I mentor a lot of junior people and something y'all need to be cognizant of in the crummy job market is that SOC analyst jobs have gotten way more competitive. It used to be a pretty direct path into cybersecurity (and it's still way better than SWE) but it's not an in demand job anymore. - ThreadSky

hacks4pancakes.com • 13 days ago

I mentor a lot of junior people and something y'all need to be cognizant of in the crummy job market is that SOC analyst jobs have gotten way more competitive. It used to be a pretty direct path into cybersecurity (and it's still way better than SWE) but it's not an in demand job anymore.

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seemsgood.lol•13 days ago

Currently job hunting and wow it sure is a kick to find out I'm no longer qualified for jobs I used to hold :/

poohstix16.bsky.social•13 days ago

I've tried mentoring a few times, one-shot deals despite me encouraging the individuals to get back in touch in a month. Do I need to work harder, or do they? (Or did I talk them out of cyber?)

thebeehammer.com•13 days ago

I think it will continue to be challenged as more companies look to offload some of these tasks to AI (I am not saying it will be as effective but companies will do what saves money)

hacks4pancakes.com•13 days ago

The problem with AI in cybersecurity is that the adversaries use it just as much, which makes that pretty zero sum

thebeehammer.com•13 days ago

I agree but so many C-Suites are poisoned with AI hype.

wolf.packetwolf.net•13 days ago

While I think AI might be a force multiplier in SOC, it’s definitely not a replacement for sharp-eyed, well-trained human workers.

nekointheshell.com•13 days ago

job market is hard, even for those of us with a decade plus of experience.

reach out to real people and tailor your resume for each job.
also you're going to get rejected a lot. it's not you, don't take it personally.

and best of luck <3

kaur.bsky.social•13 days ago

https://cyberisfull.com

hacks4pancakes.com•13 days ago

Everyone who decided to get in four or five years ago is graduating now and the market is saturated. Candidates that would have been unbelievably perfect then are now struggling because they are in the wrong location or need visa sponsors. I mean ones with certs, masters degrees, and volunteer work.

hacks4pancakes.com•13 days ago

This isn't doom and gloom outside the market suck, I just need young people to know this isn't a golden ticket you can just get a degree and walk into anymore. You are competing with people who network as a default. Have credentials or experience as a default. Clearances. Volunteer. Have home labs.

pyrojo.bsky.social•13 days ago

Expecting outside of work experiences is something I call hiring managers to task on even as I'm having to explain to Junior people how things work now. Not everyone has time to volunteer or the money to set up a home lab. Not everyone gets to open source the cool tool they built for work.

figmic.bsky.social•13 days ago

I've often talked about credentials & experience, but it's a chicken-and-egg thing. Clearances are only available to those with positions at big companies with government contracts that are getting unfunded. Home labs are fairly inaccessible to those with limited means.

figmic.bsky.social•13 days ago

Volunteering or getting into an accelerator program are the best bets, but young people often struggle to navigate that landscape (at least more than pros do). Investing our time helping new entrants get into those pathways may be the most productive way to assist.

hacks4pancakes.com•13 days ago

You can't be lazy and get a red team or blue team role anymore. I'm not being a LinkedIn asshole, and I definitely don't think people should have to have degrees or experience. I'm just telling it like it is. You can't skate into cybersecurity anymore. Don't imply that to your kids or mentees.

n8s3c.bsky.social•13 days ago

Agree, saturated with young (experience-wise) folks and lack of demand has further put out entry to 'Cyber' opportunities. Also, specialized roles are still getting stretched into the 'Jack-of-all' space with more and more being required from both a knowledge/skill standpoint and experience.

hacks4pancakes.com•13 days ago

For us as seniors it makes mentoring and community development that much more vital. We need to be out there helping genuinely engaged newcomers, because it's incredibly scary out there for them right now.

wernherneumann.bsky.social•13 days ago

What do you think of the situation for late-ish career software devs who want to transition to cybersecurity. Bad idea?

hacks4pancakes.com•13 days ago

You had better be aiming for a more senior niche role like appsec or security engineering.

hacks4pancakes.com•13 days ago

I’m sorry, “lazy” was harsh. I’m not using that liberally, it was more parents pushing kids who didn’t want to work into cyber into it because it was a “good job” and letting them do the bare minimum.

hacks4pancakes.com•13 days ago

I yell because of despair, because I’m booked out for mentees and seeing so many very scared job hunters who got promised the moon by skeevy universities and boot camps. Cybersecurity is a great job but you have to be proactive!

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