We’ve all felt the effects of when companies don’t make cybersecurity a priority. You might even have had to bear the brunt when companies don’t invest in their cybersecurity yourself: personal data gets leaked, sensitive information is spread across the web, and life savings can be lost if you give the wrong company your bank details.
You’re probably sick of this happening and we get it. That’s why it’s time to become a cyber warrior and kickstart your career in cybersecurity – even if you don’t have any previous knowledge.
Cybersecurity may seem complicated to those on the outside, mostly because it comes with a dictionary’s worth of jargon. But anyone with a little technical knowledge and the desire to learn can launch themselves into this exciting career path. But that begs the question…how do you go about getting a cybersecurity job when you’ve got no experience?
Landing Your First Cybersecurity Job: A Step-by-Step Guide
You’re not going to walk into a company with no knowledge and no experience and just land an interview. While it is possible to find your path into a cyber career, you’ve still got to get from A to B. Here’s a quick rundown of the steps you need to take:
Step 1: Understand what Cybersecurity is
Step 2: Understand what the Cybersecurity career path looks like
Step 3: Understand the skills needed to land an entry-level role
Step 4: Understand the best way to learn
If you’re feeling lost, don’t panic! That’s exactly what we’re here for, and we’ll walk you through each of these steps right now.
Step 1: What is Cybersecurity?
First things first: let’s truly understand what cybersecurity is, as it’s never been more important than it is today. With many companies shifting to a remote/hybrid working model and the vast expansion of the online space, there is an increasing need for businesses to invest in IT security and protect themselves from threats such as hacking, data compromise, and identity theft.
Technology is getting smarter, but that means that hackers and cybercriminals are too. The range of cybercrimes is widening rapidly, but some of the most common are:
Cyber-extortion: demanding money in exchange for not hacking, damaging, or deleting information
Ransomware attacks: locking or limiting access to data in exchange for money
Identity fraud: pretending to be you to gain access to your personal information
IOT hacking: accessing or manipulating IoT devices and servers
Malware: software designed to steal or copy a person’s information
Phishing scams: sending fraudulent emails, pretending to be someone else to gain bank or personal information
Step 2: What Does a Career Path in Cybersecurity Look Like?
With a growing demand for trained professionals, the cybersecurity industry has a lot to offer prospective employees. Salaries in this field tend to be lucrative and there is ample opportunity for career growth and development. The demand for roles in this area is also set to increase rapidly over the coming years and decades.
As such, there has never been a better time to explore cybersecurity and explore the various career options out there for cybersecurity newcomers.
There are many areas for specialization and advancement which you’ll be able to branch into, depending on your skills, experience, and career goals. And as the digital world is always changing, new areas that we can’t even imagine today will inevitably reveal themselves! Take a look at some positions, depending on your experience level:
Entry-level positions include roles such as Cybersecurity Specialist or Technician, IT auditor, and Incident Responder (anyone interested in cybersecurity for beginners should research these roles as a starting point!)
Mid-level positions include Cybersecurity Consultant and Penetration tester
Advanced level positions include Cybersecurity Engineer and Managerial positions
There are various roles available at each level when it comes to IT security, with plenty of scope for development further down the road; the demand for training in cybersecurity is rapidly on the rise, meaning you may like to branch into this area in a company for which you already work, or that you are looking to pivot completely into a new career.
For a more in-depth breakdown, check out: What Does a Cybersecurity Professional Do?
Once you have cybersecurity skills, you can pick up a little extra cash as a bug-bounty hunter, also known as an ethical hacker. This involves looking for weak spots in a company's digital defences and reporting them rather than exploiting them. For some companies, security is a #1 priority, and they'll pay pretty handsomely for anyone who can report a fatal flaw to them.
What do cybersecurity professionals earn?
It’s nice to pursue your dream career, it's even nicer to know that it pays! According to Payscale and SalaryExpert, these are the senior and entry level salaries you can expect to earn as a cybersecurity professional in Europe (as of 2024):
Spain 🇪🇸
Entry level: €25,000
Senior: €73,029
France 🇫🇷
Entry level: €35,000 - €40,000
Senior: €70,000 - €80,000
Germany 🇩🇪
Entry level: €43,982
Senior: €80,000
Portugal 🇵🇹
Entry level: €24,622
Senior: €59,973
Netherlands 🇳🇱
Entry level: €38,000
Senior: €75,000
What does cybersecurity look like at different companies?
Many aspects of business are universal, regardless of what industry you’re in. Cybersecurity is one of them. But as each company has different priorities, operations, and budgets, cybersecurity takes a different shape in all of them. A small scrappy startup is going to approach security very differently to a large multinational bank!
