#ISC2Congress: Building Your Cybersecurity Career Roadmap

nWhether you’re interested in moving into cybersecurity or you’re readynto land your first job in the field, your first step should be figuringnout where you can fit. Steve Winterfeld notes that it’s not a questionnof which jobs are the “coolest” in cybersecurity, but rather what’s angood fit for your skillset.n

nDo you excel at attention to detail? Do you like processes? Do you likento build things or solve puzzles? What do you love? Your skills andninterests will help you figure out whether you’re better suited to be anSOC analyst, penetration tester, forensic analyst, or a policy person,namong other possibilities.n

Steve explained he wouldn’t make a good coder, because he doesn’t haventhe meticulous attention to detail to find an out of place comma.n“That’s not something that I would be hugely successful at,” admitsnSteve. “I wouldn’t have joy going to work.”n

nTherefore, step one to building your career roadmap is making sure younstart on the right path. Have a candid conversation with yourself aboutnyour abilities, likes and dislikes if you haven’t decided whichncybersecurity path to pursue yet.n

nDevelop Skills for Your Next Jobn

nOnce you’ve determined what fit would be right for you, and you’venlanded that first job, building a career roadmap relies on keeping yournend goal in sight. Even if this is only your first cybersecurity role,nSteve advises that it is always a good time to start figuring out how tonbuild your skillset for your next step.n

n“You need to be an expert in whatever field you’re in,” says Steve. “Andnyou need to be an expert in what’s coming next in the field you’re in.”n

nBut how do you develop skills while working a nine to five? Steve admitsnit’s a challenge.n

nThe solution: “You need to be a constant learner,” says Steve. “Spendnsome time figuring out what your learning preference is.”n

nDifferent individuals have different learning styles. This may benvisual, through reading, or audio, through listening to podcasts ornprofessional development audiobooks. Others may prefer more hands-onnlearning such as participating in labs or formal coursework. Steve alsonsuggests that having an accountability partner may help motivate you tonaccomplish your learning goals.n

n“There are a lot of techniques,” says Steve. “But we don’t take the timento research our learning behaviors, and then set up frameworks to driventhat learning consistently. That’s what I am asking you to think aboutndoing.”n

nWhile being an expert in your field requires hard skills, don’t diminishnthe value of soft skills. “It’s never about the technology,” proposesnSteve. “It’s always about the people. If you’re in the middle of annincident, your communication skills are much more important than thentechnology.”n

n“If you can’t communicate under stress, you will fail,” adds Steve.n“Your soft skills are a toolkit in a crisis.”n

nSet Your North Starn

nHave you ever accepted an opportunity that fell into your lap? “Most ofnus spend our career saying, ‘They just asked me if I want to go intonmanagement. I would make more money. I’m going to take advantage of thisnopportunity,’” explains Steve. “And that’s how we manage our entirencareer – by opportunities.”n

n“It’s not a bad technique,” admits Steve. “And if you’re a great person,na great employee, a great partner, you’ll have a great career. But younmay not have the best career for you. So take a minute and say, what donI want my last job to be? The ultimate job for me.”n

nThinking back to that management opportunity, it’s okay to say it’s notna good fit for you if it doesn’t play a part in getting you closer tonyour ultimate goal.n

n“By setting a North Star, we’re going to do two things,” explains Steve.n“We’re going to develop the skills we need to get there, and we’re goingnto spend time focused on getting to the next level.”n

n“The benefit of this exercise is to say, if I want to get there by thisnage, how do I backward plan?” asks Steve. “What are the steps thatnhelped get me there? And then you start down that path.”n

nAs you work on building your career roadmap, “do the research, go looknat the jobs you want, and see what the requirements are,” suggestsnSteve. “Then go develop the skills based on those requirements.”n

nThe Final Takeawayn

n“Figure out what your dream job is,” advises Steve. “Figure out what younwant to do. Figure out what skills you need to get there. Find a mentor,nfind out your learning style, build your learning framework, yourndiscipline, and figure out how you’re going to force yourself to do thenkind of learning you need to become the best person in the room in thenskillset you care about.”n