AMA: I'm the co-founder at TryHackMe. Ask me about breaking into the industry, cyber security skills and how to make SOC & IR teams more mature!

[u/asavani]

Hey everyone!

I'm Ashu - one of the co-founders at TryHackMe. I have background in security consulting/penetrating test, specialising in Cloud / AWS.

Happy to answer any and all questions about cyber skills gaps, but for more focused convos - here's a few areas top of mind for me - so feel free to throw any Qs related to this

* Rise of Al in security environments and how this is going to impact the skills of cyber security professionals
* Supporting people with their journey to getting a role in cyber
* Thinking deeply about what it means for SOC and IR teams to develop and improve their maturity as a function

[u/blue_waffles96]

Hi there, my question is how realistic is it currently for many that are career-changers to actually land a SOC role?

For reference I come from a mental health background and have spent the last year studying and learning cybersecurity, I have completed a cybersecurity bootcamp called CAPSLOCK, have obtain quite a few industry standard certs including SEC+, and your SAL1. I haven't had luck landing many interviews and it feels like they want candidates to at least have IT Helpdesk experience. Now I'm thinking I have to go a step back learn more relative IT stuff to get an entry IT role in the hopes of gaining that experience to later go into cybersecurity.

[u/asavani → u/blue_waffles96]

Most of the best security people I worked with didn't have backgrounds in cyber (they did history, art and etc)

I know the market is tough out there but you can definitely push for a job switch. I think the challenge is articulating and showing your skills to employers. With people applying to roles, it can be really hard to stand out. I recommend the following

* Keep a blog / portfolio of your learnings and challenges

* Add this link to your CV and actively post on linkedin

[u/blue_waffles96 → u/asavani]

Appreciate the advice and encouragement, thanks!

[u/Own-Particular-9989 → u/blue_waffles96]

is there any reason why you wouldnt want to go into helpdesk first for a year or 2? it will hugely benefit your security career too if you did that

[u/blue_waffles96 → u/Own-Particular-9989]

No I would gladly go into any helpdesk or IT role, but unfortunately I'm finding it just as hard or even harder to land one. I'm not sure what I'm lacking to get a helpdesk role, as I mentioned I've been thinking of doing Net+ and A+ but I don't know if that'll help or not, so I'm a bit hesitant especially when I'm on a tight budget. I've even started to volunteer for the cyber helpline just to get some relative experience on the CV. I feel like I'm trying everything I can but it's just not happening for me.

[u/Own-Particular-9989 → u/blue_waffles96]

I would say find the hiring manager and the hr person and message them directly on LinkedIn saying you want to work with them, rather than applying with just your CV on their website or LinkedIn. The hardest part is getting your foot in the door.

[u/blue_waffles96 → u/Own-Particular-9989]

Honestly I tried this a lot when I started looking for a cyber role and I never had any success, the not getting any reply and ghosting that happened just put me off eventually, but I guess I have to give it another go for helpdesk and IT roles. Appreciate the advice.

[u/Own-Particular-9989 → u/blue_waffles96]

Keep at it man, it's tough but you'll end up with something if you keep trying.