Do you know Tracey Maleeff? In two words, she is one of the answers to your question if women can succeed in cyber security. Having been a librarian for ten years, her inquisitive nature and the field of cyber security attracted each other which led to her starting an information security company. However, not everyone takes the steps that she took because of asymmetric understanding and perceptions of this field of cyber security.
As a tech recruitment agency in Singapore, we want to be strong advocates for women in both cyber security and tech. It might not appear shocking to everyone reading this but the fact is, women are acutely under-represented in the cyber security workforce across the globe. While an old 2013 research puts the participation of women at 11% in the cyber security workforce globally, more recent research suggests that the number has gone up to about 20% in 2019. However, this level of participation is still particularly low. The good news is, you can do something about it.
At some point, unfortunately, it was true that companies hired candidates in tech in old traditional ways. These were a fixed set of job fairs and campus recruitment opportunities in engineering or management colleges that were dominated by men’s participation, when it came to cyber security. Now, the situation has changed, both in colleges and in the mindsets of recruiters. More women are now participating in technical and higher education than ever, thriving to excel in the cyber security workforce at an equal footing with their peers.
At the same time, recruiters have understood that it is not feasible to hire cyber security professionals conventionally. They’ve switched to more flexible qualification requirements and use of hiring experts like us to make the process of hiring more streamlined and smooth. Wondering if you need a degree in IT to join cyber security? The answer is No! Learn how to land a job in cyber security without a degree in Singapore.
You can head over to some of our IT job postings to see what fits your profile or if there’s any profile that you’d like to fit. Specially for all the women wanting to enter cyber security in Singapore, here are a few quick tips:
1. Join the #SGCyberWomen Community
If in Singapore, you’re in luck. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore has created a programme for girls and women in collaboration with industry partners to encourage participation and train more women to enter the cyber security workforce. In 2020, they also conducted an event on the occasion of International Women in Cyber Day 2020 to encourage more girls and women to enter this domain.
Even for those fairly ahead in their journey into cyber security in Singapore, there were career sharing sessions, CTF events and etc to give participants a flavour of what it is like to work in tech. The #SGCyberWomen webpage features a list of organisations and communities in Singapore that you can be a part of, in order to join cyber security.
2. Don’t be Intimidated by the Cyber Field
Forbes reports about how it is the case that most women feel intimidated by the cyber security field altogether. What has largely been a male dominated area of work, seems to require some extremely technical, “magical ability”. Over the years, a negative perception of cyber security jobs created has somehow ended in an assumption that these jobs are not suitable for women. However, that is not the case.
Even though you may find yourself somewhat struggling to find a job at the start, there are special programmes - especially in Singapore that help you accelerate. In truth, what you require to succeed in cyber security are some skills that need not even be all that technical. Even if you’re a fresher or someone looking to change paths mid-career, it is possible to do that without a lot of hassle.
If the idea of switching career paths sounds daunting. You may want to check out our article that highlights crucial career tips for candidates of every age.
3. Network, Network, and Network
Fortunately today, there are a growing number of women in leadership positions in the cyber security world, and also in Singapore. Seek their guidance and get to know their journeys but most importantly, get a variety of viewpoints and don’t be discouraged about starting your future in cyber security! If you’re in Singapore, you can find great events happening almost every week where you will have opportunities to learn deeper about tech and network with mentors at the same time. Network with women leaders in cyber security and tech on social media and professional platforms to grow your access to information that they may share about openings and opportunities in the field!
4. Look for Internal Opportunities to Begin With
Whether you’re in a tech-company or not, there may be cyber security related roles within the organisation that you’re already working at. Cyber security awareness, technical writing, compliance, security management etc. are some areas that you might want to explore internally. This helps you understand cyber security holistically with a familiar organisational background and also ensures a smooth transition without a difficult environment to adjust in.
In the other event that you’re a fresher, you can start by attending events, browsing job postings and speaking to other professionals to know what skills does it take to land a job in your interest area or just to figure out your interest area as well. Even better for Singaporeans reading this, there are many opportunities and incentives like MySkillsFuture, Smart Nation Scholarship and other industry scholarships from Mastercard and etc to bridge the gender divide and get more women like you to be interested and succeed in cyber security and other tech roles.
With our years of experience of working in the recruitment space with an expertise in technology and cyber security, BGC Group understands that skills trump everything else. We hope that you find the above tips helpful in your process of learning and be more interested in exploring the field of tech!
Even as an enthusiast or someone from a completely unrelated educational background can perfectly fit into a cyber security role because non-technical roles exist - for as long as you’re curious and a problem solver, you can pick up the skills from multiple places. More information on BGC Group’s tech recruitment services can be found here.