Navigating the Feelings of Disappointment

Let’s talk about disappointment in cybersecurity, because it’s real and it’s hitting a lot of people harder than they expected. You studied, earned the certificates, completed an entire degree, and did it all with the hope that it would open a door. Then the door didn’t open, or it opened for someone else. Or worse, it opened, and it led straight into a help desk job that doesn’t feel anything like the cybersecurity path you imagined.

That disappointment feels heavy because it sits right next to the thought that you might have made the wrong choice. And that thought can spiral fast, but this is the part nobody prepares you for. These moments are actually the ones where you start figuring out if this path is really yours because you're forced to find creative solutions to this problem. You will either learn to adjust your approach or realize that this may not be your path and abandon the journey altogether. I hope you choose the latter.

We all know that the market is rough for everyone right now. Nobody is pretending otherwise. You send out job applications just to say you did, while your hopes of getting an interview grow slimmer with every denial. Everyone on LinkedIn posts about how to "break into cyber" and why the entry-level requirements are ridiculous. Let's not get started on the "entry-level" job. After all the work you put in to earn a degree and certificates, you find out that entry-level does not exist in cybersecurity when it's time to enter the job market. You’re allowed to feel that frustration and be annoyed by the reality, but don't sit in it, and don’t let it convince you that you have nothing to offer.

There are so many possibilities that don’t look like the traditional path; you just need to get creative. It’s not always about landing your first cybersecurity job inside a big corporation. Sometimes it looks like building something small for a local business that doesn’t even know what MFA is or tightening a friend’s WordPress security. Maybe even configuring logs for a neighbor who runs a daycare, or helping a small business understand its risks. These are low-pressure opportunities that teach you more than you’d expect and turn into real portfolio pieces. Anyone can list tools on a resume; however, not everyone can show that they actually built something.

Honestly, sometimes the delay is the universe nudging you toward your project bag. Don't lab your brain numb, engage with your real-world ideas and see what comes from it. When I sat in my graduation ceremony, the keynote speaker said something that stuck with me. He said, “Goddammit, go build something.” And it resonated because I had ideas bubbling out of me. So I went back home and started building. Every idea, concept, and tiny experiment I carried with me for years was treated as if I were the project's security consultant. I anticipated risks, tracked them, and decided whether to accept, avoid, or transfer them. And I’ll be honest, avoiding and transferring became my personal favorites because I’m a one-person team and not everything needs to be a full-blown fortress. The point is, even without a security title, I was practicing security work.

You’re allowed to do the same. Keep applying for jobs because if you're persistent that door will open eventually. But while you wait, don’t shrink and feel discouraged; challenge yourself to build things and break them safely. Through those experiments, reinvent your approach and use them as an opportunity to strengthen your technical and creative skills. There’s no rule that says you can’t create something meaningful before someone hires you. You are not stuck; you are actually in the in-between phase, which is uncomfortable, but also full of potential if you give yourself the permission to explore it.

You worked hard, so don't let that effort evaporate just because the job market is having a moment. Allow your path to unfold by getting curious about what you can create right now. Get bold about the ways you can practice security even without the perfect job title. And remember that disappointment doesn’t mean you’re losing. It means you’re in the part of the story where you have to shift, grow, and prepare for the next thing.