Escaping Career Mediocrity with Cybersecurity

Summary

Exploring cybersecurity offers a jump from career stagnation to financial success, freedom, and growth. Adam Hewitt from Cyber Evolution chats with Josh Lyons, discussing the exciting possibilities of a cybersecurity career for those with diverse backgrounds. Financial gains and the allure of flexible working conditions attract many. Regardless of experience level, the cybersecurity field welcomes motivated individuals keen on problem-solving and constant learning. The podcast emphasizes the importance of decisiveness in career transitions, encouraging individuals to embrace change and seize opportunities within this booming industry.

Highlights

• Cybersecurity is a booming field offering financial growth and flexibility. 💸
• Josh and Adam emphasize the opportunities for career changers in cybersecurity. 🎓
• The podcast discusses motivations for switching to cybersecurity including salary and freedom. 🌟
• Josh shares success stories of increased earnings and flexibility from this career transition. 📈
• Entry level in this field doesn't require an IT background—just a will to learn and adapt. 🎯
• The conversation highlights the need for decisiveness and readiness for change. 🌀

Key Takeaways

• Break free from career stagnation and discover the lucrative potential in cybersecurity! 💼
• Cybersecurity offers financial benefits with starting salaries hitting $100k in the first year. 💰
• Enjoy the flexibility of hybrid roles, working from home and office as you secure cyber data. 🏠
• Dive into a fast-paced industry with tremendous growth and advancement opportunities. 🚀
• No IT experience? No worries! Motivation and problem-solving skills are your keys. 🔑
• Forge a rewarding career protecting data while ensuring a flexible and balanced lifestyle. ⚖️

Overview

Ever hit a wall in your career and craved something more financially rewarding and flexible? Dive into the world of cybersecurity where opportunities abound for growth, flexibility, and yes, a hefty paycheck. Cyber Revolution’s Adam Hewitt and Josh Lyons share insights and real-life success stories about capitalizing on a booming digital industry, no matter your background.

Getting into cybersecurity could mean financial and lifestyle benefits most careers cannot offer. Imagine starting at a $100,000 salary with the potential to double in a few short years. Cybersecurity not only brings monetary rewards but also the possibility to grow beyond your initial role much quicker than traditional careers. Furthermore, enjoy the luxury of working from home, spending more time with loved ones, while still excelling in a career that protects valuable assets.

Despite the gravitas of financial perks, making a switch requires more than just interest—it demands decisiveness and a readiness to exit your comfort zone. Josh and Adam coax listeners to weigh in their current dissatisfaction against better prospects in cybersecurity. Whether it’s solving complex data protection problems or advancing into consultative roles, moving into cybersecurity can be the dynamic change your career needs.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The introduction begins by highlighting the rapid career growth potential in the cyber security field, even for those with no prior IT experience. The host, Adam Hewitt, CEO of Cyber, mentions that one can earn a substantial income in this industry, ranging from $100,000 in the first year to $200,000 after a few years. The podcast titled 'Cyber Evolution' is introduced, welcoming listeners to learn more about this lucrative and dynamic field.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Guest Introduction: Josh Lyons In this chapter, the host introduces Josh Lyons, a senior career consultant who assists individuals in transitioning to careers in cybersecurity. Josh is acknowledged for his daily involvement in helping students and for his insight into the cybersecurity job market, derived from interacting with numerous prospective professionals weekly.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Purpose of the Podcast This chapter introduces the podcast, outlining its primary audience and purpose. It is aimed at individuals considering a career change into the cybersecurity industry in Australia. The podcast, 'Cyber Evolution', is the country's only dedicated cybersecurity-focused show and serves as a resource for those new to the field. The host plans to discuss reasons why someone should consider such a career transition.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Cybersecurity as a Career Change The chapter discusses the growth of a security training and placement Institute that helps individuals transition into cybersecurity careers. The institute has been operational for several years and has successfully aided hundreds in securing their first jobs in the industry. It also touches on their podcast, which has been running for about eight months with 25 episodes, aiming to debunk misconceptions about the mysterious world of cybersecurity and making it more accessible to the general public.
