Engineer or Security Manager. • Target higher-level certifications like CISSP or CISM. Networking, Learning, Ethics, and Mentorship: • Connect with professionals on LinkedIn. • Stay updated with the latest trends. • Prioritize ethical practices. • Seek guidance from experienced mentors. Use this decision tree as your career guide and embark on your cybersecurity journey with confidence! If you found it helpful, please like and share to assist others. Have questions? Feel free to ask! [This originally appeared on X. Follow me there for more cybersecurity career tips: https://lnkd.in/gNY8t8Ud] #CareerAdvice #InfoSec

Are you looking to break into cybersecurity? Take a page from Tinu Odeleye... Six months ago, I met Tinu through the Cyversity mentorship program. We instantly hit it off, bonding over our days working in the fast food industry and the life skills it helped us build. She was early in her journey and sampling everything she could. From labs, to networking, to online courses. She was a total sponge, soaking up knowledge from everyone she met. All while experimenting and pushing her knowledge boundaries. I remember when she first took apart a laptop to see all the parts while preparing for an interview. When she put it back together, she had screws left over. It’s an early memory that lined up with my first experiences, among frying a few computers along the way (sorry, Mom). Within six months of focused work, she landed her first tech role. She can now tear apart a laptop with her eyes closed. And when I caught up with her recently, she told me the greatest thing I’ve ever heard. “It's just a great feeling to actually enjoy coming to work every day and to be able to learn new skills and use my knowledge in the workspace and not just labs.” Boom. The journey to your first security job and well beyond that isn’t always a straight line. You will meander and waste time as you find opportunities. What we can all learn from Tinu is that persistence and the drive to learn will take you from labs to real-world experience. The best part of cybersecurity is that the learning never stops. So, it's best to cultivate that curiosity and desire early on. ------------------------------ 📝 The easiest way to keep up to date with cybersecurity is with my weekly newsletter.  👆Sign up using the blog link at the top of this post.

In today’s #HerCyberStory, Linda Mokone, a law graduate from South Africa shares her inspiring story, transitioning from Law to cybersecurity. If you’re a person looking to break into Cyber, recently rejected applicant to CyberGirls Fellowship, or a newly accepted CyberGirls 4.0 Fellow, pay close attention to what she had to say in this video and in the caption of this post. “CyberGirls Fellowship is not only a program that takes you from beginner to cybersecurity professional, but it is so so much more. It unlocks a different part of you, one that you didn't know you had. It genuinely opens your eyes to the endless possibilities that you can achieve if you put your mind to it and put in the work. It gives you confidence and a realistic outlook on life. I treated the CyberGirls Fellowship as my first job. And this made the transition to my current role, smoother. The operations, dedication, deadlines, and discipline that CyberGirls Fellowship needed, resembled that of a job. I always advise any girl who asks about my experience in CyberGirls to treat it as such. I didn't think that I could make it in the technology field of study, let alone Cybersecurity. But CyberGirls and its meaning gives you a different sense of confidence. It may take me some time and extra effort to learn something new (especially if you’re coming from a non-technical background like me) but just like the CyberGirls mantra says, nothing is too difficult for you to master. There are countless opportunities for growth within Cybergirls, not only from a technical aspect but as an individual as well. Do not be afraid of putting yourself out there. Regardless of being a beginner, be there to learn from other #cybersecurity professionals. We are taught to put ourselves out there. Thoroughly document and show what we are learning, what we have learned, and what we will learn. Publishing this comes with opportunities that never would have arrived, had you not put yourself and your knowledge out there. And the best part is it does not end when the cohort closes. You are then launched into another great community of CyberGirls Alumni where the support from your cyber sisters from previous cohorts is intensified. No program compares to CyberGirls. We truly look out for and support one another. I did not succeed the first time i applied, but because of my determination, discipline, and hard work, I emerged as an Alumni! “ Congratulations Linda! I and the rest of my team, are super proud of you. PS: The video was shot during a casual chat with her, using my mobile phone. She still had months to go before graduating from the CyberGirls Fellowship. #CyberGirls #ConfidenceStaveley #informationsecurity #tech