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The cybersecurity industry offers a rare blend of technical challenge, strong financial potential, and meaningful real-world impact.
More and more women are making an impact in this traditionally male-dominated industry. In 2024, for example, women comprised 22% of the cybersecurity workforce – up significantly from 11% in 2017.
This signals that while there are still existing barriers, there is a growing wealth of opportunities for women in cybersecurity.
If you’re a woman looking to enter this booming industry, this guide provides a practical roadmap for how to break into the scene with clarity, confidence, and support.
Breaking In: Skills, Roles, and Resources
Here, we discuss how to find suitable roles, develop applicable skills, connect with mentors and the community, and navigate the unique challenges in cybersecurity to help you launch a rewarding and sustainable career.
Understand the Landscape Before Jumping In
You might be tempted to dive straight into certifications or online bootcamps. However, first understand that, contrary to common misconception, “cybersecurity” is not a single job.
It covers an enormous range of disciplines: network security, cloud security, incident response, threat intelligence, governance, risk management, and compliance, just to name a few.
The technical and analytical skills each path demands can vary immensely. So before committing time and effort into training, research what appeals to you the most:
Drawn to problem-solving and incident response? Consider security operations.
Enjoy writing policies and analyzing risk? Governance or compliance might suit you better.
Love data? Threat intelligence or machine learning for security could be your niche.
Then, to get a clearer picture of the day-to-day tasks, look at real job descriptions.
A Security Operations Center (SOC) analyst might spend a day monitoring alerts and investigating incidents.
Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) specialists focus on frameworks and documentation that keep companies audit-ready.
Cloud security engineers are the ones behind services like AWS or Azure, ensuring they are properly configured and protected.
And while opportunities are growing, the truth is that culture and representation are still catching up; in fact, around 1-in-10 cybersecurity teams have no women, and almost 30% of women also feel discriminated against in the field.
You just might be the only woman on your team, and anti-woman bias still runs amok. Being aware of such realities helps proactively seek support and community, for despite these problems, many people are also still out there willing to help you.
Build a Learning Path That Works for You
Once you have a sense of what you want to pursue within the industry, it’s time to start shaping your learning path.
Cybersecurity is a technically demanding field, and the landscape can feel overwhelming at first, so don’t expect instant mastery. Start small, focus on foundational concepts, and take it step by step.
Fortunately, there is a wealth of free resources online to get you started, such as:
TryHackMe
Cybrary
OpenSecurityTraining
These programs go through the core basics of cybersecurity. Consider going through them before investing in paid courses and certifications, like:
CompTIA Security+ – focusing on foundational concepts such as access control and threat analysis.
Certified Cybersecurity Entry-Level Technician (CCET) – network and system security.
ISC²’s Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) – broad exposure to both technical and policy aspects, helping beginners explore multiple paths.
If you already have targeted roles, consider, for example:
Getting certifications such as AWS Certified Security – Specialty or Microsoft Certified: Security Engineer Associate for cloud-focused positions.
Learning NIST, ISO 27001, and GDPR frameworks for overnance, compliance, or risk management jobs.
If you’re looking for women-centric cybersecurity learning resources, the following are also available:
Women in CyberSecurity’s (WiCyS) Free Online Learning Page
CyberSN’s Resources for Women in Cybersecurity
Women4Cyber, an EU initiative offering online learning resources, career‑development materials, and support for women in cyber roles.
Like with anything in tech, however, things are constantly evolving – but it’s arguably more applicable to cybersecurity. Threats, tools, and frameworks change regularly, and cybercriminals and cybersecurity are constantly trying to outsmart one another.
No matter what role you're gunning for, adaptation is critical.
Leverage Your Transferable Skills
However, cybersecurity isn’t limited to technical specialists.
Cybersecurity companies hire professionals from IT support, project management, communications, finance, and research all the time, even those without coding experience.
If you have such skills, you can use them to get into the field – or even as a stepping stone into more technical roles while you train. After all, many of these softer skills are adjacent or transferable to cybersecurity-specific demands:
Project management experience directly translates to risk management, documentation, and operational oversight.
Tech support skills provide familiarity with system behavior under stress.
Analytical or research skills are invaluable in threat intelligence or vulnerability assessment.
Communications professionals can work in marketing or cybersecurity awareness, creating educational campaigns and translating complex technical concepts for broader audiences.
Finance or audit experience lends itself well to governance, risk, and compliance roles.
Policy experts and legal professionals help companies with compliance and vendor contracts.
To do this, map your skills to cybersecurity job requirements: create a two-column table with “Skills I Have” and “Cybersecurity Relevance.”
Not only does this exercise reveal where your pre-existing strengths fit, but it also helps you identify where you could upskill. By leveraging them, you open doors to a broader range of roles and increase your chances of getting into cybersecurity.
Find Mentorship and Community Early
Image Source: Two Women Looking at the Code at Laptop by Christina Morillo, Pexels
Skills and certifications open doors, but it’s community and mentors who’ll accelerate your growth. They’ll help you choose which certifications to prioritize, pointing you to opportunities you wouldn’t have come across otherwise, and giving you advice about things like expectations, motivations, and even confidence.
After all, trying to find your way in this male-dominated field, especially as a beginner, can be isolating and confusing. Connecting with others, especially other women, can change that completely.
Of course, finding a mentor might be different depending on your company’s culture. Working at a VPN company like Surfshark, for example, might offer different mentorship opportunities compared to larger enterprises like Palo Alto.
Fortunately, third-party professional groups like the WomenTech Network and the aforementioned Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) and Women4Cyber regularly host networking events, webinars, and mentorship programs tailored for women in tech.
Join capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions, or even online study groups on Discord or other social media sites, as learning collaboratively can often be more effective.
Because mentorship and community aren’t just about gaining knowledge – they’re also about visibility. Just presenting at small meetups, volunteering at conferences, or even writing beginner-friendly blog posts can open unexpected doors.
Remember: Sharing what you’re learning reinforces your knowledge, all while helping others.
Many professionals remember what it was like to start out and are happy to support newcomers going through the same experiences, so don’t hesitate to reach out directly to people whose work you admire. Who knows what a simple “Hi!” or a thoughtful LinkedIn message might lead to.
Mindset, Balance, and Growth
Of course, success in cybersecurity, as in any industry, isn’t just about skills – it’s also about mindset, resilience, and knowing what works for you.
Cybersecurity careers are as demanding as they are rewarding, as tiring as they are thrilling. The constant learning curve, high-pressure incident response, and emotional weight of protecting others – all these often lead to unmanaged stress or burnout.
To protect your mental health and overall well-being, start by setting boundaries. The digital world never sleeps, but you must. Learn to log off. Take breaks. Live your life outside of work.
And never forget that the field has room for all kinds of temperaments and work styles. So if, for example, high-pressure incident response environments cause anxiety, explore roles in policy, education, or risk management where pace and focus differ.
These are key to long-term success just as much as hard work and skills are. And once you’ve hit your stride, don’t forget to give back!
Mentor a newcomer at your company. Contribute to open-source projects. Speak at a local meetup. When women lift other women, the entire field is better for it.
After all, cybersecurity isn’t just about stopping hackers – it’s about creating a safer, better digital world for everyone.