• 02:00 - 04:00: Financial Benefits of Cybersecurity The chapter discusses the financial advantages of pursuing a career in cybersecurity. It outlines the efforts made to educate people about what cybersecurity entails and the steps to secure a first job in the sector. The conversation between the hosts, particularly Josh, touches on their extensive experience interacting with numerous individuals over weeks and months, allowing them to identify patterns in why people seek to transition into the cybersecurity field.
• 04:00 - 07:00: Flexibility and Work-Life Balance in Cybersecurity The chapter 'Flexibility and Work-Life Balance in Cybersecurity' discusses the concept of career ceilings in terms of financial earnings and career progression. It highlights how individuals can find themselves plateauing in their careers, whether after a few years or even decades. The conversation suggests that many people are aware of this stagnation and are looking for opportunities that provide better financial growth and flexibility.
• 07:00 - 09:00: Career Progression in Cybersecurity This chapter discusses the rapid career progression potential in the field of cybersecurity. It highlights the significant income opportunities that come with being in the right place at the right time, being motivated, and having the right skills. Individuals can earn considerable salaries, with some making $100,000 in their first year and reaching $200,000 within a few years, emphasizing a financial incentive in the cybersecurity field.
• 09:00 - 15:00: Motivations and Mindset for Transitioning Careers The chapter explores the motivations and mindset required for transitioning careers, emphasizing the financial benefits as a significant factor. It discusses how earning an extra fifty to a hundred thousand annually in a booming career can make a career switch enticing, particularly in the context of rising living costs. Money, while not everything, plays a crucial role in making life easier, making career transitions more appealing.
• 15:00 - 18:00: Technical Experience and Training Pathways The chapter discusses the success story of a student named James, who recently secured a job. James was previously featured on the podcast and hadn't yet been placed, but he was diligently studying and obtaining certifications. Despite money not being his main motivation, he successfully landed a role in mechanical engineering.
• 18:00 - 21:00: Qualities for Success in Cybersecurity The chapter emphasizes the financial benefits of pursuing a career in cybersecurity, particularly highlighting how the field can offer higher earnings compared to previous industries. It mentions the positive impact of these earnings in coping with the global cost of living crisis, allowing professionals to comfortably support their families. The importance of the financial aspect is discussed as a key factor for success in cybersecurity.
• 21:00 - 25:00: Indecisiveness and Decision-Making The chapter titled 'Indecisiveness and Decision-Making' discusses the significance of making decisions to gain more flexibility in life. It uses the example of a mechanic who would have remained stuck in a garage for their entire working life if they hadn't decided to switch careers. The chapter highlights how, in fields like cybersecurity, individuals can enjoy a hybrid working model where they have the option to work from home for a few days a week, thus providing more freedom and flexibility compared to traditional jobs.
• 25:00 - 29:00: Commitment and Support in Career Transition The chapter 'Commitment and Support in Career Transition' discusses the changing nature of work post-COVID and the importance of flexibility and digital skills. It highlights the realization that many people have come to understand the significant shift in the job market, where roles that offer flexibility and online capabilities have become more viable and desirable. The program aims to equip students with modern skills, enabling them to work from home and better manage their personal and professional lives.
• 29:00 - 35:00: Disqualifiers for Cybersecurity Transition The chapter "Disqualifiers for Cybersecurity Transition" explores the importance of balancing career and personal life in the field of cybersecurity. It emphasizes that while financial gain is a significant factor, being able to spend time with loved ones is also crucial. The flexibility in cybersecurity careers, such as remote working, helps maintain this balance. The speaker shares personal experiences of working remotely with Cyber Evolution, which allows spending more time at home, especially after recently having a child, while still occasionally attending the office.
• 35:00 - 40:00: Encouragement and Support for Career Changers In this chapter, the focus is on encouraging and supporting individuals who are changing careers, particularly into cyber security. The narrator shares personal experiences, emphasizing the benefits that come from an increase in salary, which provides financial relief and personal time for family responsibilities. There is excitement expressed about the potential for career progression within cyber security, starting from entry-level positions and advancing to more specialized roles. The narrative supports others in considering such career transitions, highlighting both personal and professional growth.
