Finding your first job in any field is often a challenge. But your first job in cybersecurity? With no previous experience? That may seem impossible, but it’s not. According to the (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2020, the cybersecurity workforce needs to grow by 89% to effectively defend organizations’ critical assets; however, that doesn’t mean jobs are easy to find for all eager applicants. Organizations can often set their expectations unrealistically high, making it hard to fill these roles. A cybersecurity hire doesn’t necessarily need to have previous experience to be the right fit for the position. There are many skills and personality traits that, when combined, create an excellent candidate for entry- or early career-level cybersecurity positions. Passion for learning,

To provide transparency with the association, (ISC)² provides a quarterly update for members and candidates where we report on the latest developments at (ISC)². Following our board meetings, our CEO, Clar Rosso, and (ISC)² Board of Directors Chairperson, Zachary Tudor, CISSP, recap the latest association developments. The 2021 Q3 update included membership milestones (including 10,000 CCSP members worldwide!), association accreditations and new executive leadership announcements focused on member benefits and advocacy. Zach and Clar also discuss what (ISC)² is doing to continue to address global diversity, equity and inclusion in cybersecurity, as well as the workforce gap.  You can view previous quarterly updates, as well as the latest Q3 update at https://www.isc2.org/Membership/ISC2-Insights.

The cybersecurity industry is struggling with a 3.1 million worldwide skills gap, so the need to attract people to the profession is acute. But closing the gap is no easy task, and getting young people interested in the field is challenging. Innovative ideas to attract would-be cybersecurity professionals are always welcome. One such idea involves a collaboration by TikTok and the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). The initiative, the US Cyber Games, is designed to awaken interest among young people by having budding cybersecurity professionals face off in an esports-like competition. The US Cyber Games started in May with the US Cyber Open, during which nearly 700 aspiring cybersecurity professionals aged 18 to 26 competed for two weeks

The duties of the CEO of a member association like (ISC)² are many, and part of the job is to be a strong voice for the membership in advocating for the cybersecurity profession. Clar Rosso took on that responsibility when she was appointed in October 2020. Ever since, she’s been representing the more than 160,000 current cybersecurity practitioners who have earned (ISC)² membership. In addition to meeting with members and presenting to global (ISC)² Chapters, speaking on panels and attending online conferences, Clar has also conducted dozens of press interviews to bring more visibility to the profession and has hosted webinar events that explore some of the most pertinent topics for practitioners regarding workforce recruitment and retention and diversity. Following are

The vast majority of cybersecurity chiefs (93%) do not report to the CEO, according to a recently published report. As a result, a lack of communication between the C-suite and cybersecurity leaders keeps top executives largely in the dark about their organizations' cybersecurity risks and overall security posture. The report, published by LogRhythm and based on research by the Ponemon Institute, polled 1,426 security and technology leaders. “On average, respondents are three levels away from the CEO, which makes it very difficult to ensure that leadership has an accurate and complete understanding of security risks facing the organization,” the report says. Company executives aren’t as focused on security as they should be, instead letting security leaders shoulder most of the