KICK-STARTING YOUR CAREER IN CYBERSECURITY

Marcelle LeeSeptember 11, 2013

Congratulations! You’ve made a great career choice!

“…annual earnings average around $75,000 for those in technical roles such as security engineer or Web security manager, while executive positions such as chief information security officer or security manager often command salaries of more than $100,000.” – Washington Post, 2011.

More Good News

“Overall, the job outlook for cybersecurity pros looks good, with an estimated 2.28 million IT security professionals employed worldwide in 2010. That number is expected to nearly double to 4.2 million by 2015.” – ClearanceJobs.com, 2011.

My Background No formal IT training until 2011 Pathways to Cybersecurity grant recipient Graduated in May 2013 with one degree and

two certificates CCNA, ACE, CompTia Net+ and Sec+

certifications 5 Competitions, placed in three Represented AACC:

Governor’s Education Roundtable Cyber Symposium Internships

Embrace Your Career Change!

Changing careers can be a full-time job!

Define yourself – who do you want to be?

Determine how to become that person.

Set goals to get there!

Careers in Cybersecurity Information Assurance – Compliance

Manager, Risk/Vulnerability Analyst Software Assurance – Software Developer,

Database Developer Systems Security – Security Architect,

Network Security Analyst Network Services – Network Administrator,

Cabling Technician

National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) – National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)

Ask Yourself: Do you want to work from home or

commute? How far are you willing to commute?

Do you want to work regular hours or shift work?

What is the minimum salary you will accept? How ambitious are you? Are promotion

opportunities important? Are you willing to travel? How much? Do you want to supervise other people?

Are You Clearable? Do you want to be cleared? Know that it

is an intrusive process. Things to consider:

Financial history Relationships with foreign nationals Drug usage

Be honest!

Industry SectorsPUBLIC SECTOR PRIVATE SECTOR

Research, Research… Follow your chosen industry via social media Join LinkedIn groups and follow companies

Follow industry players on Twitter Listen to podcasts Subscribe to RSS feeds

And More Research Set up job search agents – Indeed.com,

TechCareers.com

Check out company employment websites, there are treasures to be found!

Go to job fairs Take advantage of training – hint:

AAWDC!

Market Yourself! Résumé – it’s a living thing! LinkedIn and business cards – absolute

musts for any jobseeker! Email signature – identify yourself as who

you want to be!

Join relevant clubs and associations. Enter industry competitions.

Sample Résumé Verbiage

LinkedIn Views (me and 10 million others!)

Clubs and AssociationsIndustry AssociationsMeetup GroupsCommunity OrganizationsAlumni GroupsSpecial Interest Clubs

Benefits of Joining Networking Education Inside track on job

opportunities Volunteer opportunities

Competitions DC3 Digital Forensics Challenge Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

(CCDC) Maryland Cyber Challenge (MDC3) Maryland Digital Forensics Investigation

Challenge (DFI) Mitre Corporation STEM Capture the Flag National Cyber League Championship US Cyber Challenge Cyberquests

Benefits of Competing Looks great on your resume! Learn new skills and techniques outside

of the classroom Gain experience working with a team Gain time management skills Gain industry experience and exposure Demonstrate initiative and tenacity to

potential employers

LinkedIn Project Listing

My Passion - Network Intrusion Analysis

Bottom Line Tips Be confident but don’t oversell. Thank others for what they do for you. Be a resource to others. It’s ok to take as long as you give as well

(pay it forward). Never stop learning and growing, never

be bored, never have nothing to do (beware of the doldrums).

Nuture your network!

Last but not Least Be patient, stay positive, and try to

maintain perspective and a sense of humor! (Ask me about the brutal 4.5 hour interview where I didn’t get the job!)

Contact Info

Marcelle Leemylee12@gmail.com

www.linked.com/in/marcelleleewww.twitter.com/marcellelee