Celebrate the Small Victories Along the Journey to Your First Cybersecurity Job
The journey towards your cybersecurity career can be an arduous one. It takes time and a lot of effort to self-educate, credentialize, network, apply and interview for roles. That makes it important to celebrate the small victories.
After an achievement like, passing a certification exam, you might be tempted to immediately begin studying for the next certification. After all, the internet is full of memes and motivational quotes proclaiming that success comes to those who hustle 24/7. While you can do that for short sprints, it's not sustainable in the long run. Instead celebrate the small victories. They’re milestones on your journey.
The road to your first cybersecurity job can be long—and at times disappointing—so make sure you celebrate your successes along the way.
When you complete a training course, allow yourself to reflect on the accomplishment. You’re succeeding in educating yourself. You are one of the fortunate people, who is pursuing a new career pathway fueled by ambition, curiosity and a willingness to learn. Tell someone close to you about your latest accomplishment and accept their congratulations.
After passing a certification exam take the rest of the day off. Relax with a movie or catch up on your favorite show (that you’ve undoubtedly missed due to all your studying). Order your favorite meal and decompress.
Each new certification is a badge for the world to see, demonstrating your newly acquired cybersecurity skills. Post those certifications to your LinkedIn profile and accept the congratulations, which follow.
As your start to get cybersecurity job interviews allow yourself to bask in the moment. In 2018, on average, 12% of candidates who applied for jobs were asked for an interview. Getting an interview is an achievement. After all, companies offer jobs to about one in four people they interview.
The biggest celebration is reserved for when you receive and accept a job offer. Do something significant to celebrate that milestone. The road to your first cybersecurity job can be long—and at times disappointing—so make sure you celebrate your successes along the way. It’s these little accomplishments along the way that define your experience, not just the goal at the end. Treat yourself.