Beginner's Guide to Cultivating the Cybersecurity Workforce

These sources discuss entry into the cybersecurity field, particularly for those with nontraditional backgrounds, highlighting the value of apprenticeship programs as a pathway to developing needed skills and experience. One source presents a personal account seeking advice on leveraging skills like physical penetration testing and social engineering, while the other, a government guide, focuses on federal cybersecurity apprenticeships, outlining their benefits, current status, and models for implementation to address the talent shortage. Both acknowledge the challenges of entering the field, including the need for experience and aligning diverse skills with industry requirements, suggesting structured learning and practical application, often measured by proficiency scales like those discussed by NIST, are key to success.Sources:Easiest Entry into Cybersecurity with an extremely non traditional resume? - Redditdrive_pdfFederal Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Resource Guide - National CyberWatch CenterwebHow Skills-Based Hiring Can Help Combat Cybersecurity Skills Shortagesdrive_pdfMeasuring Cybersecurity Workforce Capabilities: Defining a Proficiency Scale for the NICE Framework - National Institute of Standards and TechnologywebMinorities and the Cybersecurity Skills Gap: A 2024 Update - SecureWorldwebNew SANS Report Finds Cyber Talent Crisis Isn't About Headcount. It's About Skills. | SANS InstitutewebNew SANS/GIAC study finds cybersecurity skills gap, not talent shortage, at core of workforce crisis - Industrial CyberwebSix Surprising Impacts of Automation on the Cybersecurity Workforce - SteelCloudmore_vertTwo great ways to build a more diverse cyb