Today we're talking about cybersecurity careers and in particular:
certifications. So, cybersecurity certifications.
The reason that I wanted to talk about those today, is I often see people
repeating a statement that is true, but I think can lead people to a false conclusion.
And that statement is: "You don't need
cybersecurity certifications to work in cybersecurity."
That is true, I'm not making a video to (erm) counter that point. I do agree with it.
And in particular, certainly with degrees: you do not need a degree to work in cybersecurity.
But I wanted to make this video because I think some people hear that statement and therefore draw
the conclusion that cybersecurity certifications are valueless - and they're really really not.
It just depends on who you are,
the kind of work that you're doing - whether you would gain value from them.
For a lot of people, you will bump into people within your career
who do not have a degree - who do not hold any professional
certifications - and who are doing well! In good positions, doing work that they enjoy.
That's true.
But for you as an individual, there might still be benefits
that you can gain from certifications. So I want to talk about a few of them.
The first is: it is true that some employers do mandate certifications.
And, you could take a path within your career where you simply don't work for those
employers, or you don't work for those roles.
And - that's fine. But for other people, if you have a certain goal of working for
a certain organisation, or if there's a certain role within an organisation
that mandates a certification - it might be worth it to you to get that certification.
For no reason other than, there is a box to tick during the job interview process.
And I think a lot of people within cybersecurity would say:
"That company should make some cultural and policy changes."
That aside, the easiest thing for you in advancing your career,
might be to gain that certification - because it's mandated in that instance. And that is fine.
There are other reasons though, for example, for a lot of people when you're looking to learn
new skills there are people out there who will just do individual learning,
they'll look online, they'll read books, and they'll pick things up as they go along.
But other people might prefer something a little bit more structured.
And if you're looking at picking up a new skill or a new area of knowledge,
following a certification path can be a way of gaining that structure. So it might not be
necessarily that the certification itself is the goal. In fact, that could just be a side effect.
It could be that you're just looking for that structured syllabus - and
certifications give that to you. So that's another reason.
Another reason would be: confidence. (Erm) Whatever the reason for that confidence, be it,
just talking professionally within meetings and things like that, or be it something like
discussing within a job interview a certain area of knowledge of yours.
Some people, if they're just done individual learning, (erm) they might feel that they're
not very confident about the topic or they don't know how much they know - and
a certification can be a great line in the sand, of demonstrating to yourself,
giving you the confidence, to be able to speak [authoritatively] on that topic.
So there's another reason.
And the last one, which actually impacted me quite recently, (erm) And,
is the main reason that I wanted to do this video, is - demonstrating experience outside
of what is otherwise demonstrated by your job title, your CV, and your recent positions.
(erm) For example, I recently passed the AWS Machine Learning Specialty exam;
I've been doing a lot of Machine Learning recently; I've been doing
a lot of research into that area [looking] at (erm) automating the work that we do.
And if you look at my job title: Penetration Tester - that might
not be something that immediately jumps out to you. People might not
expect, or presume, that I have machine learning experience.
So one of the ways that I could demonstrate that, wherever it is required, be it, you know,
to demonstrate it to your employer, to demonstrate it during job interviews, or to investors,
or what have you - to demonstrate that you have that knowledge and experience,
certifications can help there.
So, just a short video today to say: "Are certifications required within cybersecurity?
Absolutely not - but that does not mean that they're valueless."
Be it that there is a certain organisation that you want to work for;
that you want a structured learning path to your own (erm) increasing knowledge; that you want
to gain a confidence boost so that you can feel, you know, strongly within yourself that you know
something well; or be it to demonstrate experience outside of what is demonstrated by your job title,
the company that you work for - certifications can benefit you in a lot of different ways.