No matter your background or work experience, transferable skills are vitally important in cyber security.
In a nutshell, transferable skills are any skills, abilities or experiences, such as communication, problem solving and critical thinking, that you can be developed in many different ways. These kinds of skills aren’t specific to one type of person or one industry, and so can be applied in different scenarios and job roles.
At CAPSLOCK, we’ve helped hundreds of people from all kinds of backgrounds and professions switch careers to cyber, so we’ve seen firsthand just how valuable transferable skills can be.
We’ve compiled a list of transferable skills that are in high demand in the cyber industry. These are the kinds of skills that employers tell us they’re looking for, but it’s by no means an exhaustive list.
If you’re considering a career in cyber, check out the following skills and see how many you have.
1. Problem Solving
This is a big one. No matter what cyber specialism you might work in, you’ll be solving problems day in and day out. There must be hundreds of examples of you solving problems in the past, whether that’s at work or home, serious problems or fun ones!
Most jobs will involve problem solving to some degree, especially when working in fast-paced environments like retail and hospitality. You might love a cryptic crossword or sudoku, or perhaps you’re the friend that people call when they need help.
If you can think on your feet and love finding solutions, you’re probably a brilliant problem solver.
2. Ethical Awareness
In cyber, it’s vital to understand the importance of ethical cyber practices. Things like data protection, applying regulations and standards, and governance, risk and compliance have ethical awareness at their core.
We’ve seen that people often already have great ethical awareness if they’ve worked in sectors like healthcare, education, policing, the military, and law. If you have experience of handling confidential information or complying with strict rules and regulations, you likely already have a good grasp of the importance of ethics.
3. Communication
Communication is a highly desirable transferable skill that crops up all the time in cyber. Many cyber roles, such as those involving consultancy or training and awareness, involve dealing with lots of different people at different levels.
Being able to communicate easily with clients, colleagues, or end-users is really important. Perhaps you’ve worked in a role such as teaching where clear communication was vital, or perhaps you’re simply a people person who loves a good conversation.
Either way, if you’re a great communicator, you have a very sought-after skill!
4. Teamwork
The ability to work well in a team will stand you in good stead for a role in cyber. Working with colleagues to implement security measures, responding to threats effectively, and possibly leading team-based projects might form part of your cyber career.
Most areas of life require teamwork in some form, whether that’s at work, home, or with friends. Helping to plan important events, working with others to navigate difficult situations, supporting people and doing what needs to be done for a given task... if any of these scenarios sound familiar, it sounds like you’re a great team player.
5. Resilience
Cyber can be quite an intense industry, and you might encounter failures, breaches, attacks, tech issues and many other kinds of obstacles. Resilience is crucial to learn from mistakes, adapt security strategies, and be proactive about future improvements.
We’ve particularly noticed that parents, people with experience of caregiving, people who’ve worked in healthcare, people who’ve run their own businesses and members of the armed forces community often demonstrate great resilience, but it's a trait that can be found in people from all walks of life.
Bouncing back from tough situations isn’t easy, so if you’re the kind to stand up after getting knocked down, that’s a fantastic skill to have.
As we’ve seen over the years, it’s possible for anyone from any background to learn a variety of cyber skills and principles. It’s harder to teach someone to be a naturally great communicator, or to have excellent analytical skills, or to be fantastic at crisis management.
These are skills that cannot be easily acquired and are instead developed over many years of life experience. This is why they are so valuable in the cyber industry and beyond, and the best news is you probably already have quite a few of them!
What you do with them is up to you...
Why not visit our Learner Outcomes page to see how CAPSLOCK learners from all kinds of backgrounds have used their transferable skills and our bootcamps to launch new careers in cyber?
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