The security operation center analyst, often called the SOC analyst, is a lesser known profession in IT. I didn’t know that it’s a career of its own until I spoke with someone who just made the transition to tech, and this was the path they followed. Let’s see what this career has to offer.
Interview with an expert
Today we have Sara Bazán Izquierdo sharing insight from her very recent transition to the field.
What was your background before switching to IT?
I studied business and tourism, so I didn’t have any knowledge of programming or IT. It was all new to me.
What was your path to get into security?
In the beginning, I used mostly free and affordable online courses. I started with CS50, and then I did a Google course about IT on Coursera, and, for security, I used TryHackMe. After that, I enrolled in a cybersecurity bootcamp. The bootcamp provided the basic knowledge for getting a position as a junior SOC analyst, plus tips on how to job search while changing careers.
What was your motivation to change your career?
I wanted to find something more exciting than what I was doing previously. And security was a very interesting and fun topic. Also, I wanted a job I could do remotely.
Of course, there are other benefits connected to the job that are also good motivators.
How did it work out for you?
After the bootcamp, it took me 3 months to find my first job doing what I was aiming for and that allowed me to keep growing and learning. So, I was pretty happy.
And after 4 months in that job, I was recruited by a different company with better benefits.
How did your background impact your job search?
The most valuable “skill” I had was knowing English. Other skills like customer service (in security, you often need to speak with clients) and adaptability can also help.