Small startups often operate on limited budgets, and their cybersecurity efforts may be spearheaded by a single IT professional or an outsourced agency. These nimble teams focus on fundamental security measures, such as firewalls and basic encryption, investing modestly in cybersecurity—typically under a few thousand dollars annually.
Mid-size scale-ups, on the other hand, have more resources to dedicate to cybersecurity. They usually employ a small but specialized internal team, perhaps consisting of a handful of skilled professionals. These companies often integrate in-house efforts with external agencies to bolster their defenses. They focus not only on fundamental protections but also on advanced threat detection and response strategies, with investments that can range from $50,000 to $500,000 annually.
Large multinational corporations treat cybersecurity as a critical aspect of their operations and ensure it receives robust attention and investment. These giants maintain expansive cybersecurity teams composed of dozens or even hundreds of experts, often segmented into specialized units focusing on different aspects like threat intelligence, incident response, and compliance. Additionally, they frequently collaborate with top-tier cybersecurity agencies to stay ahead of evolving threats. Their annual expenditure on cybersecurity can soar into the millions, reflecting the high stakes involved in protecting complex and far-reaching networks.
This is something to take into account as you aim to start a career in cybersecurity, take a good look at your potential employers and what kind of environment they can offer you.
Get up to date with the current cyber trends: 2024 Cybersecurity Landscape: Protecting Digital Assets in a Post-Pandemic World
Step 3: What Does it Take to Break into Cybersecurity?
The first thing you need to tackle when it comes to cybersecurity is the basics of IT systems and networks; for example, the different types of available networks and their protocols. Once you are familiar with the fundamentals, you can dive into the basics of networking traffic, security, and communication principles.
Learning how to create and analyze network servers is also important when it comes to cybersecurity for beginners, while data decryption and encryption are also useful, along with topics such as backup processes and data recovery. Discovering how to prevent hacks is also a crucial subject when it comes to cybersecurity for beginners.
As technology advances and the online space grows, there are greater opportunities for cyber attacks and hacks to occur, especially when it comes to mobile payments, e-commerce, and cloud computing.
Machine learning, social media, and the vast array of apps that many of us use on a daily basis make it easier for criminals to find ways to hack systems to steal data and financial information. The risk for businesses is especially high and this is where cybersecurity professionals come into play: building and maintaining secure systems is essential for most organizations and businesses in the modern world, and expertise in this area is heavily in demand.
Step 4: How to Learn Cybersecurity Skills?
Now that you understand more about the field of cybersecurity, you have to find your way to break into it (pun intended).
What is CompTIA?
CompTIA is something you may see a lot of as you browse job opportunities in the cybersecurity space, so it’s important that you know what it is.
The CompTIA certification is a key credential for anyone looking to break into cybersecurity. It offers a wide range of certifications like CompTIA Security+, CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+), and CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+), covering all the essential skills you need. These globally recognized certifications touch on everything from threat management and vulnerability assessment to risk mitigation and network security.
Whether you're just starting out or aiming to move up, getting CompTIA certified shows you're serious about excelling and have a strong grasp of cybersecurity basics. Plus, it's often a requirement for many cybersecurity jobs, making it a must-have for advancing your career in this fast-paced field.
Simply put, this is the end-goal of your cyber learning journey. Any course or bootcamp you choose should prepare you to take these certifications.
Breaking into cybersecurity through a bootcamp
Courses or bootcamps in cybersecurity for beginners will prepare you for roles such as incident responder, forensics analyst, and cybersecurity analyst, among others. Over time and depending on the size of the company you work for, you may have the chance to branch into a management role, taking control over a cybersecurity team.
Similarly, you may choose to specialize in a single area of cybersecurity in networking, software development, systems engineering, or risk analysis.
Any cybersecurity bootcamp worth its salt will have a curriculum designed around the CompTIA certifications, to ensure that you can get properly certified after graduation.
Breaking into cybersecurity with no previous experience
To summarize, landing your first job in cybersecurity is a journey. Sometimes, when we’re pivoting to a new career from a completely different field, it can feel overwhelming! But people can, and do, land a job in a new industry any time in life. So if you’re kicking yourself because you didn’t choose to study cybersecurity at university, don’t panic!
All you need is:
An understanding of the industry, job role, and skills required
An idea of what an achievable first job would be for you, in your area
Access to education that’ll prepare you for the CompTIA certification
Self-belief, and the determination to see it through to the end!
To see if you have what it takes, check out this great free lecture on the basics of cybersecurity:
