Cyber Security has been undeniably gaining a lot of popularity recently. One of the first things anyone interested in a specific profession should check out is the current state of the job market in that field. Even though the term cyber security is gaining a lot of traction in the mainstream that doesn't necessarily mean that job openings for recent graduates are easy to come by.
To figure out how the industry is looking from an insider perspective Iris reached out to Wib Gridley, a 30 year veteran in the information security space, for his input on the current state of the cyber security job market.
"How do you feel about the current state of the cyber security job market? Specifically on the blue team side with the rise of cyber securities popularity?" Iris representative Michael Heckathorn asked last Friday
"The current state of the cyber security job market is sort of tough... people are moving around, coming out of the lock downs, every college and university is handing out 'cyber security' degrees like candy... Companies lately are reluctant to hire, preferring instead to contract, or contract-to-hire. While I acknowledge the cost savings on the employee investment, it really sends the wrong message to people you want protecting your crown jewels on a 24/7/365 basis." Said NERC Security Analyst Wib Gridley
When prompted with the question "Is Cyber Security a career that people should take a more serious look at in the near future?"
Gridley responded with "Absolutely. Even if they don't remain in Cybersecurity, they will likely take what they have learned with them to other IT roles; risk awareness, questioning attitude... which is a huge leg up for the Cybersecurity industry. However, as with any career choice, its best to look before you leap. I would suggest starting with non-traditional security roles, but perform them as if you were part of the actual Cybersecurity team."
Gridley suggested a few alternative positions that could potentially help you break into cyber security such as; help desk, system admin, or software developer. "Otherwise, in a cyber security role, you have no relative experience with what you're dealing with... it's all just stuff you've heard or read about."
Hearing directly from someone who has been working in and around the cyber security industry for 30 years is a very good way to help decide whether you want to dive into cyber security or not. Even if it is known that the cyber security market is competitive, that's not usually comprehended by someone who hasn't yet lived it.
We decided to end off this brief interview by asking Wib Gridley if he had any advice to beginners thinking about breaking into cyber security. He simply replied "...learn the basics. You have no idea how many college cyber security degree holders that cannot articulate how a traceroute works, or (trick question) what protocol domain name service uses."