Infosec Rock Star: How to Accelerate Your Career Because Geek Will Only Get You So Far

by Ted Demopoulos, Eric Cole (Foreword)

Have you noticed that some people in infosec simply have more success than others, however they may define success? Some people are simply more listened too, more prominent, make more of a difference, have more flexibility with work, more freedom, choices of the best projects, and yes, make more money. They are not just lucky. They make their luck. The most successful are not necessarily the most technical, although technical or "geek" skills are essential. They are an absolute must, and we naturally build technical skills through experience. They are essential, but not for Rock Star level success. The most successful, the Infosec Rock Stars, have a slew of other equally valuable skills, ones most people never develop nor even understand. They include skills such as self direction, communication, business understanding, leadership, time management, project management, influence, negotiation, results orientation, and lots more . . . Infosec Rock Star will start you on your journey of mastering these skills and the journey of moving toward Rock Star status and all its benefits. Maybe you think you can’t be a Rock Star, but everyone can MOVE towards it and reap the benefits of vastly increased success. Remember, “Geek” will only get you so far . . .

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2017

Reviews

[Hela Lucas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite a few sexist comments throughout the book (eg get a woman to pick your clothes).

[Dawid Bałut · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is scratching the surface but outlining important challenges

I don’t know Ted Demopoulos personally and haven’t heard of him before this book went viral in security industry, so my review should be pretty objective and honest.

I love that people in our industry contribute to common well being and support others in finding their meaning, passion and general direction in life. This is awesome, which is why I’m giving additional point for that.

I didn’t like how lengthy the book is ROI-wise. There is a lot of fluff that can be cut out and the book would be still the same. It’s not that I don’t like lengthy books, because reading books that go beyond thousand pages isn’t new to me, but I always measure how much time do I need to invest in book and how much value I’m going to get out of it.

I’d recommend it for all security newbies — for whom this is pure gold — and for people who haven’t really read much about career development, self development, personal branding and such. If you’ve read dozens of hundreds of books from giants like Godin, Vaynerchuk, Robbins, Ferris, Duhigg and similar, you’re better off just skimming thru book to find what’s specific to security industry and what challenges Ted faced as opposed to reading it thoroughly like I did in search for life changing nuggets.

Parts about his challenges, attitude towards life and success where inspirational and I definitely taken away a few things from it. It embraced some of the things I already knew and gave me some more strength, because life it’s far less stressful when you know you’re not alone with your problems in this industry.

Thanks Ted for this book, I appreciate your work and will recommend it widely. I acknowledge that it just isn’t a book for me, but I know for a matter of fact lots and lots of people can learn plenty from it, especially when it comes to the social skills part.
It’s a good knowledge pill which can open eyes of many people, who can then do in-depth research on their own. Using an authority to introduce people to the world of self development, it’s a noble and terrific mission, thank you Ted.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the conversational style of Ted's writing. There were some asides that I felt could have been expanded on, to help make a point. Conversely, sometimes it seemed like there were points that were repeated, but not identified as core themes in the book. Some kind of call-out for those might be a good idea for the next edition.

The content is pretty solid, particularly for someone in the earlier stages of their career. I think the message that technical skills aren't enough to keep you progressing is important. There are a lot of excellent personal marketing/branding suggestions, and I've already incorporated a couple in to my own ongoing efforts.

A particular section that I want to comment on, is regarding the importance of a stable personal life. While I don't necessarily agree with how Ted presents that particular point, the underlying message is that having your personal life in some semblance of order can make a big difference when trying to accelerate your career.

[Kārlis Bergmanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book at the right time in your journey.
Not for everyone.
If you are starting out in cyber security and want to get your first real job or first cool credentials, then this won't help. There is nothing about how to hack every computer ever or which one specific course out of 10000 available on the matter is the one that will land you your CISO position on day 1.
Also this book could be about any profession, not just security - and that is what makes it really good book.
It takes really high level overview of your career and options. When you have learned some tools, landed first job or two and worked for some years... What now? 5% salary increase YoY, new job every 5 years and so on until you retire and die? Actually this might sound like good enough plan for some - and that is Ok. For those who want to get more - more influence, larger impression on the world, more money, working for yourself not some company X - there is this book.

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, overall guide on career progression for infosec and other fields too. I wish I had known this advice at the start of my career. There were two big takeaways for me: practice public speaking and learn to negotiate. I have come a long way during my career with respect to public speaking, but I still have a lot to learn when it comes to negotiating.

[Strings · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read on having a successful infosec, IT or cyber security career. Honestly the advice is applicable to most careers. He provides you with advice and principles you can apply if you wish to accelerate your career. The tone is conversational, fun and easy to read.

[Austin A. DeFrancesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, the content is solid and unique. Only complaint is that some of the content is stated repetitively.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains great actionable recommendations to get yourself on the path to building your career, even if you don't want to reach Rockstar status