• 40:00 - 43:00: Conclusion and Call to Action The chapter discusses the accelerated career growth possible in certain industries compared to traditional fields like law or public service. It highlights the potential to achieve high-ranking positions and financial freedom within a relatively short timeframe of five to six years, contrasting this with the decades-long journey often required in other sectors. The chapter also mentions challenges some individuals face, such as hitting a career ceiling in their current roles.

Escaping Career Mediocrity with Cybersecurity Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 seeing people that are in cyber security people transitioning they may have zero experience or background in I.T just completely accelerated past so a lot of people realize that if you're in the right place I can make a hundred thousand dollars a year in cyber security almost in my first 12 months 200 000 a few years into the career [Music] welcome everybody to the Cyber Evolution podcast thanks for joining us yet again I'm Adam Hewitt the CEO of cyber
• 00:30 - 01:00 Evolution and today I'm joined by Josh Lyons Josh is one of our senior career Consultants here he helps people transition careers into cyber security each and every day helps our lovely students Josh how are you I'm doing excellent thank you for asking wonderful to be here with you great to have you on uh I wanted to get you on Josh because you and the team speak to so many people each and every week wanting to get into cyber security so you've got a first-hand insight into the market obviously and why people want to get
• 01:00 - 01:30 into this booming industry now so we're going to have a chat about some of the main reasons someone could consider a career change into cyber before we do that before we get into everything as I always do I want to give our new listeners of the podcast a bit of an overview of Who We Are Who this podcast is for mainly that line I said before is essentially who this podcast is for someone considering a career change into cyber so cyber Evolution we are Australia's only dedicated cyber
• 01:30 - 02:00 security training and placement Institute we specialize in finding people their first job in cyber security we've been doing this now for a number of years helped hundreds of people transition into cyber but the reason we started well I was about to say recently started this podcast but we're about 25 episodes in it started about eight months ago and it's growing really well is and I think the reason it's being appreciated by the you know the the public so much is because cyber security is such a you know a mysterious industry there are some common misconceptions and
• 02:00 - 02:30 so we really just want to educate people on what cyber security is and how they can land their first job in this industry okay so if that sounds interesting that sounds like it could be for you then keep listening um Josh let's get into this hey yeah let's do it so we we talked to goodness hundreds or thousands of people um between the weeks and the months and you know we've been doing this for some time now so you do start to spot the patterns for sure you know why why are people going to make that change why are they even interested in that change I
• 02:30 - 03:00 think if you were to boil it down to two it really comes down to having the opportunity to break through a ceiling in their financial earnings a lot of people know that they've hit a wall they've been in a career for two years five years even 10 years two decades sometimes and yeah maybe they can make a little bit more money but the growth curve for them to make that money is kind of petered out you know they've kind of made their way up or they're into a career they're two years in and they're looking left they're looking
• 03:00 - 03:30 right and they're seeing people um that are in cyber security and they've just completely accelerated past and so a lot of people realize that if you're in the right place at the right time and you show up motivated and eager to learn and to learn the right skill set sometimes you're in the wrong lane and so the people that have that awareness that you know goodness I can make a hundred thousand dollars a year in cyber security almost in my first 12 months 200 000 a few years into the career so making more money is a big one
• 03:30 - 04:00 now money isn't everything but it definitely makes life a hell of a lot easier and I'm sure we can all agree um if you could make an extra fifty thousand a year or an extra hundred thousand a year a few years into a new career maybe that's worth time to consider actually switching lanes and getting into something that is Boom and growing I mean what what would you say to that well yes you know as I said money is everything but especially with everything that is going on within the world at the moment everything seems to be going up it does it does help right
• 04:00 - 04:30 um I got a really awesome text message from one of our students recently who landed a job but actually we'll give him a bit of a congratulations James oy who was on the podcast about you would remember it from about three or so weeks ago he hadn't been placed just yet but he was study really well um getting his certifications he takes me about a week or so ago saying he'd landed a role he was a mechanical engineer and he goes you know what I know that money wasn't a major motivation but for him but he he said um I've been in the mechanical engineering
