Like a surprising number of cyber professionals, I learned about the field accidentally. In the last semester of my Master of Public Administration (MPA), I wanted to try something different so I took two cyber electives that were being offered for the first time. I came in knowing nothing about the domain, except a few film references. I quickly became absorbed in this impactful subject, and found myself actively learning a whole new suite of cyber vocabulary and how to bolster my own cyber hygiene. These formed the stepping stones of my continuous upskilling through further training and certifications.

When I first started the cyber job hunt, I rarely saw a post matching more than 20% of my skills. After a lot of rejection, and desperate attempts to cram all existing Computer Science knowledge in my head, I decided to instead position who I am as a strength – and that is a Policy student with strong communication skills, ability to discern actionable information, and an appreciation of international regulations. Looking back, in framing cybersecurity as the foundation of trust that our society needs to build on, I was able to appreciate my policy skills as a differentiator, and communicate my individual value-add to hiring managers. After working a few years in cybersecurity consulting, now I am in an exciting intersectional role in cloud computing that fuses my interests in cybersecurity and public policy.

I am proud of the Inclusive Cyber project which I founded through the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The project empowers underrepresented talent from untapped and atypical backgrounds to transition into cyber careers by maximizing the potential of their transferable skills, and closing the confidence gap. To date, the project has directly reached over 1,000 Montreal community members through platforms convened by local universities, and international organizations such as the WEF and the United Nations.Through our project, individuals have successfully broken into cybersecurity from backgrounds such as health, psychology, accounting and tourism. The project also works with recruiters and cybersecurity instructional designers to lower barriers to entry to these spaces.

Skills and knowledge in this field can be learned or transferred from other disciplines. Having spoken to many cybersecurity professionals from non-IT backgrounds, the shared inherent qualities I observed include a curiosity about how technology works, and a hunger to learn and upskill. On the job, some of the most sustainable qualities include the ability to operate in ambiguity, to communicate complex concepts in common denominators, and to connect seemingly disparate threads.

Firstly, don’t be deterred by not matching the requirements in a cyber job post, and certainly do not wait for a perfect job post match to come around! Secondly, talk to cyber professionals; do not shy away from cold-messaging and emailing. Not only will this help you expand your network, it will also give you more representative insights into the actual jobs inhabited by professionals across the vast cyber landscape. Lastly, do not take your existing skills for granted, instead, appreciate their transferability and value-add to cybersecurity.