I talk a lot about passion being key to be successful in cybersecurity and I detest that that this phrase devolved into demands of working many hours outside work on costly, resource-intensive projects.
Literally, it should mean being interested in lifelong continuing education.
Literally, it should mean being interested in lifelong continuing education.
It is true that you will be challenged to excel in a field that demands you learn about new threats daily through your entire career, working odd hours, and keeping up on research if you have no interest in it nor drive to do so.
However, you can do that with work-life balance.
However, you can do that with work-life balance.
Don’t tell me about your home lab if you don’t have time or money to build one. Tell me about a news story or research or talk you found interesting and why you’d like your new role to give you freedom to explore that more.
Can you succeed in cybersecurity with zero interest in the field? Yes. You can. However, like some fields of medicine and science, it is constantly changing and adapting to current events, and will require constant learning and growth.
You’ll have to motivate yourself elsewhere.
You’ll have to motivate yourself elsewhere.
I run into three types of new grads in cybersecurity:
- Genuinely passionate about learning more
- Not really interested in tech, but kept up due to a passion to succeed in a well paying career
- Got a degree and kept up on nothing, woefully out of date knowledge
- Genuinely passionate about learning more
- Not really interested in tech, but kept up due to a passion to succeed in a well paying career
- Got a degree and kept up on nothing, woefully out of date knowledge
Either of the first two is fine because they’re ready to deal with this crazy, ever changing field.