• 04:30 - 05:00 industry for about seven or eight years now later my first cyber job and I'm already earning more money in this current role in cyber security than I did in that industry which is just so good to hear right because it um that yeah that helps him be able to you know with the cost of living think cost of living crisis that's happening here and across the world um I think it's really really awesome that he can now you know be comfortable and provide for his family as well so that's that's one important factor Financial aspect what would you say another one is Josh I'd say definitely
• 05:00 - 05:30 the second biggest one although for some people one moves ahead than the other is his freedom to have more flexibility you know you're using an example of someone that's a mechanic that that person if they never made the decision to change they're going to be going into a garage every day for the rest of their life until they're 70 80 years old and decide to retire cyber security you know we have people that even from the get-go and they're able to do a hybrid role they're able to do a couple of days at home they're able to do a couple of days
• 05:30 - 06:00 in the office or Some people prefer to be in an office but knowing that in your tool belt you have a skill that's in the modern era that is flexible that is digital that is online a lot of people post covid realized that the world has changed and some people are going to get left behind or willingly choose to just stay in a role that maybe isn't as flexible as it could be but the students that come through this program they realized that a couple of days at home working around your kids your
• 06:00 - 06:30 significant other or if you've got that plan for the future you know we we said money isn't everything well if it isn't money then definitely being able to be around the people that you care about has got to come above money um and so really it's quite interesting that cyber security can cover both of those bases yeah I met a lot of the team at Cyber Evolution worked remotely um I am I do like going into the office I'm one of those people so I go into the office a few days a week but for instance today recording this podcast from home I've recently had a kid and it
• 06:30 - 07:00 allows me and my wife especially my wife because sometimes you know to spend some time to herself and for me to be able to look after a little boy so it's it's that's really good so that instant I guess increase in salary is is great for me and I've banged on about this a lot within the podcast you would have heard that the career progression is probably the most exciting bet for cyber security the ability for somebody to get into an entry-level role transition to a mid-level role and then to an advanced
• 07:00 - 07:30 level role roughly in about five six years yeah you're just not going to get that in any other industry you think about you know the legal space or the accounting space the public service you're gonna have to be there for decades before you get to that advanced level role and that's where you can really get some Financial Freedom and earn that you know 2 to 250 thousand dollars a year depending on which pathway you go down so that's probably the most exciting thing you did get that with some of the people that you speak to there are they've hit a bit of a ceiling in their current role definitely and and you you touched on somebody I'm
• 07:30 - 08:00 glad you bring it up you know fulfillment you know if you're doing a role and you felt like you haven't had any new challenges for the last two years or even five years it's very difficult to ask yourself why are you working to live rather than living to work you know if you get up every day and it's the same thing monotonous you know the alarm goes off in like another day same thing we've had people that have come through this program and I remember speaking to them on the initial interview call that we do and they just
• 08:00 - 08:30 say I'm bored I'm frustrated I don't have any motivation I need a change I want to do something different and then they come into this role and they realize you know every day is different every day is a challenge and like you say every six months you're being pushed to grow as a as a person but also as a professional and a lot of other careers it's the same thing 10 years down the line as you were doing after your initial trading whereas you know we know this industry is very very fast moving so once you're into the industry you're
• 08:30 - 09:00 continuously adapting and growing and evolving as a person and as a as a professional and it feels good to help people right you're in a role where you are securing companies you're securing people's data sensitive data and finances right and so we get a lot of X ADF people that come to us I've got no Tech background or experience they come from literally the physical Battlefield and they want to get into digital Battlefield now because they still feel like they've got that want and drive to help people right correct which is which
• 09:00 - 09:30 is you know something that they can then transition and do so that's really important on that note actually with some experience or technical background we've helped people from a wide wide range of well I have to count it but it would be dozens and dozens and dozens of Industries out there I guess what experience or technical background is is required for cyber security you speak to you know some of our candidates obviously what we do is somewhat customized to someone's background so if they come in to an initial call with one of our advisors and they say hey I've
• 09:30 - 10:00 been working in fast food or like a blue collar job and they don't have any digital or any technical background we can definitely help that that pathway is a little bit different they've obviously going to do some more foundational training but it's it's still very quick if you're motivated and then we have other people that are in an I.T role or more of a digital role there's some similarities and that is a slightly more accelerated path you know the courses and the training and the certifications a little bit more advanced but we tell someone you do not need any background that's why we're here to to help you get
