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CISO Desk Reference Guide: Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path
For those that want to explore a career in cybersecurity, we first want to say, “Welcome, we need the help!” A job in cybersecurity is dedicated to a mission to protect. At the same time, it is very rewarding—both in knowing that what you do makes a difference and, frankly, unmatched job security. The cybersecurity field has many more positions available than qualified candidates. In the CISO Desk Reference Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path , we’ll show you how to break into cybersecurity at any level. Whether you are just starting and are looking for an entry-level position or want to translate many years of experience to the right level, this book will help. We start at the beginning of your journey and help you determine if this is the right field for you. Then we give you’re the tools to conduct a self-assessment to see how you stack up to the requirements of the field. After the self-assessment, we transition to your human network, the job search itself, and then guide you through the transition into your cybersecurity career. Gary has been writing articles and mentoring would-be cyber-warriors for several years. He has selflessly shared every aspect of his journey, from the head-shaking behavior of clueless recruiters to the vulnerabilities of not feeling qualified for the job that would help him provide for his family when he left the military after a long and secure career. Chris and Renee have been hosting a weekly podcast called Breaking into Cybersecurity since September of 2019, having met just before then online, engaging with the community. The three authors met online, using the same networking techniques they recommend throughout this book.
There is no better way to blend these varied perspectives than to use the tri-perspective storytelling technique that Gary helped pioneer along with Bill Bonney and Matt Stamper, the three amigos that authored the CISO Desk Reference Guide and now publish the CISO DRG catalog of titles. Gary, Christophe, and Renee care deeply about their chosen career field and our collective mission. In addition to shepherding their own careers, each has been involved in hiring, developing, and mentoring cyber-pros and would-be cyber-pros for years. In Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path , they each share their perspective about the career, the community, and the commitment and how you can develop your cybersecurity career and land your first cybersecurity job.
There is no better way to blend these varied perspectives than to use the tri-perspective storytelling technique that Gary helped pioneer along with Bill Bonney and Matt Stamper, the three amigos that authored the CISO Desk Reference Guide and now publish the CISO DRG catalog of titles. Gary, Christophe, and Renee care deeply about their chosen career field and our collective mission. In addition to shepherding their own careers, each has been involved in hiring, developing, and mentoring cyber-pros and would-be cyber-pros for years. In Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path , they each share their perspective about the career, the community, and the commitment and how you can develop your cybersecurity career and land your first cybersecurity job.
278 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 1, 2021
One does not have to drive very long down a highway to see billboards with programs encouraging people to sign-up to get trained in a career in the lucrative field of information security. Articles such as The 10 fastest-growing jobs of the next decade, Wanted: Millions of cybersecurity pros. Salary: Whatever you want, and other similar pieces have created a feeding frenzy in the information security space.
While those articles are often more histrionic than accurate, the reality remains that there are indeed many information security jobs open. As I wrote in The fallacy of the information security skill shortage, a large part of the so-called information security skills shortage has more to do with firms that refuse to pay market rates for information security professionals.
But for those who have an interest in information security, how exactly can they enter the field? In Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path: How to Break into Cybersecurity at Any Level, authors and security veterans Gary Hayslip, Christophe Foulon, and Renee Small have written a practical, and more importantly, honest guide on how to enter the field.
One of the mistakes people make is thinking cybersecurity is a monolithic field. But within cybersecurity, there are many different domains are areas. This is best exemplified by Henry Jiang (CISO at Diligent Corporation) in his map of the cybersecurity domain. A quick glance at his map shows scores of different areas, which exemplified how diverse information security is.
Many times, books with multiple authors suffer from consistency and readability due to different styles and approaches. But this book benefits from multiple authors as there are numerous ways to get into security, and each author brings their unique story and strategy.
Many people are tempted to go into security for the money, but the book cautions that they will not succeed without a passion for the topic. While security is portrayed in the media as often being James Bond-like, the authors detail the dark side of information security, which a person should consider before going down the path.
I would have liked to see in the book an emphasis on those considering a security career to get their hands on Kali Linux. Kali is an open-source Linux distro make for security, forensics, and penetration testing. It has over 600 information security tools. Kali is an excellent way for someone to get their hands wet with security tools and see if they are interested in it.
This is an inexpensive way to play with security, as you can run Kali on a $300 desktop. But 20 years ago, the tools on Kali alone would have easily cost over $250,000. A lot has changed in the last few decades.
There are countless articles about getting into the security field, many of them vendor-sponsored. But there’s a death of sage advice on how to do it right. For anyone considering entering the information security career path, Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path is an excellent book to help them on their journey.
While those articles are often more histrionic than accurate, the reality remains that there are indeed many information security jobs open. As I wrote in The fallacy of the information security skill shortage, a large part of the so-called information security skills shortage has more to do with firms that refuse to pay market rates for information security professionals.
But for those who have an interest in information security, how exactly can they enter the field? In Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path: How to Break into Cybersecurity at Any Level, authors and security veterans Gary Hayslip, Christophe Foulon, and Renee Small have written a practical, and more importantly, honest guide on how to enter the field.
One of the mistakes people make is thinking cybersecurity is a monolithic field. But within cybersecurity, there are many different domains are areas. This is best exemplified by Henry Jiang (CISO at Diligent Corporation) in his map of the cybersecurity domain. A quick glance at his map shows scores of different areas, which exemplified how diverse information security is.
Many times, books with multiple authors suffer from consistency and readability due to different styles and approaches. But this book benefits from multiple authors as there are numerous ways to get into security, and each author brings their unique story and strategy.
Many people are tempted to go into security for the money, but the book cautions that they will not succeed without a passion for the topic. While security is portrayed in the media as often being James Bond-like, the authors detail the dark side of information security, which a person should consider before going down the path.
I would have liked to see in the book an emphasis on those considering a security career to get their hands on Kali Linux. Kali is an open-source Linux distro make for security, forensics, and penetration testing. It has over 600 information security tools. Kali is an excellent way for someone to get their hands wet with security tools and see if they are interested in it.
This is an inexpensive way to play with security, as you can run Kali on a $300 desktop. But 20 years ago, the tools on Kali alone would have easily cost over $250,000. A lot has changed in the last few decades.
There are countless articles about getting into the security field, many of them vendor-sponsored. But there’s a death of sage advice on how to do it right. For anyone considering entering the information security career path, Develop Your Cybersecurity Career Path is an excellent book to help them on their journey.
November 20, 2021
Great information and insight here for people looking to start in security or to help others get going. Gary, Christopher, and Renee all offer different perspectives and ways of looking at the field. In addition to their insights, there are links and footnotes in each chapter for additional resource and guides to help you on your career journey.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews