Cybersecurity is a booming field offering countless opportunities, but breaking into it can seem daunting, especially if you don’t have prior experience. This blog compiles insights from experts Julian Brownlow Davies, VP of the Advanced Services Group at Bugcrowd, and Trey Ford, Americas CISO. They cover practical tips and advice to help you navigate your entry into the cybersecurity world. Read on to discover actionable steps, from finding your starting point to leveraging transferable skills and choosing the right educational path.

Four tips for starting a security career

1. Find your starting point

Cybersecurity is a huge industry encompassing many disciplines. It’s important to find an entry point based on your interests and strengths.

“First, buy more coffee. Get out, network, and talk to people—buy them coffee. It’s cost-effective and time efficient. People do not hire resumes; they hire people. Have specific questions about entry-level roles, find out what their newest hires brought in terms of skills and experience that they’ve found most valuable, and nail down exactly what to learn and do to get ready. You can do this by connecting with local community organizations or volunteering for events like BSides, ISSA, ISACA, or OWASP. I also recommend that you unapologetically ask for feedback on your resume or introductions that can spur volunteer opportunities or internships to build hands-on experience in the community.”

“Start by aligning with your instincts, not just what’s in demand. If you’re methodical and policy-aware, GRC might be your lane. If you’re hands-on and thrive under pressure, SOC analysis or offensive security could be a better fit. Penetration testing suits people who enjoy creative problem-solving and learning how systems break. One powerful entry point is bug bounty because it requires no prior experience. It also rewards initiative and gives you a way to demonstrate real-world skill through published findings.”

2. Don’t get lost in the (certification) sauce

There is an overwhelming number of certifications out there—where do you even begin to narrow down which certifications to invest in? It can be tempting to invest in many certifications, but this approach would likely be a mistake.

“Certifications are expensive; experience doesn’t have to be. Reach out to folks in various types of roles, buy them coffee, and ask them what they require to do their job—what skills, training, product or technology experience, and endorsements they ask of new hires. Sitting with someone at a conference for five minutes and demonstrating your skills can go a lot further than getting a certification—especially if you’re showing off things you’ve built or accepted submissions via Bugcrowd.”

“One certification plus real output beats five certifications with no context every time. Certifications without direction often show confusion, not commitment. Pick a path and build around it. If you’re aiming for a pen testing role, choose something focused like eJPT or PNPT and combine it with hands-on work like CTFs, home labs, or bug bounty reports. Employers want proof you can apply your knowledge.”

3. Utilize transferable skills from non-cyber backgrounds

Just because you don’t have any formal cybersecurity training doesn’t mean that you don’t have the skills needed to succeed in the industry. Technical skills can be taught, but other more intangible skills can often be the most difficult ones to master.

“Any skill can be applicable to a cybersecurity role, as long as you can explain how it adds value to a specific role and team. It may surprise you to know that improv training might be one of my most valuable secret tools. It makes my meetings, briefings, and presentations more fun and memorable. It allows me to focus less on what I need to say and more on where the folks I’m connecting with are on their journeys. Experiential diversity is one of the greatest gifts to a team.”

“People with any technical curiosity can accelerate into offensive roles by building a portfolio that shows how they think. For example, customer support roles build resilience and communication skills, which are essential in incident response. Finance professionals understand risk, control, and compliance, making them well-suited for GRC. Educators bring clarity and structure, which translate into enablement, awareness, and documentation roles. Get creative—your skills likely have an application.”

4. Educate yourself based on how you learn best

It can be tricky to know if you should prioritize formal education, bootcamps, or self-paced platforms. When it comes to building foundational knowledge, it’s best to factor in the ways you learn best to maximize your time and energy.

“In my humble opinion, education and certifications are legal and regulatory risk transference tools. If you have a degree, went to a great school, and have specific certifications, these things de-risk the hiring process by making it easier to find pre-vetted, high-value candidates.  Cyber measures time to value and the lifetime impact of teams based upon a confluence of skills, attitude, and professional operating patterns. Aligning yourself with a great hiring manager and a healthy team that you met at a local conference or event sets you up to grow and excel over time—more so than a formal education would.”

“Choose based on how you learn best and how fast you want to move. Bootcamps offer structure and a quicker ramp for career switchers. Self-paced platforms like Hack The Box and TryHackMe are excellent for enhancing technical skills and let you learn by doing. Bug bounty and vulnerability disclosure programs take it a step further, enabling you to apply skills in real-world environments and build a public track record. Even one well-documented vulnerability report shows more initiative than a classroom transcript. Formal education still has value where degrees are required, but in technical roles, demonstrated skill is what gets you hired.”

A career in cybersecurity is a huge investment in yourself. To set yourself up for success, take advantage of the many opportunities available to you. A great place to start is hacking and offensive security testing through bug bounty programs and vulnerability disclosure programs. Start hacking with us today and learn marketable skills to jumpstart your career.