Part 2 – Cybersecurity journeys: What even is this job?

This article explores diverse cybersecurity career paths beyond traditional analyst and penetration tester roles, featuring three professionals who built unconventional careers in security.

• Jason Lane planned his career backward from a level 20 goal (vulnerability research), strategically filling skill gaps through targeted roles at credit card companies and Google.
• Jason Goodman bounced through three security disciplines in one year, leveraging customer service skills and mentorship to move from insider threat detection to adversarial detection to application security.
• Harshvardhan Chunawala discovered security flaws in real products as a high schooler and now advises startups on security while working on space mission protection and satellite incident response.
• All three professionals emphasize curiosity, mentorship, and willingness to learn on the job rather than waiting for perfect qualifications.
• Resources like NICE Workforce Framework, CyberSeek, and AWS Skill Builder help explore security roles beyond commonly known positions.

Security careers extend far beyond traditional roles, with opportunities for those willing to build skills through unconventional paths and follow their curiosity into emerging areas.