How I Broke Into Cybersecurity

Welcome to Dee’s Corner. I want to share how I broke into cybersecurity. I’ll be flat out honest: it wasn’t a piece of cake for me. I had offers rescinded, but I kept showing up because I knew where my passion was and the direction I wanted to grow in.

My background spans operations, networking, and cybersecurity. I earned my bachelor’s in cybersecurity in March 2026, have certifications, and had security experience through internships. Now I’m working full time in cybersecurity.

I sent out more than a thousand applications, and along the way I learned what helped me land this job. First, your résumé gets you in the door. My experience, education, certifications, and labs helped show what I could bring. I tried to tailor my résumé to each job description and use relevant keywords without embellishing anything. I also set up job alerts. When a position I’d applied for before came up again, I applied within ten minutes.

The next part was up to me: preparing for the interview. I studied the job description and made sure I could speak to everything on my résumé. Interviewers kept asking me to walk them through my labs. The first time, I wasn’t ready to explain every step, so I learned to know my work front to back. If interviewing isn’t your strong suit, mock interviews can help you practice.

I had offers rescinded, but I kept showing up because I knew where my passion was.

And the last thing? I was myself. I was personable, and I thanked them after the interview. I feel like that was the icing on the cake.

I also joined cybersecurity groups, went to events, networked with people further along than me, and volunteered when I could. Staying visible helped me keep learning and putting myself out there.

For me, it came down to this: your résumé gets you in the door, your preparation helps you speak to your experience, and being yourself helps people get to know you.

Dee