9 Steps to Land a Cyber Security Job, According to Experts

This is a pretty major one. To work in cyber security, you need to know how to program in languages such as Python, C or Assembler… But happily, the web is teeming with free resources specifically designed to help aspiring programmers. Check out Code Academy, a freemium interactive learning tool that covers a broad range of modules – from HTML and CSS to JavaScript and PHP. So, get coding! Or check out these 27 online resources to learn how to code.

Attend networking events and cyber clubs aimed at young people and professionals looking to break into the industry. Does your country run any schemes designed to nurture talent in cyber security? What about schools and clubs? For those of you living in the UK, the National Cyber Security Center’s ‘New Talent’ web page is worth a read.

Working in cyber security, you need to be behaving responsibility and with integrity at all times – an especially fraught task given the nature of the work. So, think about the content you publish on your social media accounts and be especially wary of posting insensitive material which could come back to haunt you later in life. You need to be able to demonstrate you’re trustworthy.

Cyber security is not just a technical discipline. Knowing about psychology, economics, persuasive language and data science will make you a far more effective cyber security professional.

The American mathematician and philosopher, Norbert Wiener, who taught Math at MIT and was also a famous child prodigy, defined cybernetics as “the scientific study of control and communication in the animal and the machine”. To work in cyber security, you need to be familiar with the concepts within cybernetics, particularly applied to the control of devices and the analysis of information.

Start by reading:

• Cybernetics: or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine

And also:

• The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Cliff Stoll.

The University of Warwick’s Masters’ programs in Cyber Security combine research-led teaching with real-world input, at one of the world’s top universities.  These courses train students for careers in cyber security and are provisionally certified by GCHQ (National Cyber Security Centre).  By studying an MSc, you’ll get a clear understanding of the cyber threat landscape.  You’ll gain the skills to build and manage secure systems, and will be equipped to apply these strategically within an organization.  Graduating with a Masters in Cyber Security from Warwick will be a surefire way to kick-start your career!