editor’s question
SIMON CHURCH,
GM AND
EXECUTIVE VICE
PRESIDENT,
EUROPE, OPTIV
W
ith more than
nearly two million
cybersecurity
job openings
worldwide,
cybersecurity is
incredibly fertile
ground for new careers, but many young
people will incorrectly assume they need
a technical background to enter the field.
That is not always the case.
Instead, cybersecurity requires a
foundational skillset that often can’t be
learnt in school or from an internship.
This skillset includes soft-skills, curiosity
and the ability to be a team player. They
can then be refined with the right mix of
coaching, experience and self-growth,
and used as the right base on which to
build cybersecurity-specific skills.
Soft skills are required because a career
in cybersecurity means having the
confidence to speak to employees across
all lines of business. Candidates must
be confident enough to stand in front of
30
a group and act as
an expert, even if they
might be perceived to
be the least business-
experienced person in
the room.
Without soft skills, a
cybersecurity professional
wouldn’t be able to delicately and
effectively deliver difficult news, such
as if a data breach were to occur or if
network vulnerabilities are discovered
that could be exploited.
Curiosity is a key element of career
success in the cybersecurity industry
because passionate cybersecurity
professionals have an innate desire
to know how things work. Such as
learning what happens when risks
aren’t mitigated or understood, how
security needs to be implemented when
employees are interacting with their
apps and phones every day, or the risks
created from an ‘always on’, cloud-
focused culture.
Having this curiosity is one way an
aspiring cybersecurity professional can
learn the latest tactics, techniques and
procedures cybercriminals are using.
Lastly, cybersecurity professionals must
be the ultimate team players, not only
The cybersecurity
skills shortage is
a problem that
isn’t going away
anytime soon.
It is rare for a
cybersecurity
professional to
succeed alone as
you might see in
other industries.
within their organisations, but within their
cyber communities as well. They must be
willing to share their knowledge as they
learn new things by blogging, writing
white papers, speaking at conferences,
going to industry meet ups, etc.
This is so important because staying one
step ahead of cybercriminals requires
collaboration and communication among
security vendors, threat researchers,
consultants and the industry in general.
It is rare for a cybersecurity professional
to succeed alone as you might see in
other industries.
The cybersecurity skills shortage is a
problem that isn’t going away anytime
soon. As such, the cybersecurity
industry needs to continue to focus
on building the industry’s future
professionals – and seeking candidates
with the right skillset, regardless of their
academic or professional background, is
a step in the right direction.
As long as candidates arrive with
the above foundational qualities,
they can be coached and mentored
to further develop these traits and
apply them throughout their career
in cybersecurity, thus making a
cybersecurity-specific education a non-
necessity for young people. u
Issue 15
|
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