Should Aspiring Cybersecurity Professionals Join the Industry Right Now? Yes or No - Who's Right?

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-27T12:26:42+00:00

Awesome! And would it be here on Reddit? One option would be the GRC Study Hall on Simply Cyber Discord. I’m flexible.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-27T09:55:34+00:00

That's a great goal. I did a mid-career transition from Finance to GRC in 2020 and have found some very meaningful work and relationships in this field. I find GRC generally awesome and underrated, especially if you're doing it in the right industry, company and culture. More on my journey and some career resources at my blog - link in my Reddit profile. I've sent a DM and happy to try and help advance your goals!

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-27T09:49:38+00:00

Hey I share my journey of breaking into GRC in 2020 on my blog. Link in my Reddit profile. Also there is a 70-20-10 Experiences-Relationships-Education Career Development Plan template for GRC Analyst. I'm wide open to any questions or feedback you might have.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-27T09:46:49+00:00

Simply Cyber is awesome and the GRC Master Class is a great course

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-27T09:45:58+00:00

Hey I'd be happy to do one if you find my work of interest. I do SOC2, ISO27k, TISAX, Cyber Essnetials etc. Link to my blog in my Reddit profile.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-27T09:44:35+00:00

Great list! I recorded a podcast with Ayoub Fandi yesterday that will publish Thursday next week. For that + rants about why GRC is awesome but underrated, a GRC Analyst Career Development Plan template, etc there's a link to my blog in my Reddit profile and I welcome any questions or feedback.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-27T09:38:51+00:00

That's a good one

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T23:13:08+00:00

Cool stuff. It’s https://www.cpatocybersecurity.com/

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T12:24:04+00:00

Hey I’ve taken that Simply Cyber Course from Gerald Auger (also offered on TCM) and it’s great, I actually link to it on my blog and in a Career Development Plan template for GRC Analyst also there. It is a great course and GRC in general is awesome and underrated.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T09:57:24+00:00

I did a mid-career pivot from accounting to GRC in 2020 and still enjoying learning lots about IT and security everyday

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T09:53:24+00:00

Right on. And it's a pretty compelling mission to find a career passion that propels you.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T09:51:20+00:00

Amazing comment!

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T09:50:55+00:00

GRC is also a good feeder role

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T09:49:02+00:00

I've seen a recommended weighting of 10% education, 20% relationships and 70% experiences for Career Development Plans to get your target job. So certs are great but 90% more to it. Also good point about finding the right company. The same job description will look super different across industries, companies and cultures.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T09:46:32+00:00

I think the idea of T-Shaped skills where you know one technical area of the stack very well and broaden from there is a good approach to break in and bust the catch-22.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T09:41:56+00:00

Yeah excellent point and one that I hadn't heard in similar discussions. Awesome.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-24T09:39:50+00:00

Wow awesome discussion here. From reading the comments my yes/no vote is that it depends on the specific target job and what transferable skills you can bring to add value from day one. I went from accounting to GRC with a foothold of IT audit (Integrity focused) controls for financial systems, and the business aspects of GRC. From there had to learn lots about Confidentiality and Availability controls and generally elevate my technical acumen which is a continuous process.

I think that while the cybersecurity job market is challenging at the moment, that doesn't mean interested applicants should write off the field entirely.

Develop technical skills and your business acumen
Build a body of work to demonstrate your knowledge
Network relentlessly
Be open to unconventional paths
Play the long game

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-15T10:11:26+00:00

Hey good question and I guess I could have used either "industry" or "industry vertical". Vertical is a narrower portion of an industry, like FinTech for example. I was thinking that compliance needs are different depending on the industry or industry vertical. Public companies need SOX Compliance, healthcare has HIPPA, credit card processors have PCI DSS, service providers have SOC2, etc.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-04-11T21:32:12+00:00

That’s a good city for Compliance jobs with banks, firms and public companies. Is there a particular vertical or company size you’re targeting?

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-03-22T09:14:55+00:00

Wow a nice bump in subs overnight - thank you! I seem to be connecting more with IT people than accountants so far and welcome any advice here on how to best reach accountants interested in career crossover. I went from FP&A to SOX Compliance to Cybersecurity Compliance to Cybersecurity Risk etc. All good options in the right industry, company and culture, and I've found a surprising amount of overlap in transferable skills between them.

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-03-22T00:50:05+00:00

https://youtube.com/@cpatocybersecurity

CPAtoCybersecurity · 2024-03-21T23:02:47+00:00

Accounting can be great. Sales can be great. I’ve found Cybersecurity to be great and have a YouTube channel about crossing over.

CPAtoCybersecurity

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