If you scroll through LinkedIn or read the latest annual reports from (ISC)², you will see the same headline repeated ad nauseam: “The global cybersecurity workforce gap has widened to 3.4 million professionals.”
It sounds like a modern-day gold rush. To the uninitiated, it sounds like hiring managers should be throwing six-figure offers at anyone who can spell “DNS” or configure a firewall. Yet, for thousands of aspiring SOC analysts, junior pentesters, and recent graduates, the reality is starkly different. Their reality is a cold inbox full of automated rejection emails and job postings demanding senior-level experience for entry-level pay.
So, are the numbers lying? Is the industry gaslighting us? Or are we missing the fine print?
As I prepare for my Certified AppSec Practitioner (CAP) and HTB Certified Junior Cybersecurity Associate (CJCA) exams, I have come to a hard realization: The industry doesn’t have a people shortage. It has a skills shortage. And understanding the difference is the only way to break through the firewall of HR gatekeepers.
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The uncomfortable truth is that “Entry Level” in cybersecurity rarely means “Zero Experience.” In most other…