Here is how you get a job in one of the most influential roles for businesses that are launching products. Cybersecurity or cyber security depending on where you live, is about 3 mandatory skill attributes. If you can have these you need to get a job in cybersecurity, and give huge value to the product teams.

Attribute #1 — Technical savviness

You must understand the technology. Love hardware — GREAT. Love mobile — GREAT. Love cloud — GREAT. It DOESN’T matter in the beginning, and you can love many domains of technology. The need here is for you to become SAVVY at it.

For example — you need to be a great abstract thinker on Cloud tech, and should be comfortable with high level thinking. If you like hardware, familiarity with boards and chips will give you tremendous value.

Attribute #2 — Risk balanced

Not everything is a vulnerability that needs to be patched, blocked, or excised. The merits of the risks and situation demand a risk balanced mental model. Learn this now.

I come from an attacker background — meaning in the late 90’s and early 2000s I was paid to break into computer networks, software, banks, and more. As a former software developer and ultimately certified on 100s of vendor products, I was able to see the real world state of attacks. I am not saying you should do anything illegal, but YOU MUST setup a test lab to learn these skills.

Be a practitioner, not a student of books.

Attribute #3 — Creativity

This entails you bringing together the forces required to launch a product — budget, time constraints, market, and technology. Then layering on your “how can this work” mentality and not the archaic doomsday “school of NO” of your predecessors.

This attribute doesn’t require experience. That’s right — how to get a job in cybersecurity without experience is possible. It is centered on these soft skills:

  • empathy
  • communication skills
  • planning
  • courage to ask questions and identify WHYs early in the development cycle
  • partnership in finding solutions

You must be able to be firm when needed, creative constantly, and actively connected to the development teams.

I have hired 100s of great cybersecurity team members

The bottom line, these attributes represent the top three skills that make a great cybersecurity professional. All of these are learnable and you build them over the years. The priority for you — is build all 3 evenly. You must have all three to be effective and productive in launching products.

I have also hired terribly, but it wasn’t the person — they were simply missing one of these three attributes. Embrace your strengths, follow your passions (in technical areas absolutely), and cultivate your soft skills.

We need your skills to launch great products, you make the difference in the consumer experience.

About the author

  • Coach, Mentor, 3x author
  • 24 Year technology executive
  • Helped launch clouds for EMC and Cisco
  • GOOGLE, Microsoft FEDRAMP & ISO 27001 — Oversaw / Part of team deploying / Managed Cloud Compliance

James — executive to deliver products to market; author; inventor; speaker, and technologist with decades of experience across all technology and cybersecurity. (LinkedIN to connect and engage)

James is a leader that has balanced product market success with rapid regulations, cyber, customer demands, and supplier challenges at Honeywell, Google, and Microsoft in the recent past. Successful in building large teams and influence driven initiatives that have saved millions in new revenue and savings for Honeywell. Passionate about the product creation process; the value of intertwining privacy and quality together, and the opportunity present through branding and value.

James leads with the Senior Leadership across the globe and partners for critical priorities at Honeywell to identify new innovation opportunities through strategy and practical implementations within the Azure cloud, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and industrial products.

James has successfully grown from zero to $50MM business and brands as a founder, owner, and within the Fortune 200. A track record built with wins and losses, that are always building on his network across the globe with the best technologists and great peers to bring the best talent and resources to each project.

James began transforming the Honeywell supply chain strategy that have delivered efficiencies (reduction of idea to signature) and pragmatic development of partnerships that have expanded our market offerings across Honeywell.

James’ continues to lead and advise on their cloud strategy, cloud innovation, cost consolidation, cyber security, and compliance across the various businesses within Honeywell.

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