Don’t Get Caught Off Guard: The Value of a continuity plan for your Cybersecurity Career

May you live in interesting times” goes the old saying/curse implying that the person being addressed should live in times of great chaos and upheaval.

I think 2022–2023 certain qualifies for those times especially if you are in the tech sector !

We have seen many disruptive events happening just in matter of months such as ChatGPT coming in over and shaking up everything .. layoffs across the industry !

Anyone thinking that things are going to go back to the way they were is in for a rude shock in the future

A lot of jobs that have been lost are simply not coming back due to the rapid (and terrifying !) rate at which AI is evolving

In such times, it really pays to have a continuity plan in place for your career.

Risk and cybersecurity professionals already know what a business continuity plan is and why it is needed to resume operations after a disruptive event .. but what about a disruption to your career ?

In this article I go over why you need a career continuity plan for your cybersecurity job and a few tips for how to create a practical one.

You ideally should never have to use this but believe me when I say it will pay off if you do !

NOTE: I did not go over the obvious things like maintaining an emergency fund and updating your CV (duh!) which everyone should already know. I have also focused on cybersecurity here but honestly this can be applied to any profession !

Why do you need a Career continuity plan

Here are a few key reasons why you need a continuity plan:

1 — The world is changing

The global economy is going though a bit of an earthquake and the job industry is no different

Cybersecurity jobs are still in demand but you have highly skilled professionals flooding the market due to layoffs PLUS the risk of AI taking up some of these jobs

You NEED to have a plan in place that lets you adapt to these changes by keeping your skills and expertise current

Assess the risks which are happening in your industry and respond accordingly by having a well defined plan in place

2 — Posting on LinkedIn might not be enough

Losing a job is one of the most painful and traumatic things that can happen to you

It directly impacts your financial and mental well being which is why having a plan already in place can be comforting

You KNOW that you planned for this eventuality and know the steps you have to take to get back up and running

For many people, the immediate response after being laid off is to post on LinkedIn and update their profiles which is all good but the problem is there will be thousands of other people doing the same thing !!

Go the extra step and dont be like the rest. Create a continuity plan for your career today !

3 — You can turn this into a long term career plan

In addition to telling you what you have to do in case of getting laid off, a career plan has the added benefit of highlighting any potential gaps in your skillset.

Once you start creating one .. you might realize that no-one much knows you outside your 9–5 job .. or your certifications are completely behind the industry.

By being proactive, you can see what are the steps you need to take for future advancement and potential career changes.

This will help you stay on top of new trends and technologies and be in a perfect position to take advantage of new opportunities.

HOW to create a career continuity plan

1 — Do a GAP assessment

Do these steps:

1. Go on Linkedin and search for jobs pertaining to your industry
2. Find the highest paying jobs in your category
3. GAP the job requirements against your skillset .. what do you have and what are you missing
4. What can you do to get these skills ?

This honest assessment you with a clear picture of where you stand and what you need to do to reach there. Instead of jumping on the hottest new certification or hottest new tech trend . . I have found LinkedIn gives much a better way of finding out what skills are in demand the most.

2 — Set timelines for your goals

No amount of planning will help if you do not hold yourself accountable

Set down 60 day, 90 day and six month goals following the SMART methodology i.e. specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound

Use any tool for creating this plan .. Google docs, Notion etc. but it should be accessible to you anywhere

3 — Build a Strong Professional Network

Ask yourself one honest question .. how many people in your LinkedIn network will you be able to reach out to in case of losing your job ?

Do you regularly attend security conferences, forums, workshops to further your network or is it limited to the occasional LinkedIn post ?

Find out which people in your network are key influences in your industry and reach out them to cultivate professional relationships.

They worst thing that can happen is they will ignore you !

Or it can turn out to be a great contact who can mentor you and help you find a job when you need it the most

4 — Create your own personal brand

Creating your own brand is something I have written about a gazillion times

Simply put, do not let you 9–5 job define you only and create your own personal brand based on your expertise in the industry

Numerous platforms like Udemy, Youtube, Medium, Linkedin are present so there is really no excuse in 2023 NOT to build a brand by yourself

This will attract recruiters and give you a lifeline if you primary source of income goes away

Check out some of the stuff I have written on this

5 — Regularly Review and Revise Your Plan

If you have ever reviewed or audited a business continuity plan then you know the saying that “an untested plan is not a plan at all”.

Regularly review your plan after every 6 months .. review the contacts and your skillsets as the cybersecurity landscape changes.

Treat it like a living document and give it the importance it deserves