Community in Cybersecurity
Everyone could use a community. After all, we’re social creatures.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, joining a Cybersecurity community can be a game-changer for your career and personal growth.
There’s a saying that goes
If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together - African Proverb
Here are some ideas if you currently don’t have a community or a circle that will help you in your path in Cybersecurity.
Join an existing online room that tailors to your goals (Discord, Slack, Reddit, the list goes on)
Start a chat room (or a Group Chat) for you and your friends to learn together and keep each other accountable
Reach out to someone you know for ideas on where to start
Technical Benefits
One of the primary benefits of joining a Cybersecurity community is the opportunity to enhance your technical skills.
You can ask technical questions or learn from previously asked questions. These communities often offer:
Workshops
Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions
Hands-on labs and tutorials
Discussions around troubleshooting and problem-solving
By actively participating in these activities, you'll find yourself expanding your skillset and staying current with the latest threats. For example, you can participate in a CTF alongside others and share findings afterwards. Iron sharpening Iron.
Social Benefits
On top of the technical side of these communities, you can build your social connections.
Here are some of the social benefits you can see
Connect with mentors who can guide your career path
Find potential job opportunities through community members
Collaborate on projects with like-minded professionals
Participating in a community will get you in the “right rooms”.
There’s the belief that you become the average of the 5 people you are around. In a work life sense, you are going to be around your peers a lot. By positioning yourself accordingly you will stand to learn a lot.
There’s real value in relationship building, as this could lead to connecting with mentors or could lead to your next role or a referral.
It also offers an opportunity to gain perspective from those who had a different background than you and learn how they got into the field.
Contributing
This was alluded to earlier, but everyone can do their part in a Cybersecurity community.
Here are just 3 ideas.
Create/share content: Write a thread on something you worked on, or share a blog or a newsletter post.
Volunteer: Many communities need help organizing events or moderating.
Mentor others: As you gain expertise, help guide newcomers into the field. This will be invaluable.
What I Read Last Week
Additional information on the 2.7B personal records leaked. Surprised this isn’t getting more national news.
Company Orion has $60M stolen in breach caused by BEC (Business email compromise)
As I wrote about last week, keeping up with Cybersecurity can be insane. But the Infosec Monitor cuts through the noise with no-nonsense coverage on what's going on in Cybersecurity. No fluff, just facts.
Check it out now
Wrapping Up
Remember, the key to getting the most out of these communities is active participation.
Start by absorbing knowledge, build relationships, and then find ways to give back.
See you in the next one