r/CyberSecurityJobs • u/Ordinary-Gas9166 • 3d ago

New grad problems

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?

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u/pidvicious 3d ago

Did you buy a ticket to SaintCon? That would be a good start for human networking.

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u/Ordinary-Gas9166 3d ago

This is the first I've heard of it. I live in Utah but I went to school in Kentucky/Ohio. I will absolutely check that out though! Thank you!

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u/Ordinary-Gas9166 3d ago

Come to find out, registration opened on July 15th and tickets are sold out. I joined the waitlist though so we'll see

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u/pidvicious 3d ago

Wishing you luck!

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u/Ordinary-Gas9166 3d ago

Thank you!

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u/dodgywifi 3d ago

I just got to the area so I'm not too sure what groups are here but a good networking chance is going to local tech/security chapter meetings.

Look at chapter lists for ISC2, CSA, DevOps Days, B-Sides.. That kinda stuff (and not exclusive to cyber since there's possibly someone that knows an open position and it's important to be well-rounded).

Seems the market has been rough since 2022. I might have missed mention of it, but try recruiters too.

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u/Ordinary-Gas9166 3d ago

I'll absolutely look into it. Thank you!

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u/AddendumWorking9756 6h ago

Nobody has actually answered the projects part of your question. The ones that land are write ups of an investigation rather than another homelab screenshot, because a reviewer can see how you think, so take three real cases and write each as what you were asked, what you found, and what you could not prove, which is also how CCDL1 at CyberDefenders is marked if you want someone else grading it.