As you build your career in cybersecurity, you might feel overwhelmed by how much you can learn and all the things you could do. The more opportunities come your way, the stronger the temptation to experience as many of them. Inevitably, you’ll have to do your best to make choices that benefit you in the long run. In this talk, I’ll walk you through 5 of the most important decisions you’ll come face to face with as you grow into an infosec pro. I gave this presentation at the awesome Ladies in Cybersecurity: https://ladies.def.camp/

1. ANDRA ZAHARIA
5 Key Decisions
That Shape Your
Infosec Career
Freelance Senior Content Marketer

2. In digital marketing for the past 10
years
Working with infosec & privacy
companies for the past 5 years
Non-technical geek
Written over 500k words of
educational infosec content (articles,
emails, tips, case studies, social media
posts, etc.)
DefCamp volunteer since 2017
Helicopter cat mom
Hey! Hi!
This is finally happening!

3. Cybersecurity career paths you can
build towards:
Security Software Developer
Security Architect
Security Consultant
Information Security Analyst
Ethical Hacker
Computer Forensics Analyst
Chief Information Security Officer
Penetration Tester
IT Security Consultant
Security Systems Administrator

4. People worked in
infosec in the US (2018)
3.5 mil.
715k
313k
Cybersecurity job
openings by 2021
Infosec jobs available in
the US (2018)
https://www.cyberseek.org/

5. TOP CYBERSECURITY JOB TITLES
Cyber Security Engineer
Cyber Security Analyst
Network Engineer / Architect
Cyber Security Manager / Administrator
Systems Engineer
Software Developer / Engineer
Systems Administrator
Vulnerability Analyst / Penetration Tester
Cyber Security Consultant https://www.cyberseek.org/

6. 1. DECIDE TO
BUILD AND FOLLOW
YOUR PROCESS
LET'S GET PRACTICAL

7. Decide to
build and
follow your
process
GET EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
LEARN TO CODE
UNDERSTAND THE FIELD
FIND KEY PEOPLE TO LEARN FROM
BUILD YOUR SETUP

8. WORDS TO PONDER
“Nothing is as empowering
as real-world validation,
even if it's for failure.”
STEVEN PRESSFIELD

9. Decide to
build and
follow your
process
LEARN FROM MENTORS & PEERS
DEVELOP A FEEDBACK LOOP
LEARN HOW TO UNPACK IT & USE IT
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
BUILD A PRESENCE IN THE FIELD

10. There are
some awesome
communities
out there:
BUILD A WEBSITE
JOIN PEERLYST.COM
USE TWITTER

11. 2. DECIDE TO
PLAY AN INFINITE GAME
HERE'S WHAT I MEAN BY THAT

12. WORDS TO PONDER
“A finite game is played for
the purpose of winning, an
infinite game for the purpose
of continuing the play.”
JAMES P. CARSE

13. Decide to
play an
infinite game
PREPARE TO DEAL WITH SURPRISES
DEVELOP AN APPETITE FOR CHANGE
TAP INTO UNLIMITED GROWTH
STAY ENGAGED AND CHALLENGED
CULTIVATE A GROWTH MINDSET

14. WORDS TO PONDER
“Individuals who believe their
talents can be developed (through
hard work, good strategies, and
input from others) have a growth
mindset.”
CAROL DWECK

15. So much
to learn,
so litte time!
SUBSCRIBE TO
NEWSLETTERS
DefCamp
Daniel Miessler
The CyberWire
Troy Hunt
LISTEN TO PODCASTS
Darknet Diaries
Hacking Humans
Smashing Security
FOLLOW JOURNALISTS
& RESEARCHERS
Lesley Carhart
Zack Whittaker
Eva Galperin
Kevin Beaumont

16. 3. DECIDE TO
MAKE A CONTRIBUTION
I HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS

17. Decide to
make a
contribution
INTERN IN COMPANIES
VOLUNTEER AT EVENTS
GO TO MEETUPS & CONFERENCES
SUBMIT YOUR PAPER
ANSWER QUESTIONS

18. Where you
can contribute
and learn
FORUMS
BleepingComputer
MalwareTips
Wilders Security
COMMUNITIES
Peerlyst
Reddit
Telegram groups
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter
Quora
LinkedIn

19. 4. DECIDE TO
GO PRO
THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART

20. WORDS TO PONDER
“The professional does not
wait for inspiration; he acts
in anticipation of it."
STEVEN PRESSFIELD

21. Decide to
go pro
BE DEPENDABLE
GET FOCUS AND CLARITY
UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS
SHOW UP AND DO YOUR BEST
ARTICULATE YOUR IDEAS & OPINIONS

22. WORDS TO PONDER
“The counterfeit innovator
is wildly self-confident. The
real one is scared to death.”
STEVEN PRESSFIELD

23. Decide to
go pro
CULTIVATE LONG-LASTING CURIOSITY
DECIDE WHAT ENOUGH MEANS TO YOU
DEFINE YOUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
BUILD STRATEGIC VISION & FORESIGHT
KNOW YOU'RE ALWAYS BECOMING

24. WORDS TO PONDER
“What we get when we turn pro is,
we find our power. We find our will
and our voice and we find our self-
respect. We become who we always
were but had, until then, been afraid
to embrace and to live out.”
STEVEN PRESSFIELD

25. 5. DECIDE TO
WORK ON SOMETHING
MEANINGFUL &
REWARDING
IT'S UP TO YOU

26. Decide to
work on
something
meaningful &
rewarding
BOOST YOUR SELF-AWARENESS
SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE
SOLVE INTRICATE PUZZLES
WORK WITH ADVANCED TEAMS & TECH
DERIVE VALUE & PERSONAL REWARDS

27. CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES
There are some great tidbits in here:
How to Build a Successful Career in Information Security /
Cybersecurity -https://danielmiessler.com/blog/build-successful-
infosec-career/
What Having a “Growth Mindset” Actually Means -
https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-
means
What it’s like to work in cybersecurity (part I) -
https://def.camp/work-in-cybersecurity/
100 Questions for Better Decisions - https://andrazaharia.com/100-
questions-for-better-decisions/
Tips on how to live with imposter syndrome -
https://andrazaharia.com/imposter-syndrome/

28. InfoSec
Career
Hacking:
Sell Your
Skillz, Not
Your Soul
Thanks for
the
Feedback
Finite and
Infinite
Games
Ego Is the
Enemy
Turning Pro
Aaron W. Bayles
Chris Hurley
Douglas Stone
Sheila Heen
James P. Carse Ryan Holiday Steven Pressfield

29. AndraZaharia.com
AndraZaharia.com/newsletter
AndraZaharia.com/the-podcast
You get the point.
@andrazaharia on Twitter & Medium
Find this presentation on:
slideshare.net/AndraZaharia
Thanks! Bye!
See you soon!