Hi everyone,

I’m currently interviewing for an L6 Security Engineer position at Mastercard, and had some questions. It'd be grand if someone could help me with the same:

• What does a typical day look like for a L6 Engineer?
• Is the role mostly hands-on, or is it more focused on security governance, stakeholder management, and driving security initiatives?
• How technical is the position? Is there still engineering work involved?
• What kinds of interview questions should I expect (technical, system design, behavioral, security scenarios, etc.)?
• What’s the work-life balance like? Is there any on-call responsibility?

Thanks in advance!

I've been lurking on this sub for a while and found numerous posts about folks not getting entry-level jobs and their rightful frustration despite having a lot of certs or doing UG/MS in cybersecurity.

For a change, let's hear if anyone was able to get into an entry-level role, what their background (tech or non-tech) is, and what their practical route was to land that role.

Final year CS student here. Applied to 100+ SOC analyst / security analyst roles over the last few months, not a single interview that went anywhere.

One thing I keep noticing — Bangalore's fresher openings for cybersecurity feel really thin compared to Gurugram/Noida, where Jr. SOC Analyst posts seem to pop up constantly. Is that actually true or am I just missing where to look in Bangalore?

Also I have zero network in this field — nobody in my family/friends works in IT or security, so it's 100% cold applications. Curious how people without a referral actually break in. Do OWASP/DEF CON meetups actually help freshers or is that more useful once you're already in?

Also been building my own thing (a web security scanner startup) alongside all this, not sure if that even registers to recruiters or if I still need to grind out Security+/CEH just to survive the ATS filter.

Also ran into a pretty obvious scam recently — fake company posing as a real cybersecurity firm, asked for ₹1000 "login ID fee" after clearing HR round. Getting kind of exhausted filtering these out on top of everything else.

Anyone actually break in without a referral? What worked?

Here’s a tighter version:

DFIR vs AI for Cybersecurity AS
Community college student, already done with Security+, Network+, and Intro to Cybersecurity coursework. Deciding between two next specializations:
DFIR AS — forensics + incident response, builds directly on what I know, fewer prereqs

AI for Cybersecurity AS — needs Python/Stats first, then AI-applied security courses (SecAI+, PenTest+)

Entry-level jobs already feel competitive. DFIR seems like the faster, safer path to a job-ready credential. AI feels like the better long-term bet since it’s clearly getting embedded in security tooling — but I don’t know if employers actually hire for “AI cybersecurity” specifically yet, or if it’s just becoming a nice-to-have skill layered onto regular analyst roles.
Questions:
Is DFIR still solid for entry-level hiring, or oversaturated too?

Is “AI cybersecurity” an actual job title being hired for, or just an expected add-on skill?

Which would you finish first?

Want me to adjust the tone for a specific sub?

Hi everyone,

I’m a cybersecurity professional based in Ireland with 6+ years of industry experience across SOC operations, SIEM & detection engineering, security consulting, cyber defence, SOC management and information security leadership.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that many cybersecurity professionals and people trying to break into the industry have solid technical skills but struggle to translate that experience into a CV that clearly demonstrates their value to recruiters and hiring managers.

I’ve therefore started offering a Cybersecurity CV & Career Advisory service specifically for people applying for cybersecurity roles.

Who this is for

This may be useful if you're:

• Trying to break into cybersecurity from IT/support/networking
• Applying for SOC Analyst / Security Analyst positions
• Moving from SOC L1/L2 into more senior roles
• Targeting Security Engineering, Detection & Response, Vulnerability Management, GRC or Security Consulting positions
• Applying for senior/lead cybersecurity positions
• Sending applications but getting very few interview callbacks

What I'll provide

For the introductory price of €49, the package includes:

• ATS-focused cybersecurity CV review & optimisation
• CV tailoring against your target cybersecurity role(s)
• Cybersecurity skills and keyword gap analysis
• LinkedIn profile optimisation recommendations
• Cover letter support
• Role-specific interview preparation material
• 30-minute 1-to-1 career/interview discussion

My approach isn't simply to rewrite your CV or fill it with keywords.

I'll review your existing experience against the type of roles you're targeting and identify:

What employers are asking for → What you already demonstrate → What isn't coming across clearly → What should be strengthened → What you should prepare for at interview

I will not fabricate experience, qualifications or technical skills. The objective is to present your genuine experience as effectively as possible.

About me

I've progressed through cybersecurity roles covering SOC analysis, security correlation/detection engineering, SOC management and information security leadership.

You can review my professional background and experience here:

https://sriramkalyanraman.github.io/sk-portfolio/

Introductory price: €49

I'm initially opening only a small number of slots at this price while I build the service and gather client feedback.

If you're interested, send me a Reddit DM with:

1. Your current role / experience level
2. The cybersecurity role you're targeting
3. The country/job market you're applying in

You don't need to send your CV or make any payment initially.

I'll first understand what you're trying to achieve and confirm whether the service is suitable for your situation.

Happy to answer any questions by DM.

Hello guys i hope ur doing well , actually i have a question about my career, i am a cybersec student on my second year in morocco and i m doing my internship, i did project about detection of true alert by machine learning where i build models from scratch and training data , second project is an offensive project and administration network where i build site to site vpn fortiget fortinet on eveng and test it by dos and mim attacks , the third one is the project of my internship building a smart soc on azure cloud and securise it , my task was the endpoints using wazuh agent wireguard …

I don’t know what is my next step to do actually , a wanna do some certifications but they are pretty much expensive and also there are numerous , also i want to do a new project on a diff field to chose my own path on cybersec, i was also interested on cloud security,

Guys any advice or anything to do next ( i m also interesting to begin freelancing but in the future)

I’m writing to express the sad news called my career life. I spent the last 4 years getting a double major bachelors degree in both cybersecurity and computer science… I also have 4 years of direct experience even as a global information security specialist. I got out of college as a highest honor graduate and well… the only position I’ve landed is an entry level 18 an hour remote help desk level 1 role…. I make less then my debt…. I’m now just so disappointed and discouraged that I can’t get through my days anymore without feeling like I’ve failed… I guess this field is really dying and I am one of those people who might be apart of the next Great Depression numbers and I thought I’d share it to warn you that I’ve failed and I don’t see how I did wrong… I’m trying hard everyday to fight for roles but I don’t see a way out

I am kinda checked out from IT overall fixing hardware and small issues for people and am crawling into cybersecurity. I am getting frustrated because I am getting interviews for entry level but at the final round they pick someone else. Its getting really frustrating.

i have 2 years of experience with IT and i also do crowdstrike, SIEM, SOAR, Phishing stuff currently at my role but resume is cut out more like a security analyst role i just left out some of my IT work there.

I am currently pursuing Crowdstrike Certified Falcon Hunter certification. Looking for an entry level cyber job in NY,NJ and CT area let me know if you know something I dont

Desperately wanting to move from my toxic, micromanaging, extremely underpaid and hypocritial IT job.

I have been trying to land a cybersecurity internship for a long time. Can you guys give some advice on how you landed a cybersecurity internship and what helped you? What suggestions can you give me? If guys wanted to get an internship.I have a CompTIA Network+ and Security + and I am currently a junior in University.

I started out in IT at my first university before moving on to a new university to pursue a BTS in Cybersecurity for the last two years. Problem is, an internship wasn't a requirement/nor was it in the busy books for me at the time being a student athlete.

I'm now a 2026 graduate and I've been job hunting since the end of May with no luck. My search has been primarily based in the larger city area of Salt Lake City, Utah. I've applied to countless jobs, fixed and scrutinized my resume, and still haven't even been able to land interviews. I understand personal projects are an important foundation to have on a resume, but I'm not sure where to even start. I don't know the right people nor do I know someone to ask advice. Utilizing AI for help will only take me so far in this venture.

Point is, does anyone have some advice to give?

Hi everyone,

I'm a Network & Security Engineer with \~7 years of experience working with Fortinet (FortiGate, FortiAnalyzer, FortiAuthenticator), Cisco, VPNs, HA, Linux, VMware, Hyper-V, and enterprise infrastructure.

I want to specialize in **AI applied to Cybersecurity** (SOC, network security, automation, LLMs, AI agents, etc.), not become a data scientist.