• 10:00 - 10:30 that technical experience and to help you get that preparation to be job ready so I guess as simple as saying no experience necessary um as long as you're motivated as long as you're courageous enough to step out of your comfort zone we're a training facility that can give you whatever trainings can bridge the gap from where you are now wherever that starting point is and to the ideal cyber security career for you I mean anything that you'd add to that yeah definitely so we
• 10:30 - 11:00 the majority of students that we do up you know career changes for people transitioning they may have zero experience or background in I.T but they've always potentially wanted to learn or they're interested in it you've got to be interested in it right to be able to do the studies and put in the time and the effort but it is a ground up certification we call it the fun the fundamental five for the basic students right your Hardware software networking security and analytics right they're the core foundations and then people who come to us as you said with with a
• 11:00 - 11:30 little bit of a background in it then we just need to layer on there so the cyber security skills as well and so what we look for and actually I might hand this over to you to to have a chat about if we don't look for any technical experience and I know a lot of the time our placement Partners they don't look for technical or cyber security experience because it's an entry-level role can't have experience if you're getting into the industry for the first time what quality is in a potential student make them a great fit for us and the cyber security industry and our placement Partners yeah so so like you
• 11:30 - 12:00 said it's not technical it's not your technical background it's not your technical experience it's really in in principle to be successful in cyber security you need to be able to solve problems that is essentially what you're doing for a business that's why you get paid very well that's why you're in a growing industry that's why you're in a booming industry because you can solve Advanced problems that have a Monumental impact on business owners and businesses but also the actual Joe public if they are not solved they are are critical to
• 12:00 - 12:30 be solved but just solving the problem isn't enough because every minute or second or hour that goes by that the problem isn't solved is equally more detrimental than actually whether the problem is solved at all so the people that we bring aboard and the people that do very well they not only have the desire and the motivation to be a problem solver but they're able to decide and they're able to commit and they're able to be responsible for being
• 12:30 - 13:00 a problem solver and so when we sometimes talk to people that say you know I want to help people I want to keep people's data secure but they're a little bit all over the place with whether they actually want to commit to change and going through the transition that's when we see a little bit of misalignment you know so for us the quality we look for is hey you know how do you respond when we're interviewing you you know do you know why you want to mean this career change are you committed are you able to actually make a decision that's really
• 13:00 - 13:30 the biggest thing for us is is decision making ability because when there's a threat in a business it's hey can you decide what needs to happen to solve this and can you do it promptly I'd say that's the biggest thing that quality now it's somewhat learnable we can help you be able to resolve problems quicker that's why we give you training that's why we give you assistance with getting job ready but if you are the type of person that procrastinates and hesitates and overthinks a little bit you might have some challenges so you know for anyone listening just think about that you know can you commit to solving your
• 13:30 - 14:00 own problems in life and actually solving those with with promptness I think is the biggest thing yeah it's interesting because I speak to a lot about placement partners and we've got a as you know a cohort going through to one of our larger placement Partners at the moment and there are essentially two Pathways into an entry-level cyber security job right the technical pathway and the Consulting pathway the Trap that a lot of people fall into when they're interviewing and they're asked that question which one would suit you best
• 14:00 - 14:30 they'll go Oh either or like as long as I get a job or I'm not too sure I'll either go I'm happy to do the technical or maybe the Consulting pathway because of this background that I've got but I'm just happy with anything I'm not too sure worst answer you can give very very indecisive extremely indecisive and I know now that's why some of the placement Partners say this and ask this question they want somebody to go in there and go no I'm actually suited towards the Consulting pathway because I've worked in say retail sales before
• 14:30 - 15:00 I've got great communication skills great um Rapport building skills and client management skills and this is my background and and these are the you know the previous experience successful experience I've had so go in there with that certainty really really helps right so that's I guess that's maybe a little strategy that some of the placement Partners use to show absolutely I think you know now you were explaining that very very well one way to sum it up is are you a proactive person or are you a reactive and a passive person you know if someone comes to you and says hey
