By now, you have heard about the looming and continuing layoffs, specifically in the tech industry.
How does this affect positions in cybersecurity? It depends.
Cybersecurity jobs are inherently not recession-proof in a for-profit companies context because roles are viewed as an expense to companies, not a revenue driver (even though security does help reduce the risk of companies losing money). Security departments, employees, and the tools used are expenditures for a business. During times of economic uncertainty, companies will have to do "more with less."
"Recession-proof" industries such as government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure companies will not be as impacted as general for-profit companies. Governments have budgets, everyone will still go to the doctor and the community still needs power, water, etc. What can you do, knowing this? I have talked about this exact topic in my newsletter and some strategies to consider moving forward, especially for entry-level candidates, and I will address some thoughts / generic advice I have.
With the tech and industry adjacent layoffs, a pool of talented, experienced professionals are now looking for jobs, which only makes it harder for an entry-level professional to venture into the industry. Many of these workers have been able to land success with small to medium-sized businesses.
For capital-intensive industries, like startups and traditional technology companies, security teams will have to likely make do with what they have. Instead of onboarding new tools and team members, we will likely see automation, basic AI, and open-source tools leveraged during times of economic uncertainty.
What are some strategies for entry-level professionals?
- Build a portfolio. Make yourself stand out.
- Apply to "recession" proof industries.
- Widen your overall scope.