Getting into the information security field in 2024

Ben Rothke
9 min readJan 3, 2024
https://imgflip.com/i/8b447b

How can one get into information security?

From my previous articles Is there really an information security jobs crisis? and The big lie of millions of information security jobs, it’s eminently clear that there are not millions of open information security jobs. Notwithstanding, information security can be a viable career option. The question is, how exactly does one enter the field?

Other careers have relatively straightforward paths to entry. Want to be a lawyer — go to law school. Want to be a doctor — go to medical school and do a residency. Want to be a plumber or electrician — complete an apprenticeship program. Yet when it comes to information security, the career path is not so straightforward.

This lack of clarity around information security careers has created a vacuum where bootcamps and 6-month security programs guaranteeing a job have proliferated. Graduates of these programs are often left with significant debt and no information security job prospects.

You need to know information technology if you want to succeed in information security

A common mistake people make is thinking information security is its own discipline. Security is, in fact, built on…

--

--

Ben Rothke
Ben Rothke

Written by Ben Rothke

I work in information security at Tapad. Write book reviews for the RSA blog, & a Founding member of the Cloud Security Alliance and Cybersecurity Canon.