• 15:00 - 15:30 what do you want in life and you're like well I don't know you know I haven't even thought about it do you really think a business is going to entrust you with the data of millions and millions of people and financial data and private data if something were to go wrong and you know you're a team leader and everyone's looking to you and saying hey you know what do we do and your responses are and I don't know I'm not sure what to do you know they're probably not going to entrust you with their clients data neither are they
• 15:30 - 16:00 going to give you a very good salary to be the one responsible for it so yeah and it's okay you know initially not today we get a lot of that's why we do this podcast and that's why we do our group interviews that's why you have so many sessions with people each and every time before you help them make the transition into the industry because we front-end it with a lot of Education a lot of clarity around the pathways you're going to get into before you start the program whereas I think with conventional education a lot of people just get into a University degree or
• 16:00 - 16:30 they'll start at Tafe they'll just start their studies and then they decide you know what now it's time once I've finished to start figuring out how I'm going to get a job which is just yeah let's touch on that very briefly you know sometimes we have people that come to a call with us they interview with us and we say listen you know love the enthusiasm that you have for their career but based on what you're sharing with me this might not be the career for you and so if anybody's listening to this podcast and they turn onto an interview don't be offended we're not a
• 16:30 - 17:00 university that just wants to educate you take your money and then we don't really care whether you get a job that's one of the biggest differences is that we have a relationship both with us and you know the individual public to get a cyber career if that's what you want but we we also have a very important relationship with our placement partners and we're not going to jeopardize one of those for the other because they actually both help each other so we from a business Point as well as an ethical point we can't just enroll you because you like to learn how cyber security
• 17:00 - 17:30 works we are looking yes that's lovely that you find the career very fascinating but do you actually want a career in the industry and if someone's answer is well I'm not sure but I'd like to just do some studies you know that's not what we do we place someone into a professional career with our place and partners assisting us to do that so yeah let me let me touch on that because and the reason is guys if the placement partners are going to invest heavily into our students as well for the first for the first six months potentially
• 17:30 - 18:00 even sort of eight months or so those organizations aren't going to get a return on their investment they are in training you each and every day you're shadowing people you're training with us as well outside of work hours and then if after six months or eight months you realize you know what actually and I'm this industry isn't for me I haven't given it much thought and leave that is not a good look for the placement partner and it's really not a good look for us either okay so that's that's why Josh is mentioning this now oh let's let's just dig a little bit deeper on that what what I guess are some of the
• 18:00 - 18:30 traits that you would look for that actually disqualify someone or prevent them from being successful yeah it's a very very important question I think you know because obviously we work with a team of advisors so it's not just me um and we we do compare you know some of the conversations we have if you turn up to the call and you're just exploring alternative career options like no disrespect but this is a a wonderful career but there is going to be a transition period if you're like well I
• 18:30 - 19:00 might start my own business I might do cyber security I might do a digital marketing agency I might do this and I might do 500 other different things we're not here to convince you we're not going to say no no no no don't do any of those cyber security is the best career for you we're not going to tell you that if anything we're going to say listen you know feel free to come back if you decide that this is definitely the career path you want to go down but if you are undecided which direction you even want to go we just wouldn't take someone any further in the interview process
• 19:00 - 19:30 um you need to know that you'd like to have a cyber security career and then now you're looking at what are the steps I need to take to get myself in there successfully that would be one second one we see is when when people don't really have a motivation you know they they'd like a cyber security career their job's kind of going okay it could be better it could be worse and there's no real tangible reason why Now's the Time for them to make that transition so they're kind of just putting some feelers out and this industry moves so
• 19:30 - 20:00 quickly and it changes so when we have an interview call with you we have our place and partners knocking at our door saying hey we we need more students that are job ready and that are trained because for those of you that don't know Adam if you just want to run through the statistics of how many jobs there are that aren't being filled the major skill shortage was the last statistic to come out was around late last year and it was 51 000 new entry level roles by 2026. that was released by the government and those statistics were done before Optus
