Top Ten things college students should be doing NOW to prep for a Cyber career

?1. If you're reading this, you're probably already on LinkedIn! Connect with everyone around you like you’re on a social media spree! Having a diverse network provide you with people to ask questions and you never know where your classmates will wind up when they spread their wings. Make sure you’re putting your best foot forward have a professional looking profile picture and show off all your shiny achievements. (Do NOT skip this step.)

2. Attend as many in-person events and tech meetups. Meet new people and connect with them on LinkedIn (See Item #1). At first you will probably know no one there and understand nothing. Keep attending, meet more people, ask them what they do - how they learned to do it, whether they enjoy it. Some good organizations to search are local chapters of ISACA, ISSA, and many others.

3. Snag a mentor! Use steps 1 & 2 to guide you here. Hit up the folks you’ve met— you'll be amazed at how eager people are to help you out when you ask!?Choose a mentor you feel comfortable asking all your "dumb questions." Contrary to popular opinion - there ARE dumb questions. Figure stuff out privately with your mentor so you look informed when it matters.

4. Work, work, work. Get some relevant experience as soon as possible. Does your school offer co-op jobs, internships, etc - take advantage of them. When it comes time to interview for a job. No one will ask you how you did in College Algebra. Internships will give you some interesting experience to talk about on interviews, and are crucial to find out if you actually enjoy IT!

5. Skip certifications like CISSP or CISM until you can ace the exam without breaking a sweat. Review classes? Let’s just say they should be banned. Avoid shelling out for certificates or tests—what truly counts is hands-on experience. Once you land the job, let your employer foot the bill for training and certifications!?

6. For the love of all things, upgrade to a professional email address—no more ‘coolguy123’ or ‘partyanimal567’! Save that email address you created in 4th grade for when the cashier asks if you want to sign up for the rewards program.?Also - what is the deal with everyone putting their birth year in their email address?? Cyber people should be paranoid - start practicing now and keep details like your birth year as private as possible.

7. Along the same lines as #6, get your tech in order! If you're lucky enough to have a meeting with someone, don't be the guy that can't get off mute or can't turn off their "cat filter." Pay attention to your background - No unmade beds or laundry baskets behind you! And don't wait to install Zoom minutes before the meeting starts!

8. Learn to dress professionally and save your sweatpants for Netflix marathons at home. Unless you're aiming for 'Most Stylish Couch Potato,' ditch the loungewear and embrace the work attire. When you look your best, you feel your best!?

9. Make sure you actually enjoy what you’re doing and stay true to yourself. In IT, you’ve got introverts and extroverts. Extroverts may zoom up the promotion ladder, but pretending to be someone you’re not will only lead to painfully long days. So, embrace your inner geek or social butterfly!

10..... What do you think #10 is????

We’d love to hear any other juicy tips you’ve got! What insights do you think we missed that could help those entering the cybersecurity field? Share your wisdom in the comments with everyone eager to dive in.