There is a significant gender gap among the qualified cyber security professionals. According to the ISC2 Women in Cybersecurity survey, women working in cybersecurity currently account for about one quarter (24%) of the overall workforce. This is quite opposite to the cyber security leadership roles, where women are in higher percentages.
This brings up a question: In today's world where technical professions are no more dominated by men, why do women still face hesitation when it comes to applying for technical roles in the cyber security industry? This might be because sometimes our perceptions of ourselves and our skill sets hold us back. You are female, single, married, a mother, an adventurer—who cares? These factors must not hold you back from grabbing amazing opportunities and being able to follow your passion.
Mentoring
A role model or a mentor can be essential for professional development and growth. The lack of females in this industry limits the opportunities for women who prefer to have a female mentor. According to the SANS Cybersecurity survey, only 7% of women in cybersecurity have been mentored by another woman. 37% have been mentored by both men and women, while 31% have been mentored by men alone, leaving 25% who haven't been mentored. The results show that mentorship is gender-neutral, as it should be. There have been mixed responses in terms of how mentoring by a specific gender has impacted women.
Speaking from my experience in this domain so far, I've been fortunate enough to network with some amazing people. During my internship, I was the only female in the team and was mentored by a man. He is one of the reasons I felt more encouraged to move forward in this domain.
I personally feel that the information security community is very helpful and brings up lots of initiatives to encourage more women in cyber security.
A few of my role models in this industry include: Parisa Tabriz, Vandana Verma and Chloé Messdaghi.
Be your own advocate!
The strongest women in cybersecurity got where they are by self-promotion and networking. Identifying a path for your career aspirations and sticking to it will help to get there faster. Do as much research as you can so you can be sure you start as early as possible to gain the footing you need to excel in cybersecurity. Continue to seek growth and go after new opportunities. By putting yourself out there and not doubting yourself, you will get your desired job.
This domain requires to be self motivated and to upgrade your skills everyday to remain at par. You need to put in the work, get the training, maintain the certifications and sharpen your knowledge. It is also important to understand that you need drive or purpose to remain in this field.
I would recommend to build your LinkedIn profile & network with people working in cyber security domain. There are a lot of initiatives nowadays that emphasize on Women in InfoSec. Attend webinars, join groups and communities (such as InfosecGirls). It would be helpful to find a role model for inspiration and a mentor to guide you.
A few resources and websites I'd suggest are:
https://www.udemy.com/course/practical-ethical-hacking/
https://www.youtube.com/user/officialrahultyagi
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ArlFuFYMpEewyRBzdLHiw
https://www.amazon.in/Web-Application-Hackers-Handbook-Exploiting/
https://www.mosse-institute.com/
It is equally important to stay up to date with cyber security news. Here are a few websites to refer:
https://thehackernews.com/
https://gbhackers.com/
Paying it forward
Given the challenges that cyber space is facing in terms of security, it is up to us to secure it.
It is essential to take the initiative to mentor and guide those entering the field and share what you’ve learned through your experience. This will help grow the role of women in cybersecurity.
As mentioned in the SANS survey report, "The worst thing women in cybersecurity can do is to settle for mediocrity. It’s a great time to be a woman in cybersecurity. The doors are opening, and more women should be walking in."
References:
https://lp.threatq.com/rs/619-ADG-031/images/Survey_Women-Cybersecurity-2020_ThreatQuotient.pdf
https://www.isc2.org/-/media/ISC2/Research/ISC2-Women-in-Cybersecurity-Report.ashx
This brings up a question: In today's world where technical professions are no more dominated by men, why do women still face hesitation when it comes to applying for technical roles in the cyber security industry? This might be because sometimes our perceptions of ourselves and our skill sets hold us back. You are female, single, married, a mother, an adventurer—who cares? These factors must not hold you back from grabbing amazing opportunities and being able to follow your passion.
Mentoring
A role model or a mentor can be essential for professional development and growth. The lack of females in this industry limits the opportunities for women who prefer to have a female mentor. According to the SANS Cybersecurity survey, only 7% of women in cybersecurity have been mentored by another woman. 37% have been mentored by both men and women, while 31% have been mentored by men alone, leaving 25% who haven't been mentored. The results show that mentorship is gender-neutral, as it should be. There have been mixed responses in terms of how mentoring by a specific gender has impacted women.
Speaking from my experience in this domain so far, I've been fortunate enough to network with some amazing people. During my internship, I was the only female in the team and was mentored by a man. He is one of the reasons I felt more encouraged to move forward in this domain.
I personally feel that the information security community is very helpful and brings up lots of initiatives to encourage more women in cyber security.
A few of my role models in this industry include: Parisa Tabriz, Vandana Verma and Chloé Messdaghi.
Be your own advocate!
The strongest women in cybersecurity got where they are by self-promotion and networking. Identifying a path for your career aspirations and sticking to it will help to get there faster. Do as much research as you can so you can be sure you start as early as possible to gain the footing you need to excel in cybersecurity. Continue to seek growth and go after new opportunities. By putting yourself out there and not doubting yourself, you will get your desired job.
The answer is always “no” if you don’t ask or try.Where to start?
This domain requires to be self motivated and to upgrade your skills everyday to remain at par. You need to put in the work, get the training, maintain the certifications and sharpen your knowledge. It is also important to understand that you need drive or purpose to remain in this field.
I would recommend to build your LinkedIn profile & network with people working in cyber security domain. There are a lot of initiatives nowadays that emphasize on Women in InfoSec. Attend webinars, join groups and communities (such as InfosecGirls). It would be helpful to find a role model for inspiration and a mentor to guide you.
A few resources and websites I'd suggest are:
https://www.udemy.com/course/practical-ethical-hacking/
https://www.youtube.com/user/officialrahultyagi
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ArlFuFYMpEewyRBzdLHiw
https://www.amazon.in/Web-Application-Hackers-Handbook-Exploiting/
https://www.mosse-institute.com/
It is equally important to stay up to date with cyber security news. Here are a few websites to refer:
https://thehackernews.com/
https://gbhackers.com/
Paying it forward
Given the challenges that cyber space is facing in terms of security, it is up to us to secure it.
It is essential to take the initiative to mentor and guide those entering the field and share what you’ve learned through your experience. This will help grow the role of women in cybersecurity.
As mentioned in the SANS survey report, "The worst thing women in cybersecurity can do is to settle for mediocrity. It’s a great time to be a woman in cybersecurity. The doors are opening, and more women should be walking in."
References:
https://lp.threatq.com/rs/619-ADG-031/images/Survey_Women-Cybersecurity-2020_ThreatQuotient.pdf
https://www.isc2.org/-/media/ISC2/Research/ISC2-Women-in-Cybersecurity-Report.ashx