• 20:00 - 20:30 in the medibank account back before all of this had happened right so that they're saying now that that's touching that should touch around six figures so over a hundred thousand people that need to get into the industry and 2026 isn't all that far away okay so for every you know every 10 roles available only three are currently being filled so you're right it is a fast moving industry it is speed to competency and speed of getting these people under the desk yeah you know for those of you listening you might be wondering well how do we know
• 20:30 - 21:00 when we're having a conversation with someone and I think the easiest way for us to find out from someone you know are they are they really ready are they really truly ready is a very simple question we ask most people is well how long have you actually been considering this transition and to be honest if someone gives us an answer that's like oh I've been thinking about getting into cyber security for three years and they actually haven't done anything we would say well the industry's changed completely since three years ago so if
• 21:00 - 21:30 you're going to wait another three years to even consider it then you might be just too much of a procrastinator and so that's that's something that we can find out very quickly when we talk some we really like to speak to people that say Hey I've been in my role it's not really been what I want for the last year I've been thinking about a transition for the last three months six months I've I've decided that you know time's the most precious asset we have in life I don't want to just waste more time you know twiddling my thumbs so that's a disqualifier for us if we see that
• 21:30 - 22:00 someone's been thinking about it or talking about it with their friends for five years and actually you know hasn't done anything yeah what do you think it is that holds holds people back from making that decision fear of change you know and and for a lot a lot of people the fear of making a change will rob some of the opportunity to have a better life and there's there's nobody else responsible for that but yourself you know if you're so afraid of making a change and getting out of your comfort
• 22:00 - 22:30 zone the unfortunate truth is you'll end up you know rolling into the end of your life and looking back with somewhat regret and uh wishing that you could have a a once over and go at it again but um you know that isn't life so I I think it's fear of change for a lot of people and so we can tell when someone's a little bit more courageous and they're they're a little bit more confident in themselves to to just go after their goals and attack their goals with with some oomph and yeah when someone says oh
• 22:30 - 23:00 I've been in my career for 10 years and I don't like it and I haven't liked it for a decade that's a bit of a red flag for us you know especially in this industry you know if you want to go into still life painting then yes you might be able to make decisions that slow but if you want to get into cyber security uh you you should probably uh reconsider that what else it's probably one or two more you know it's it's just comfortable the industry I mean yeah I'm comfortable with what I'm doing that comfort zone is just the breeding ground for you um living a life of mediocrity
• 23:00 - 23:30 unfortunately another disqualifying thing for us sometimes we have people they come to the call and you know they're married and they they haven't even really had the conversation with their partner that they're considering their career change which is very unusual for us because it's a big it's a big deal it's going to be massively beneficial for you and your partner if you make a change in the positive direction and I'm sure it's probably somewhat negative for your partner if you're in a career that you don't like so making sure that everybody's on board
• 23:30 - 24:00 and if if we get the feeling like you know they're kind of going behind the back of their partners and you know there's going to be some friction there they even make the career change we do say to people listen you know if this is something you're really serious about we want to have a conversation with you and your partner so that everybody is on board so yeah sometimes you know we we see a husband or even a wife and they come and they're like oh you know I haven't even spoken to my partner about a career change and that's that's a red flag for us we would we would definitely not want to cause any divorces um so we
• 24:00 - 24:30 will make sure that yeah cool I can pass the misses just a sneaky changing couriers without without exactly so if anyone's listening you know and you're you're thinking about this you need to ask yourself you know are you you're going to sit down at the table and say listen I'm not happy where I am in my career and I'm going to do something about it and 99.9 the time your partner is going to be all for it so long as you're confident and certain that you're gonna make it happen um and being able to bring that certain to your certainty to your partner is
• 24:30 - 25:00 very important you know it is like we said it's making a change and people are typically a little bit scared to change so if you're a husband or if you're a wife and you say to your significant other oh I'm not really sure if I should do this but I'm kind of thinking about a career change but it might not work out and I'm not sure you're not going to get much support but if you go to your partner and you say listen um you know that I've not really been that happy for the last year in my career and I'm gonna do something about it I don't know any loving significant
