Why Getting An Entry-Level Cybersecurity Job is Extremely Hard, and Becoming RDY PLYR 1 Is Not Easy

Hi all,

It's Nathan here again. This time I am going to discuss why getting an entry-level job in Cybersecurity in Vancouver, BC is not easy (extremely hard, as I would say it). I am almost at my 1-year mark at company X (cannot be disclosed -- private company)

• Marketing and interviewing your way there is half the battle. You need to equip yourself with an excellent fight plan and battle plan to be number one, since the jobs are very rare. You need an excellent (pwnage) Linkedin profile that can stand you out as PLAYER ONE.
• Usually, employers are looking for stand outs and the best of the pack (that's why they call it the "best fit" and "best match" when HR comes to recruit. If you think you can do the job, you cannot get the job -- you have to be SUPER Competent and ABLE to.
• You would have to be accredited and not only certified to be elite in this cybersecurity industry.
• You have to gravitate to be a self-learner, self-starter, and self-entrepreneur in the game.
• Joining big companies is not easy. You would have to be like PARZIVAL from READY PLAYER ONE the movie (my nickname from Immersive Labs or have a top ranking in HackTheBox or ESCALATE from Point3 Security). Topping cybersecurity or capture the flag competitions can help.

So, after explaining all these points about getting a cybersecurity job, I am now going to explain how hard it is to land a job in cyber, and what does it mean to be elite. I know the cybersecurity industry is booming in the United States. But, it is not booming in Vancouver, Canada. Here are some of the reasons why:

• There are a lot of weak candidates out there and HR does not want to spend the money hiring people that want to learn, but they want to hire the best.

Getting a job in cybersecurity is not a weak mentality kind of job. You can't act junior and you can't be junior, even for an entry-level job. This is what I have learned after beating and beating on platforms like Immersive Labs, a cybersecurity contestant platform founded by ex-GCHQ members. You have to always act professional and be accustomed to the work harder / try harder mentality. Offensive security students know what it means to try harder.

• Equip yourself with the OSCP, even if you are not a red team person (blue team person). Your certification helps, because it renders you a soldier of cybersec.
• Stay on top of the latest cybersecurity news out there.
• Learn new coding techniques to script better everyday whether that may be in Python, Powershell, Perl, or Ruby.
• Be part of the chosen league (1/10000 ratio, because you need to be that good to get a job) and have the mentality to be the best.
• Help others out and mentor them when you have time; this gives you room to learn and to better yourself.

So, this wraps it up. The reason why I say that you have got to be the best of the pack is that employers are looking for people that are willing to learn and quick to learn while they are on the spot. Elites are only hired, because they beat on their craft everyday, like it's their career, like it's something they do, like it's built into their mentality.

Anyways, I would want to give a big shout out to people at Immersive Labs UK for helping me start this journey and allowing me to land a job at a renown company.

God Bless and all the best,

Nathan a.k.a. PARZIVAL