Chapter 8: Giving Back to Others and Yourself

Alright, so now we get to the part of your journey where you need to figure out what you need to do to continue developing and learning throughout your career. Up until this point, we have discussed different careers, how to get skills for those careers, and also helped you plan your way to getting that first cybersecurity job. However, the story continues even after you land the ideal job that you patiently and diligently worked so hard to get. 

This chapter is going to discuss what you need to do after your successful appointment, as well as things to look out for. When all your hard work pays off, that does not mean you stop working. However, you can take frequent breaks and start to settle into your career. It's time to start learning how you can continue your information security path in the direction that you desire. This chapter is written to help you understand how continuing your growth will help influence your success...

The "How-To" of public speaking

To begin this chapter, we will discuss topics to consider when it comes to public speaking or giving lectures to other cybersecurity enthusiasts. This entails submitting proposals to conferences and events that are based on relevant topics of interest to you, or research areas that you want to discuss with folks in the industry. This is a great way to teach yourself to still be a student, while also giving back and teaching others. It is also a great way to showcase yourself as a professional! Think of public speaking as a way to have a live resume, where you discuss your history as a cybersecurity professional, and also the topics that interest you.

Important note

There is an old saying that goes "To teach, one must maintain the mind of a student. A student continually learns and strives to obtain new knowledge. A teacher must do the same, but share that knowledge to enlighten those around them."

In information security...

What burnout is and how to avoid it

You know that feeling when you are passionate about something, and then you start to lose interest in it – even though you still really want to enjoy it? Often, this type of lifeless feeling can make us feel exhausted and be unable to participate in what we love. For example, perhaps you really love playing chess, but you have dived so deep into playing the game with no breaks that it has made you feel exhausted. Additionally, perhaps you have played through the exhaustion and used substances to help push through.

This example of the chess-playing scenario is an indicator of burnout. Burnout is a phase of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by extreme and extended stress over a period of time. It happens when you feel defeated, emotionally drained, and powerless to meet endless demands. In the case of the chess scenario, the game was played over a prolonged period of time, without any breaks. This could cause mental exhaustion...

Indicators of a toxic environment

Toxic work environments can leave you feeling tired, unfulfilled, or even worthless (harsh but true) when it comes to your professional and personal life. This tends to take a toll on us physically, and can even affect us mentally. In today's cyber work environment, it is easy to get overworked because there tends to always be a problem that needs solving, and never enough time to solve it:

Figure 8.3 – Toxicity

Toxicity in the workplace may not look like someone constantly yelling at you or giving you unrealistic deadlines. In fact, a lot of toxicity within the workplace is very subtle and may not even impact you in the way you think. The following are some indicators of a toxic work environment and how you can remove yourself professionally without burning any bridges. 

Exclusion and gossip 

We have learned over the years that there is no room for gossip within the workplace. This doesn't...

Summary

This chapter talked a lot about different things that we need to think about when speaking with others in a conference or mentor setting. As discussed, there are lots of ways to give back to the industry, and quite a few different roads to take when attempting to help others. Remember that it doesn't matter how you help or make a positive impact – it matters that at some point, you find your own way to make that positive impact.

The next section is going to discuss how you can trust yourself, the industry, and the overall process of getting into cybersecurity. Remember that your cyber career is not about the destination, it is about the journey!

Further reading

Refer to the following links for more information on the topics covered in this chapter:

• Avoiding burnout in cybersecurity: https://www.securitymagazine.com/blogs/14-security-blog/post/93890-five-tips-to-avoid-cybersecurity-burnout
• Cybersecurity conferences repository: https://github.com/santosomar/virtualseccons
• DEF CON: https://www.defcon.org/