• 25:00 - 25:30 other that would not be right beside you to do whatever they can to support you through that transition yeah yeah definitely now you've already given some little nuggets of gold here but I guess for wrapping up what would be your top three tips for somebody thinking about changing careers into cyber security top three tips I think to do some research in the opportunities of the industry you know spend a week you know carve out two three hours and look at how many jobs are available because there's hundreds
• 25:30 - 26:00 of thousands of jobs look at the career earnings which are fantastic for a position like this you know we have people starting at 85 to 95 000 even sometimes over a hundred thousand in their entry level position and like you said going up into multiple hundreds of thousands um so do a little bit of research second tip would be just do it you know life isn't going to wait for you and what is the worst that can happen you end up in a career for two years three years four years five years and you decide that you want to have another
• 26:00 - 26:30 career what's the problem you know you just have another career five years later you're already in a career that you're not oh well if you're listening to this podcast I think I know something about you which is that you're not a hundred percent happy where you're at in your current career unless you accidentally click clicked on the Cyber Revolution podcast so if you are somewhat unhappy about something in your career how much longer are you gonna wait and just wake up every day and not be doing something about it so to speak so as the old Nike saying is you know
• 26:30 - 27:00 just do it third thing is you know my my third tip is that we are here to help you know if you have questions if you want to speak to one of our team um if you want to really get clear on the pathway you know don't think that there isn't people out there that are trying to help you know I've seen many times where Adam himself You know despite being the owner in the company jumps on a call with someone that has a concern here or there we are here to help so take advantage of that if you are pretty certain that you want to make
• 27:00 - 27:30 this happen and you want to have a better career but you've got a couple of questions don't let those little niggling questions keep you where you're at if where you're at it's not where you really want to be um just reach out to us we're all here to help yeah and that's obviously me included I've started doing it as probably about three or four months ago just on a Friday I just randomly give as many students as possible a call block out a couple of hours and just touch base and see how they're going because that's what I love doing right I'm I'm an educator at heart I've been in this industry for over a decade and I love it
• 27:30 - 28:00 when I'm here talking to new students that have just started their Journeys and they've just learned what their first certification they're like oh my god it works I never thought I'd be able to go and do this and I've just got the first certificate and it's just there's no better yeah there's no no better feeling the other one that if you listen back of people that are regular listeners of the podcast always ask those these questions at the end of the podcast what are your top three tips whether it be industry experts someone within our organization or you know students that we've successfully placed it's a simple one but they just say just
• 28:00 - 28:30 do it just get and do it what is the worst that you've got to lose right if you've got all of these things that are pointing you towards this direction and this then this decision yeah it's a simple one but it's one that I just hear often and I think resonates with a with a lot of people well here's the thing if if you're considering a cyber security career how will you know if you don't try if you don't try you won't know we're not this isn't going and training to be a lawyer or an advocate and you have to go to university for five years
• 28:30 - 29:00 or to become an architect and you have to do seven years or nine years of studying that's a long time to find that you might get into an architectural career and find actually this isn't for me we get people from no previous experience through five industry recognized certifications direct support from one of our team to get new job ready and then placed into the industry of a job place and partner in as little as six months so it's 11th of July 2023 at the time of
• 29:00 - 29:30 recording this by the end of the year you could have already jumped aboard and be in the industry and you know most probably be making more money than you're making now happier more fulfilled and have the flexibility that you'd like worst case scenario it's six months later and you've already done something about it whereas a lot of people they complain they're not happy and the worst thing is that they're not actually moving the ball forward so yeah and then worst case scenario the cyber security expert for all of your friends and
• 29:30 - 30:00 family up secure them yeah yeah exactly right exactly um great Josh thanks so much for taking the time to out of your day to have a chat absolute pleasure really really enjoyed it and so for everyone listening if you got something out of it please like comment subscribe let your friends and family know about the podcast if you want to know a little bit more about our job placement program and how you can get into the industry head to cyberrevolution.com and someone from the team will be in
• 30:00 - 30:30 touch thanks guys [Music]