Specialist vs Generalist

All the best!!

Hello @KevinP just curious, how old r u now? actually to me, any job is fine so long as u r happy in it and can provide for yourself and family. it really voice to whether the salary drawn can meet your needs, comfortable lifestyle or high end.

In cybersecurity sector, there's not really a generalist role as you will still be required to perform specific tasks. For example, if you are a technical person who likes to perform web penetration test, then you will be thrown tasks in that extend. some pple like it, but have to sacrifice your sleep at times as you will need to do these tests after office hours or wee hours.

it's a challenging industry but sweetness is you will be compensated fairly good, i would say much better than a typical IT role. Not trying to put down roles such as system administrator or DBA, but a cybersecurity expert is on high demand now as their skill sets is much better.

Hope above helps.

I will not really say that there are no "generalists" though the search now is more for people with specialised skillsets (at least to me). Cyber security do need some more "general" skills when deciding what and how to protect.

Starting from the angle of analysing what is needed, you need to understand what is it that you need to protect since realistically, you cannot protect it and there are practical considerations too in balancing the different needs. And this is an area where a specialist might not be too good or interested in as they may be more active in their specific areas, but is essential to business?ÿis since everyone has limited resources.

looking at your considerations, it's almost everyone's desire to retire at 65 and pay for kids' education. I would recommend you to find a more stable job instead, new job comes with new challenges, r u up for it? If ur answer is NO then just settle for a typical stable job. Cyber security jobs have different angles/areas, find something that suits your liking and hope it will last you through.

Hey @Living soul, I'm on the wrong side of 30 and have kinda reached a plateau where my current career is concerned. The irony is that my present portfolio has introduced me to this exciting industry and I'm certain that this new path may lead to a comfortable lifestyle for myself and family. I don't need high end...not sure how much is the starting salary range for a junior associate but I know I cannot command what I'm presently drawing without the needed expertise.

@Kenneth lee, appreciate your comment. My plan is so get started with networking fundamentals and then get CCNA.?ÿThereafter, I hope someone offers me an associate level role to jump start my career here. Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

Hi @mandyplayhard, thanks for taking time to respond to my inquiry. I believe in this new economy, there is no more "stable job" per se unless you are a scholar with the public sector and have your path charted out for you. Unfortunately, I'm not 1 of those and have to work hard like everyone else to put food on the table for my family and yes, I'm prepared to earn my stripes. I've got about 10 years of working experience in my industry and know nothing comes easy.

I'm still doing research on areas of specialization within InfoSec but do not enjoy the technical aspects (no offence to anyone) - though needful but know that I can contribute?ÿwhere management is concerned.

Do u have any suggestions on where I should start and develop my skills?

Thanks!