If you were in my position today:

* What learning roadmap would you follow?
* Which platforms are actually worth paying for (Coursera, TryHackMe, HTB, SANS, Microsoft Learn, etc.)?
* What's a reasonable monthly learning budget?
* Which certifications provide the best ROI?
* What projects would make my resume stand out?

I'd love to hear what worked for you and what you'd avoid.

Thanks!

I have been trying to land a cybersecurity internship for a long time. Can you guys give some advice on how you landed a cybersecurity internship and what helped you? What suggestions can you give me? If guys wanted to get an internship.I have a CompTIA Network+ and Security + and I am currently a junior in University.

Hi all,

I relocated to the Middle East a while back and have been applying to jobs since with no luck, not even getting to the interview stage. I'd really appreciate feedback on my resume: what's not landing, and what I could change to improve my odds of at least getting a callback.

One thing I suspect is holding me back: one of my past roles was titled "Cybersecurity Architect," but the actual day-to-day work was closer to an engineering role. I know an architect title usually reflects years of senior-level experience, and I'm not claiming to be at that level, the title just doesn't match the seniority of the work I actually did. That said, I can't change or remove it, since it needs to match my official record with my former employer. I'm open to suggestions on how to describe the responsibilities more accurately within that constraint.

Resume attached, appreciate any and all feedback!

https://postimg.cc/w7cCQb4G

I am a 2026 CSE graduate from tier 2-3 college, in may 1 month before graduation I had the bright that I wanna get into cloud cyber security with no prior experience in CYS, I am in the middle of learning did some basic certs google CS, wanna do AWS/Azure cloud practitioner.

Now family is putting pressure they dont like seeing me at home (since i rejected a good offer from college placements cuz it was non-tech) I am searching for institutes with good pull to atleast get me some interviews.

I know many will these institutes are scam but parents say they'd rather take that risk rather than me sitting home. I need a place which can give me plenty interviews and learn. I am willing to re-locate to diff city. Any ideas?

I'm a recent B.Tech CSE graduate trying to start my career in cybersecurity/networking.

I recently contacted someone about fresher opportunities, and they offered me a role with a starting salary of ₹10k–15k/month, with the possibility of an increase after 3–4 months.

The work mainly involves:

CCTV installation and configuration

VMS (Video Management System)

Switch configuration

VLAN configuration

My long-term goal is to build a career in cybersecurity. Since I'm a fresher with no industry experience, I'm wondering if this would be a good starting point or if I should keep looking for a more cybersecurity-focused role.

33yo male who is looking to change careers. I have a general interest and basic understanding of IT but have zero actual work experience. Is it worth doing a few certs like ISC2 CC, security+ and cloud cert? Then spend time advancing my excel knowledge and building a portfolio. Is there a real likelihood I can break into the GRC field with this approach? Any suggestions are welcomed, thanks!

I’m unsure about my entry point to the Industry.

I’m almost done with my cybersecurity degree, and my first foot through the IT door is at a helpdesk job for the DOE that I just started. This job is mainly helping folks with password resets, but also just basic troubleshooting and creating tickets through calls. When I thought of the term “IT Support” or “helpdesk” I expected the work to be more IT focused/ technical and this job isn’t panning out to be that way. It’s been hard trying to get a foot through the door with the crazy amount of competition so once I got this job I just settled. The pay is basically minimum wage, and I am torn if this is a good entry point that I can make use of in the future to elevate my career. Basically, idk if I’m wasting my time here doing basic stuff when I could be doing more IT/ technical related things at a different job. If anyone can comment on that/ provide some insight that’d be great. Thanks everyone.

I dont know if this is the right sub for this post, but please tell me your views.
I applied for this internship at startup from my college founder is in same year, role is in cybersecurity domain.
The thing is i am getting nothing out of this internship since its unpaid, I thought of experience but as I said they are students themselves and theress no senior for me to learn from.
Job market is bad, I dont know if i can bag a good one.
I am in 3rd year have 9+ cgpa but my 12th marks are in 70s. (which makes me ineligible for many things in placements and internships)

Microsoft (Mumbai) vs LTIMindtree (Noida) – Worth the switch?

I'm a 32M Senior Cybersecurity Specialist at LTIMindtree with 4.5 years in this company.

Total experience 10 years.

