It’s safe to say that most people want to make more money. Though the ability to make a high income is possible in just about any field, the number of people earning an elite salary isn’t always very high. 

Cybersecurity is not this way. It’s easy to enter this field and start earning a comfortable living quickly. Let’s talk about how. 

This is Part two of Ask Nato’s five-part series, Where to Begin. In this series, notiaPoint’s founder and CEO Nathan RIley discusses how to start a cybersecurity career – even with little to no experience or training. 

Quick Recap of Part 1

In the last post, we discussed the importance of setting goals. Like a sailor setting off from the United State to the United Kingdom, it’s important to have a course charted to help aid you on your journey to your new career. 

In order to set realistic goals, you must first have a familiarity with the industry so you can get an idea of what your career options are, how other people worked their way to the position you want, and common salary ranges for various positions in the cybersecurity space. 

Once you’ve done your research and narrowed down your options, network with others to determine if your goals are reasonable, and create a realistic timeline.

Now it’s time to take a good, hard look at yourself.

Self-Awareness Is Key

Don’t listen to the noise going on around you – trust your own instincts and consider what you want in your career. 

The key to translating your career goal to your career reality is to consider who you are. Consider your personal priorities, which will sway the type of job you should be considering. 

Here are a few factors to take under consideration:

•  Money. There’s nothing wrong with aspiring for a more comfortable living to better take care of yourself and your loved ones. Still, consider that jobs that have the highest salaries are often either stressful or overly dull. If you get satisfaction from counting the zeros on the end of your salary, you’ll likely be able to overlook some negative factors. 
• Satisfaction. Do you want a job that’s fun and satisfying? Often times jobs that are more hands-on and technical aren’t as high-paying as managerial positions, but they allow you to stay immersed in the tasks you enjoy most and will still pay the bills.
• Management. Another thing to consider when looking for jobs is who you’ll be working for. A job is really only as enjoyable as your boss makes it. Or the manager might be great, but their overly hands-on approach may conflict with your free-spirited nature. 

Craft your career goal around your personal priorities. That way, if you fail or are inevitably forced to mold and mend your goals, you will still be satisfied with the work you’ve done. Find something you’ll want to stick with. 

A five-year goal will fall apart fast if it means doing tasks that you hate to do. Your goals should follow you – you shouldn’t follow your goals. In other words, your goals should morph and change as you do – both in your life and in your career. 

Stay Tuned for Part 3!

When you stay on track while staying true to yourself, that’s when you can become a specialist. And that’s what we’ll be talking about in Part 3 of the Where to Start series.

Get ready to take the next step to start your cybersecurity career

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