SOFIA MERIDA
HOW TO MAKE A MIDCAREER MOVE INTO CYBERSECURITY by Sofia Merida, Zscaler’s ANZ Sales Engineer
Is it possible to switch from telecommunications engineering to cybersecurity on the fly? Yes, if you’re prepared to step out of your comfort zone, says Zscaler’s ANZ Sales Engineer, Sofia Merida.
Once the ugly duckling of the ICT sector,
sustained shortage of personnel. Here in Australia
cybersecurity has risen to prominence in recent
we’ll need an additional 17,000 cybersecurity workers
times. Highly publicised phishing and ransomware
by 2026, according to AustCyber. With the COVID
attacks have raised public awareness about the
pandemic keeping the borders effectively sealed
importance of securing systems and data. Business
to skilled migrants in all but a handful of areas for
leaders have collectively come to the realisation tools
the foreseeable future, plugging the skills gap with
and technologies that improve their organisations’
imported talent is not an option. Higher education
cybersecurity posture aren’t just a ‘nice to have’, and
institutions are doing their bit to create a talent
shouldn’t be seen as a grudge purchase.
pipeline—recent years have seen the launch of a
As a result, cybersecurity is finally enjoying some long overdue time in the sun. The market is buoyant and, perhaps not surprisingly, it’s suffering from a
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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE
string of certificates, diplomas and qualifications—but job openings look set to outnumber applicants, for the next few years, at least.
