Services Veterans: Making the Transition

It is widely spoken that there is, or is going to be, a skill shortage within the global CyberSecurity marketplace in the coming years. With CyberSecurity technologies ever-evolving, the need to embrace diverse work experiences and backgrounds is going to become even more pivotal in lessening the impact. A community that has shown great interest and relevance over the past few years has been the veterans community from the Armed forces and Police departments. Understandably, there are differences in routine, structure and knowledge that can sometimes create barriers for veterans in making the move into the commercial cyber world. Here at Recorded Future, we have a fantastic Global veterans community that has helped us achieve our current status as a Market Leader within Security Intelligence and recent achievement of surpassing $100M in ARR.

To help candidates looking to make the move from the forces into the CyberSecurity marketplace, I took the opportunity to discuss with two of the Veterans Employee Resource Group here at Recorded Future about how they found the transition and any advice they have for others looking to follow a similar path. Liam Dunne, Business Development Representative, and Tom Saul, Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst, share their thoughts below:

What arm of the service were you a part of, and what prompted your interest in Threat Intelligence?

Liam Dunne: I served with 2 PWRR in the Army as a section commander, leaving in 2019 after 6.5 years service. I genuinely didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, I just knew I wanted to try something different and that I would be okay. My friend mentioned that I should take a look at the cybersecurity industry as it’s booming so I did some digging and came across the all too familiar ‘cyber skills gap’ and how veterans can help to bridge it. My interest in computers and technology, coupled with my background in reconnaissance (intelligence), Threat Intelligence seemed the perfect fit. I was already very familiar with the intelligence lifecycle, just in a different environment. I discovered a pathway into Threat Intelligence so I built a rough strategy and hit it head-on.

Tom Saul: I left the Army in June 2019 after having spent just over six years as a network engineer. When I initially decided I wanted to leave the military, I was looking for IT-focused roles; it made sense as this was where my experience and knowledge was. However, after attending a commercial insight day (which was one of many!), one of the speakers spoke about the “cyber skills gap” and how veterans with relevant experience could be part of the solution. As I spoke to more and more people, I quickly realised that my knowledge of networking and IT more generally could definitely be applied to cyber security. From that point on, I quickly realised that a career in cyber security was what I wanted to pursue. After speaking to people in a variety of different cyber roles, I decided that working with organisations to help proactively identify and mitigate against threats posed to them was what I wanted to do, and threat intelligence seemed like the best place to do that!

What were the barriers to entry that you found when you started to explore your career in Threat Intelligence, and how did you overcome them?

Tom Saul: One obvious barrier to entry that I faced was a lack of commercial experience, something which will apply to the majority of service leavers. This is a fact of life when it comes to resettlement, and a lot of service leavers will be rejected for roles due to this. However, one of the ways I overcame this was by leveraging and highlighting the skills I'd learnt in the military. The military affords us the opportunity to gain world class leadership and management training, prove ourselves as quick learners and be comfortable in situations that are often inherently uncomfortable. All of these skills that are highly sought after in the commercial world so please emphasise them when applying for roles.

Liam Dunne: The bottom line is that I had zero technical experience, knowledge or had never stepped foot in a commercial office before. From my initial research, I discovered that the average person in cyber either had a degree or industry certifications which required years of experience. Although this was slightly worrying, after plenty of networking and discovery of my transferable skills; I was confident that I could land a role successfully. During resettlement, I studied for hours most evenings and tried to build my foundational knowledge - this was key. The military gives you experience, knowledge, attitude and values that no money or other organisation can afford - learn how to leverage these and you’ll be fine. Back yourself, communicate your experience effectively, put the time in and you’ll smash it.

Were there any good courses or training that you feel benefited your transition or that others could benefit from?

Liam Dunne: My training started with me googling “what is cybersecurity”. After I understood the basics, I started to network with other veterans who were also in resettlement or had already landed a role. I came across Crucial Academy and TechVets soon after, these were both instrumental in me entering the industry. I soon discovered what path I wanted to take and the milestones I had to reach to achieve it. I would definitely recommend studying CompTIA’s A+, Network+, Security+ and if you can, attend Crucial Academy’s courses which don’t cost a penny for veterans. Get the basics nailed down and progress from there.

Tom Saul: There are lots of good courses, training providers and networking communities out there that will offer you a plethora of different opportunities, so make sure you take advantage of it! There are too many to name, but if I had to highlight the courses, training providers and networking communities that I found most useful (and this is only my opinion), it would be the following:

• Crucial Academy - They provide courses in red and blue teaming, threat intelligence and data protection that are free to to service leavers. They also offer the chance to undertake industry-recognised certifications in the aforementioned areas.
• TechVets - A community of service leavers and veterans that have successfully transitioned into the cyber security sector. TechVets provides a platform for members to discuss resettlement related topics, attend regular networking sessions or unique insight events (such as the one Recorded Future are running in conjunction with Tech Vets this month!) and the opportunity to access free online cyber security training

What has been the biggest challenge for you in the transition into the commercial sector from the forces?

Liam Dunne: I found adjusting to civilian life really tough. In the military, you live in such a structured way; everything revolves around teamwork, strong values and an overall mission. I haven’t found it to be the same in civilian street. This can easily affect your mental health so my best advice would be to seek professional help if you’re struggling and stick to your core values because good values always win.

Tom Saul: For me, it’s been adjusting to just how different the commercial sector is from the military. That manifests in many different ways; whether it's how you interact with your colleagues on a daily basis or the freedom you’re given to achieve an objective. It’s not that the differences are necessarily bad, often they are good, but there was definitely a period of adjustment for both me and other veterans that I’ve spoken to. Luckily at Recorded Future, we have a great veterans network across the company, and this is something that I’ve enjoyed actively participating in.

If you could offer one piece of advice for anyone looking to follow a similar path into the commercial Threat Intelligence landscape, what would it be?

Tom Saul: Understand that no potential employer owes you anything because you were in the military. This is not to say that your service shouldn’t be respected and that you shouldn’t highlight the skills you’ve developed during that time, but it doesn’t mean you’re automatically the best/right candidate. Instead, understand what potential employers want in a cyber security professional. This could be technical ability, understanding of the strategic and geo-political implications of cyber incidents, the ability to write a succinct and informative report, or someone who can actively engage with a client to understand their requirements. Once you start to understand these things and tailor your resettlement plan to meet them, opportunities will follow.

Liam Dunne: Put the work in. Nobody owes you anything, only you will secure yourself a job so hold yourself accountable and get it done. Coming from an Infantry background, the Cyber industry is very far from the proven route but it was worth the hard work. This industry is the best place to be, prepare yourself effectively, join a growing company and it will all be worth it.