If you’re a student trying to break into cybersecurity or IT, you’re probably hearing a lot of noise. Everyone has an opinion on the “right” path — which certifications to get, which companies to target, which roles to avoid. It can feel like if you don’t make the perfect move early on, you’ll fall behind.
That pressure is unnecessary. Careers in this field are built over time, and some of the most valuable lessons don’t come from the most obvious places.
I often attend hackathons and other student-focused events as a mentor or sponsor, and I tend to hear the same questions come up again and again. While I wish I could spend 15 minutes one-on-one with every student who asks, this post is my attempt to share the advice I find myself giving most often, in one place, for anyone who might find it helpful.
Don’t Obsess Over Big Tech Right Away
One of the biggest misconceptions I see is the idea that you need to land a job at a large, well-known tech company right out of the gate. While those roles can be great, they’re not the only (or even the best) way to start learning.
Smaller MSPs and MSSPs often give early-career professionals exposure to a wide range of environments very quickly. You’re not just learning one tool or one system; you’re seeing how different organizations operate, what breaks, and how teams respond when it does.
In many cases, smaller firms allow you to:
- Touch real systems earlier in your career
- Learn across networking, identity, cloud, endpoint, and security
- Understand how security decisions affect real businesses
Certifications Are Helpful, But They Aren’t Everything
Certifications can absolutely help. They show initiative, discipline, and a willingness to learn. But they are not a requirement for success, and they are not worth going into debt for.
You don’t need to collect certifications just to prove you belong. In fact, one or two well-chosen certifications often go much further than a long list.
A healthy way to think about certifications:
- Use them to support learning, not replace it
- Take advantage of student discounts or employer sponsorship when possible
- Avoid spending hundreds or thousands just to pad a resume
Experience, curiosity, and communication will always matter more in the long run.
Showcase What You Explore on Your Own
One of my favorite questions to ask students is: What do you do when you’re bored at home?
The answer usually tells me more than any transcript or certification ever could.
Whether it’s a home lab, a cloud project, scripting, blogging, or breaking and rebuilding systems just to see how they work, projects show genuine curiosity. They don’t have to be perfect or polished. They just need to be yours.
If you’re working on passion projects, make sure you can:
- Explain what you were trying to learn
- Talk about what didn’t work
- Share what you’d do differently next time
That reflection is often more impressive than the project itself.
Every Job Is a Security Job
You do not need to start in a role with “Security” in the title to build a career in cybersecurity.
Roles like helpdesk, IT support, system administration, and IT operations teach you how technology is actually used in the real world. That operational understanding is critical.
These roles help you learn:
- How users really behave (not how policies assume they behave)
- How systems are configured under real-world constraints
- Why security controls sometimes conflict with business needs
A LinkedIn Profile Is a Must
If you’re entering tech, LinkedIn is part of your professional toolkit. You don’t need to be an influencer or post constantly, but your profile should clearly communicate who you are and what you’re working toward.
At a minimum, your LinkedIn should:
- Reflect what you’re studying or learning
- Highlight projects, internships, labs, or volunteer work
- List tools, technologies, and areas of interest
Recruiters and hiring managers will look you up. Make it easy for them to understand you.
So now what?
Breaking into cybersecurity isn’t about finding a shortcut or checking every box as fast as possible. It’s about building momentum, learning broadly, getting into the field, staying curious, and making intentional decisions over time.
You don’t need a perfect start. You just need to start.
Last updated: January 20, 2026