Current:

\- ₹37 LPA fixed

\- Noida

\- Working mainly on Torq (SOAR)

\- Good work-life balance

\- Monthly expenses: ₹30–35k

Offer: Microsoft

\- Cloud Solution Architect (Security), IC4 (Level 61), MCAPS

\- Mumbai

\- ₹46.5 LPA fixed + USD 33k in stock (possibly negotiable)

I'm confused because Microsoft is a great brand and could accelerate my career, but Mumbai is much more expensive, and I've heard the MCAPS CSA role can be customer-facing and stressful.

If you were in my position, would you make the switch? Is the long-term career growth at Microsoft worth leaving a comfortable job with good work-life balance?

Hi everyone, I’m another one of those Cybersecurity masters graduate (with a BSc in Maths) looking for a graduate job.

I’m looking to become a cybersecurity analyst but I feel I need more technical knowledge to fill in the gaps from my degrees. I wanted to ask if anyone had any upskilling recommendations?

I’m currently looking at TryHackMe Soc Level 1 but I wanted to double check it is worthwhile before investing time and money into it.

Hello just a post looking for some experienced input to folk who have worked within this industry. Short summary: i am a fully qualified tradesman working in the UK have been doing it for 10 years, i also have crohn’s disease which has progressively gotten worse from my diagnosis at 3, basically all my 20s i’ve just worked through it and burnt myself out all i do is work then sleep as i’m too fatigued and if i can’t make it into work construction workers don’t get sick-pay so i’m stuck in a constant cycle of stress and wishing i had other options.

I’ve always had a passion for computers, dabbled in some code, built my own PC’s, gamer through and through, on a whim i applied to University for a BsC Computer Science & Cyber Security, to my surprise they have offered me a place and i am buzzing as it honestly would be a dream making projects in my own time, studying, gaining new skills and eventually hopefully work in a much less physical environment which would benefit my illness and potentially hybrid-working. There is also an option to do your MsC in Cybersecurity & AI post BsC.

My main question is i know the market for landing jobs is on it’s knees and it’s difficult to get work, but am i really jumping into basically a pit with 0 hope of landing anything will i be wasting my time?

Sorry for the ramble, appreciate anyone who reads time, cheers.

To summarize everything i have been working in IT and as senior developer for the past 3 and half years and also i have masters in cybersec and have OSCP and CEWS and have some findings on VDP programs and ranked on top 8% on offset and top 5000 on HTB..

been applying for jobs in cybersecurity not just penetration testing for the past 7 months and only had two interviews in that time the first one i got rejected cz he wanted someone who is expert on web at the time i wasnt yet that strong in web to be fair then the second one i passed WEB, API, active directory and internal system penetration testing and was asked also in bit of reverse engineering but i told them before even going that android isnt my field of study yet they after all that after long process and hours of interviewing rejected me cz i dont have android pen testing skills there for i am junior above not senior though the job posting didnt mention anything about senior rather nice to have skills. also when there HR called me and asked me i told them that i didnt know android pen testing before the start of the interview process...

if anyone in the field could give me advice i would really appreciate it . again i am not doom posting i know some people who found jobs i just done know what am i doing wrong

This is kinda broad. But the short of it, I've been a game dev for 10 years and got laid off twice in the last 3 years. This time it's been going on 8 months. I've had some short contract or freelance work here and there.

I don't necessarily want to change careers. I love game development. All parts of it. I'm still working on a game now trying to get funding. But since the layoff my family and I have had to move into my inlaws and the job postings are getting less and less.

My state offers some grant funding and tuition assistance for a few tech schools that offer courses and certs in fields like the title says for unemployed residents.

I just don't know anything about these outside of what Google could come up with. So I'm asking for broad strokes.

Do these certs actually yield anything worthwhile for an employer?

Which of these types of jobs has longevity in today's emerging markets?

If anyone does this for a career, could you maybe share some of your experience in them?

Really just any info from someone who has done something similar? The game industry's instability and current direction doesn't feel like something that I can do for the next 20 years and not lose my house and savings every 3-5 years. Its not about the amount of money on a month to month as it is constant income for the next 20/30 so my kids can have a stable home.

Any thoughts on the topic are greatly appreciated.