By Inumidun Aofolaju
If someone told me I would get to this level of progress in furthering my career as a cybersecurity
professional, I would laugh. Let’s start from the very beginning. I started my freshman year on a clean
slate. I didn’t have much exposure to the resources and the people that are currently in my professional
network. The more exposure I got from my major, information technology, the more I realized that I need
to put myself out there. So for those who feel as though they are not ready to jumpstart into their desired
career; I recommend you put yourself on the frontlines because you can’t continue to watch from the
sidelines forever. I took a variety of classes in my major and electives that helped me navigate through
what I wanted to do as a career. With the factor of the good relationships I had with my professors and my
academic efforts, there were opportunities for me to get an internship and even receive a full-time job
post-graduation.
During your time in college, you should start a resume. A resume is very helpful because this is how
recruiters can really see your experience and our efforts for the job that they may have for you. My
following recommendations will assist you in how you will reach the target that you are aiming for. As I
stated before, start that resume ASAP! This should be your main focus. If you’re a freshman, any work
experience should be placed on your resume. But as you go up in classification, there must be work
experiences/volunteer experiences that are related to your major. I recommend creating a Linkedin
profile. By doing so, you are building and enhancing your network throughout your time in college. I
advise you to use keywords when describing work experience or anything on your resume. This allows
recruiters to find you in their search engine. If you are looking to get an experience in your major. Take
the time to research the companies you want to intern at. I suggest creating a file with all the deadlines for
internships, join a community whether discord or GroupMe, and ask your peers. You never know the
work you put in might land you in.
Just remember, you’re going to have to start somewhere.
Things don’t just get there automatically. Everything takes time and effort. So, as you’re in college, take this time to really think about what you want to do and the decisions you’re going to make to get that position. Personally, my experience at Towson University was very interesting. I started not knowing anything about what I wanted to do, but later on I decided to step out of my comfort zone. Along the way, I found it very easy to make
connections and move on forward according to the pace that I wanted to move.
You might be wondering, “How do I have this mindset?” Well it’s all about finding your niche. What are the things that you are passionate about? Who are you becoming? How can your major assist you on that? Not everyone is going to have the same goals, but it’s all about what you want for yourself. I would say that getting to this point
in my career started off with reflection. I took everything that I’ve learned thus far in my major and put
them to use. For example, I went to career fairs, resume workshops, and I reached out to my professors.
Speaking of professors, they see the effort you make in class.
Speaking from experience, the result you want from a class determines the effort you’ll put in. If you only want to take a class for credit then that’sthe effort you’ll put in. However, if you want to take a professional certification or grow your skills in the field you want to pursue, then that’s the effort you’ll put in. I currently have a technical certification. I asked questions, I set up office hours with my professor, and spoke outside of the class in terms of
professional goals. Your time, effort, and determination never gets overlooked. I did not and now I’m
walking on the path that I want to pursue in my career as a cybersecurity professional. I haven’t graduated
yet and I already have opportunities for my post-grad.
With the questions of “where am I going? And how do I get there?” I’ll give you the answers. You won’t
know where you are going because this is not a race, but only a journey. The first steps you make will
only give you a path. The path you take is on you. The decisions you make help you find where you will
go. Find your niche in your major and that will take you very far. Getting to the destination varies, but put
yourself out there and you will succeed.