A Cybersecurity Career in 2025: It’s A Bit Easier Than You Think

The cybersecurity space is an industry that a lot of people have started to take interest in, and rightfully so. Technology is always evolving and the need for professionals will continue to grow as well. Many times, people will have a desire to get into cybersecurity but either not know where to start or what to look for when taking that first step. And with the plethora of tools that are available plus the many different avenues to choose from, getting into cybersecurity can be a very daunting task. Whether you’re looking to work for the government or wanting to remain in the commercial sector, this blog post will provide you with a bit of guidance and how to best position yourself for success.

Do Research

When people hear the term “cybersecurity” or think of cyber, more often they think of the hacker movies where people type furiously on a keyboard, breaking into systems. And while that is a part of cybersecurity, it isn’t the only one. Cybersecurity comprises ethical hacking (emphasis on ethical), compliance, risk management, vulnerability assessments, cryptography, digital forensics plus others. There are many different focuses to choose from and it’s just a matter of understanding what is out there.

Master the Fundamentals First

No matter which focus you choose in cybersecurity, the fundamentals will always be important. Concepts like networking, storage, how computers work, operating systems and applications must be understood first. Far too often, people want to jump into the newest fields like AI or even cloud computing without first knowing the basics. For example, if you are in a cloud engineering role and troubleshooting an EC2 in AWS that is preventing SSH connections, would you know which port to check in the security group? Understanding what protocols communicate on which ports would tell you how to fix this problem (the answer is port 22 by the way).

Theory vs. Technical Skills

A common theme I’ve noticed is the over-reliance on education. Don’t get me wrong, having degrees is important. However, you cannot solely rely on your education and expect to be successful in cybersecurity. You must get your hands dirty. This industry is very technical and will need to be able to go into roles understanding what’s going on and how to contribute. Whether it’s troubleshooting the current architecture or figuring out new tools/software to make improvements, cybersecurity professionals must be able to put theory to practice.

Oftentimes, people overlook learning the technical side of cybersecurity because of the cost which is completely understandable. The beauty of this industry is that most tools and software you can learn are low cost or completely free. Monitoring tools, ethical hacking software, programming languages etc for the most part are all free to install on your machine. Or if they do cost, it’s usually not too high. There are even courses online from sites like Udemy and Coursera where you can learn many different topics. It’s extremely important to utilize these tools and websites to create home labs, where you should be learning to break and fix things in simulated environments. The more consistent you are, the more you’re preparing for real world scenarios. And believe it or not, this is how I was able to work for some of the largest defense contractors on the planet. Get your hands dirty.

Certifications Are Key

Like any industry, certifications indicate expertise/specialization in certain areas and because cybersecurity is a very broad term, there are many certifications to choose from. Of course the route of certifications you should take depends on the route you’re pursuing. If you’re someone who has no prior IT knowledge and just getting started, it’s best to start with the CompTIA A+ certification first. This provides you with the most foundational concepts you can use to start with. If you already have prior IT knowledge, you should aim for CompTIA Security+. This one especially is starting to become mandatory for government contractors so if you already have it you’re already one step ahead of the competition.

From here, it’s a matter of deciding what route in cybersecurity you’re looking to take. There’s Network+, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Linux+, Cloud+ plus many more. Now, most of these certifications are a bit costly, typically a few hundred dollars per cert. While you can get bundles and discounts for some, it’s best to put forth maximum effort to put yourself in the best position to pass.

Conclusion

Like any professional space, the cybersecurity world can be challenging but a lucrative one. There are many avenues to choose from but it’s important to have an idea of what’s out there to choose from. Having a combination of technical expertise, formal education, certifications and a clearance (if you choose) puts you in a strong position to be successful in cybersecurity.