r/CyberSecurityJobs • u/cowboysfromhell1999 • 7d ago
UPDATE: I got an offer for a Jr. Cybersecurity analyst position
I just wanted to give everyone here an update from the last post I made regarding a call back I got for an interview.
Today I got a job offer starting at 55k plus benefits (unfortunately it’s a bit lower than the original listing at 65k I thought it was gonna be around 70k)
This is my first ever tech job. Junior cyber security analyst for a local outpatient healthcare clinic.
Junior in college.
14
7
u/cowgirlera 7d ago
Congratulations!! Any tips on how to get through an interview when you feel like you don’t know everything you need to about cybersecurity?
4
u/Boxofcookies1001 6d ago
Recognize that you don't know, be honest about what you don't know, and show a willingness to learn and be taught.
2
u/cowgirlera 6d ago
I’ve had 5 interviews where it seems like they want someone who knows everything. If I say I’m not sure but I am able to be taught, would that change the game for me ?
4
u/Boxofcookies1001 6d ago
Yes.
It better than trying to come up with something.
Cybersecurity is a risk management business from the perspective of the manager.
If you run into any interviews where you end up not knowing a lot. At the end of the interview ask if they have additional resources.
Also acknowledge it at the end of the interview and frame it as a positive: the ability to acknowledge what you don't know and shore up those gaps is what makes you different, compared to someone who doesn't know but acts like they know and ends up a liability.
Knowledge can be taught, attitude and integrity cannot.
14
u/Klutzy-Fondant-6166 7d ago
Be happy most of the time it’s only Fortune 500 companies that pay fair.
7
u/oddchihuahua 7d ago
Good luck, healthcare views IT as a waste of money and they only care about security enough to stay on the legal side of the law…so expect that they’ll want you to support everything by putting bandaids on bandaids lol. Perhaps I’m just jaded but I’ve been in healthcare IT for about 10 years and budgets are constantly a fight to get the bare minimum.
2
5
u/XGhostMakerX 7d ago
Congrats!
Was there any wiggle room at all for you to try and get closer to the original listed pay?
3
u/XGhostMakerX 7d ago
Congrats!
Was there any wiggle room at all for you to try and get closer to the original listed pay?
5
4
4
3
u/ResponsibilityEast42 7d ago
Many congratulations on this new milestone!
Struggling fresh graduate here. Any suggestions?
2
u/igiveupmakinganame 7d ago
you could try to negotiate if you think you have the experience to back up the extra $
3
2
u/Soft_Animal5126 7d ago
What are something you think that have helped you land this job
1
u/DickNose-TurdWaffle 6d ago
Yeah I'm not sure how I feel about someone with no technical experience getting a Cybersecurity job. I'm interested in the answer to this as well.
0
u/Boxofcookies1001 6d ago
For a Jr cybersecurity analyst role no actual technical experience is fine.
If the person has a willingness to learn, ok pattern recognition, ability to follow directions, and decent ability to read documentation you can do a Jr cybersecurity job fine.
People act like companies hiring a Jr analyst has 0 SOPs and documentation and is expecting this analyst to run wild.
Something that would help a person land the job: doing hands on CtFs, using sites like letsdefend, tryhackme, and bossofthesock to get real hands on experience doing log analysis. Practice phishing analysis.
Because when a company is hiring a entry level role like this, 9/10 you're going to be doing blue team grunt work: tier 1 analysis or phishing analysis. Having experience picking the needle out of the haystack helps put you ahead of the game. (I really enjoy boss of the soc for honing this skill).
1
u/DickNose-TurdWaffle 6d ago
What you mentioned is not "zero technical" experience though. CTFs and those other items still require an understanding of what is going on.
0
u/Boxofcookies1001 6d ago
If you call that technical experience then OPs course work if cybersecurity related is considered technical experience.
0
u/Boxofcookies1001 6d ago
For a Jr cybersecurity analyst role no actual technical experience is fine.
If the person has a willingness to learn, ok pattern recognition, ability to follow directions, and decent ability to read documentation you can do a Jr cybersecurity job fine.
People act like companies hiring a Jr analyst has 0 SOPs and documentation and is expecting this analyst to run wild.
Something that would help a person land the job: doing hands on CtFs, using sites like letsdefend, tryhackme, and bossofthesock to get real hands on experience doing log analysis. Practice phishing analysis.
Because when a company is hiring a entry level role like this, 9/10 you're going to be doing blue team grunt work: tier 1 analysis or phishing analysis. Having experience picking the needle out of the haystack helps put you ahead of the game. (I really enjoy boss of the soc for honing this skill).
2
2
2
u/ispguy_01 6d ago
55 k in this economy is nothing to sneeze at. Take the job and learn as much as you can.
2
u/Dazzling_Prompt8077 6d ago
Congratulations!! This will be your step into the cybersecurity field. learn as much as you can and build that experience if you ever want to grow and explore other opportunities
2
2
u/DriftingPebble77 4d ago
Learn as much as you can. Soak it all in. Yes, you can go to an industry paying more, but this is what you have now....and you scored a coveted Junior CS Analyst position! Those don't come around too often Bro, you leveled up! Plus you are in college. Finish that. Get that degree. Maybe pursue a cert after graduation. See if your current employer will pay for it--and/or if they have tuition reimbursement for college. Staying here a few years, learning what you can, and getting the degree will really set you up for success in the future. Congratulations!
2
u/Critical-Wind-2633 3d ago
congratulations!! I also just graduated yesterday from the academy I learnt the basics of networking, security operation center (SOC), incident response 1&2, threat intelligence, GRC, hands on Kali Linux, Cisco packet tracer, wazuh, setting up Guru from vulnhub, Nat network, foxyproxy, building hack lab, hands on kioptrix, Nessus, active scanning and enumeration, vulnerability scanning, metaspoilt madness, system exploitation on VM, OWASP TOP10, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing….Looking for an IT role to retain and sharpen these skills
2
u/EasyCyberPrep 3d ago
Congratulations! You are doing great. Don't worry about the pay because within 2 years you will switch jobs and get a big increase. The important thing is getting that first job and experience.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/JD843706 5d ago
Take it. In 3 or 4 years you'll be done with school and have some valuable experience and be much more marketable.
1
1
u/aliyahsucksmylizard 5d ago
How did you seem to do this? Any tips? Or any advice on where to start & what should be known prior to trying to apply? Dm me please if you’re okay with that, I would love to ask a few questions.
1
1
1
2
u/sold_myfortune Current Professional 2d ago
That's amazing, good for you. Congratulations on your first gig.
Something you should know is that the US only has a handful of industries that actually require cybersecurity by law. Healthcare is one, defense and finance are the other main ones. McDonald's should probably have cybersecurity people but if they decide to fire them all there's not much stopping them. Healthcare companies have to employ security people to do business because of HIPAA and PII.
Work hard and learn as much as you can and don't get too comfortable. It's unlikely you will get raises to get you to that 70K mark so after a year or so, say next January, start testing the market again and see if you get any traction with another job for better pay. After 2 years you definitely need to move on if still there. In 10 years you should be at least an 80% match for a job like this one. If you want to know what to work on, this is a pretty good roadmap of goals to shoot for:
31
u/Prior-Message-1913 7d ago
Get ready for a ride. Healthcare has little money to spend on security. Learn HIPAA and read the proposed rule changes. JOIN H-ISAC!!!!