Jumoke Dada

Project Manager, Making Space Initiative

R Street Institute

Making [the Pivot]: Resources to Jumpstart Your Cybersecurity Career

It has been hard to miss, but if you haven’t been following recent tech news, there have been thousands of layoffs at companies across the nation. In 2022, when Twitter was acquired, a massive layoff followed and the announcement sent shock waves throughout the industry. It also aided predictions of a potential recession this year. Last week when Google laid off thousands of employees, the shockwaves began to circulate again. More recently, Microsoft is the latest company to announce downsizing.

The tech industry is taking a major hit, and there aren’t signs of a slowdown. The good news is that despite the layoffs, there are some predictions of “recession-free” companies as shared by a P&G representative in this interview. Additionally, according to CyberSeek, there are reportedly over 700,000 job openings in cybersecurity. If you’ve been thinking about transitioning into the field, now is a good time to make the pivot.

Recently on LinkedIn, IT Director John Amador shared a post titled “The Ultimate Free Training and Certification Document 2023 v2!” The document contains 28 pages filled with resources on how to get trained to enter the field of cybersecurity. I found Amador’s post helpful, as was this one which lists 55 cybersecurity podcasts to check out. Both posts inspired me to compile some resources for those dealing with a layoff or simply seeking to transition into the field while working.

Entering into a new field can be overwhelming. You need to assess your current skillset, determine future interests and figure out how to get started. With various roles and career paths in cybersecurity, you will need tools and a plan of attack. To get started, you have to identify a career path and locate opportunities to help you grow a professional network.

In addition to checking out work of the Making Space coalition partners, I recommend that you check out the resources below to help you get started.

Bootcamps:

2023 Best Bootcamps

Course Report

Penn Cybersecurity Boot Camp

Career Pathway Tools:

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies

CompTIA’s IT Career Path Planning Tool

Cybersecurity Career Pathway

Security Certification Roadmap

Clinics:

The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics

Communities:

Black Girls Hack

Black Girls in Cyber

Blacks in Cybersecurity

Cyber Intelligence Network

Cyversity

U.S. General Services Administration

Raices Cyber

Minorities in Cybersecurity

#SharetheMicinCyber

Conferences:

Aspen Cyber Summit

Bsides

Hack Miami

RSA Conference

ShmooCon

The Official Cyber Security Summit

WiCys

Federal & National:

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency

Global Cyber Alliance

Federal Bureau of Investigation

National Security Agency

The White House

Fellowships:

Cyber Innovative Fellows Initiative

University of Tulsa

Publications:

Cyber Magazine

CyberScoop

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

National Institute of Standards and Technology

README

Reports:

Belfer Center’s Cyber Project

Cyberspace Solarium Commission

Cybersecurity in Application, Research and Education Lab

Cybersecurity Insiders

Global Cyber Alliance

National Cybersecurity Alliance

Scholarships:

CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service

Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program

Training

Cybrary

Infosec Institute

SANS

There are so many more resources that exist to help you along your path. My advice is to do your research and get started.

If you are someone who is looking to break in at an entry level, choose a path and give it a try. If you find that you don’t like it, choose another path to explore. It’s okay to figure things out as you go. If you have experience in the tech industry, but you are looking to transition in cybersecurity, identify tasks you enjoy and your transferable skills and then map out a plan. If you are someone who thinks that the influx talent due to the recent layoffs will make things more competitive, you may be right. However, there are more than enough opportunities out there for everyone, especially in cybersecurity. The key will be for you to find the right role at the right company with the right culture for you.

Ready to make the pivot? Check out all of the resources, decide what you want to do and jump in.

Updated February 2, 2023

About the Author

Jumoke Dada is the project manager for the Making Space Initiative, a part of R Street’s Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats program. She is in charge of developing the Making Space Initiative to increase representation among women, identify workforce development issues and encourage a diversity of experts on cyber policy-related panels. She also creates partnerships while building “Cyber-Base,” a talent list of Black cybersecurity professionals.

Prior to R Street, Jumoke worked in the tech industry in various roles including as an application developer, systems analyst, business analyst and technical project manager. Additionally, Jumoke founded the Tech Women Network and the HUE Tech Summit. She has also contributed diversity in tech articles to ForbesWomen.

In 2021 she began to pivot into cybersecurity and was the 2022 winner of CyberScoop’s #CyberScoop50 “Most Inspiring Up and Comer” award.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer and information sciences from Temple University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in cybersecurity at Georgia Institute of Technology.

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