This article will discuss what it is like to be an intern in cybersecurity, how a cybersecurity internship will contribute to our career, and what we should do for an excellent internship period.
The internship process can be a milestone journey for many students and graduates. In a well-working company, an intern can become equipped in many ways and draw the roadmap for his or her career.
Cybersecurity Internships
Increasing security problems noticeably increase the need for cybersecurity experts in the market. Starting your career as a cybersecurity intern can help you deal with many issues in many areas and recognize your interests more quickly. After all, we are talking about a field that may be needed wherever there is electricity. Doing an internship in such a field will change your perspective and allow you to see how cybersecurity has spread from wifi security systems to malware analysis tools. As Stephane Nappo said: "Cybersecurity is much more than a matter of IT."
What To Know Before the Internship and What Waits For You?
Your interest and technical skill will surely provide you with a comfortable start. Otherwise, you can improve yourself in a certain period and have good basic knowledge. Besides, if you are a student, you can take part in the company's positions to contribute to your school lessons so that you can hit two birds with one stone. If you graduated from school, you could look for opportunities to apply what you have learned at school. In addition to these, you may have to see and spread many things that you do not necessarily see at school. For example, to use Linux and the command line well, to understand scripts written in a programming language widely used in cybersecurity, such as Python, to know the network layers and network topology. It will take some time until you get to this part. So how will you contribute to your company during this time?
What To Do As an Intern?
In a company, there is always work to be done. As an intern, doing the work with a low burden in the company first allows you to have time for your development process and enables you to observe and understand the company's working style and projects. The work you will do in this process may also vary according to the company's products and your wishes. For example, as an intern, you can reply to emails, write blog posts, and communicate with customers. You can also write microservices for your company or make small contributions to your site's web design. Besides, you may have made an excellent start to the cybersecurity field by directly participating in lightweight tasks in cybersecurity projects.
Regardless of whether the task you are assigned is related to cybersecurity or not, the main goal should be to improve yourself properly with the given functions to you. You can be sure that everything you learn will benefit you later in your career. Even just understanding how large companies or startups work will contribute significantly to your development.
How Much Experience Do I Need to Apply for an Internship?
Whether the experience is required for your internship may vary depending on the company you will be doing. While some companies are looking for trainee candidates who have direct experience in specific jobs, some companies can also recruit inexperienced interns for their future and increase their contribution to humanity. If there is one thing more important than asking for the experience or not, it is how willing you are. Beyond your expertise in a subject, your willingness in that subject will take you one step further.
How To Know Which Area To Pursue?
As an intern, one of the question marks in your mind may be related to how the future of the field you choose will be or whether you will like that field in the future. First of all, never stress yourself in this situation. When it comes to cybersecurity, you can choose areas such as security engineering - defense security, security control, information security, application security, etc. After selecting any of these areas, you may want to turn to other fields within the industry, but never let this scare you. If you turn to something you want to pursue, it is never too late, and you will have time to grow in that area as well. Use the internship process as a tool to see the options ahead. Over time, you will find that you find what you love.
Do Interns Get Paid? Are Unpaid Internships Okay?
As an intern writing this article, I think interns should definitely be paid, and I hope my boss will read this article too :)
There might be paid or unpaid internships available depending on your company or region. While some companies pay a certain amount to their interns, some companies may not pay directly by saying that they contribute to the internship as knowledge and experience.
According to ZipRecruiter, the national average wage for cybersecurity interns was $ 96,675 per year in February 2020. According to CyberInternAcademy, hourly pay will vary from $ 10 to $ 25 depending on the company, its venue, and the internship program's requirements.
Another vital point in this regard is what you expect from the internship. If you don't need much money, we recommend focusing on the skills you will gain rather than the money you will receive. One of the most important things you can earn is networking and plenty of experience rather than money.
Making a Career Start With Cyber Security
Cybersecurity is an area that will be demanded today and in the future, and this demand will not be easily reduced. Working in a constantly evolving and changing field such as cybersecurity will be a superb opportunity to keep yourself fresh and create your network as an intern. When there are points where you are stuck and cannot move forward, never give up and try to overcome these problems by researching and getting help from professionals around you. As Robert Frost said: The best way out is always through.
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