Hi, I’m Anita from the West Midlands in the UK. I’m 43 and currently transitioning from customer service into cybersecurity, with the goal of breaking into Identity and Access Management (IAM). I was fortunate to find a college where I can study and sit many CompTIA certifications for free. When I explained that I want to move into IAM, they recommended that I start with CompTIA A+, then move on to Network+ and Security+, especially because I’m coming from a non-technical background. I’ve started studying A+, and I understand the reasoning behind it, but I’m increasingly questioning whether completing the full certification is really the best use of my time for the direction I want to take. A lot of the material seems only loosely related to IAM, and I’m wondering whether it would be more effective to focus on Network+ and Security+, while also building a strong practical IAM portfolio. My aim would be to use those certifications, practical projects, and my transferable skills from customer service to start applying directly for entry-level IAM or security roles. From a hiring / career perspective, do you think A+ is genuinely necessary for someone in my position, or would my time be better spent focusing on Network+, Security+, and hands-on IAM projects instead? I’m not trying to avoid the fundamentals. I’m just trying to make sure I’m investing my time and brain energy in the fundamentals that matter most for the career path I actually want.

Hi all, I'm Meldon recent Computer Security and Forensics BSc (Hons) grad from Greenwich (NCSC certified, CREST affiliated course), with about 2+ years of IT Support Analyst experience at KidZania London. I've applied to a good number of cybersecurity and IT help desk roles, SOC Analyst, Security Analyst, IT Service Desk and keep getting rejected, even for roles where I feel like a genuinely strong fit on paper. I'm not sure where the gap is whether it's the CV itself, how I'm positioning my experience, missing certs, or something else entirely. Would really value a second pair of eyes on my CV and any pointers on what might be holding me back. Happy to share the CV here or however works best. Thanks in advance!

Welcome @Obrien Francis to our growing Cyber community, couple points for you get familiar, please check out Guide documents section where you will find skills matrixes for different career paths as well as CV and Github templates, check out the calendar for our weekly live Q&A call, should you require any further help, do not hesitate to post message in the general discussion

Morning Guys and Gals, During our live Q&A yesterday we were talking about cybersecurity job search and it got me thinking about a few things which will i share here, especially for those who have missed the call. Ok so you spend 6-9 months learning the right skills and certs but then job search sometimes looks like a lottery pick, you need to treat like a campaign it is, competing against 300-400 other people is tough, which means your CV has to be completely perfect and it is hard to win that game, therefore you need to wield some other tactics that might tip the scale in your favor: - Learn and leverage your OSINT skills, whenever you apply to a role, your goal should be finding the hiring manager (not the recruiter) and sending them 2-3 paragraphs why you are the best candidate for the role - Build your LinkedIn presence post at least once a week about how you are developing the right skills for cybersecurity career, connect with people in the role that you want to work in, ask advice, chat, make friends, you will never know who can become your referral - Build generic CV, but then tailor the right keywords, whether it is tools, skills to the jobs spec so that ATS does not drop it - Go to local cybersecurity events, go and meet cyber folks, meeting people face to face is the biggest winner that can land you roles, expand your network, because more often than not, WHO you know will be more important than WHAT you know Good luck in your search, i am always here to help