The excitement and fulfillment derived from working in cybersecurity and the SOC are often powerful motivators to draw more women into this fun and rewarding field. When people ask me what I do, I tell them that I help to keep the “bad guys'” out, but I realized that I work in an industry where we also keep the “good girls” out. Being an engineer in cybersecurity for over 20 years, I look around the room too often to find that I’m the only woman. How do we change that narrative and open the door to encourage more women to find a career in cybersecurity?
(ISC)² recently reported that women comprise only 24% of the cybersecurity workforce. Here are six steps we can take to build and retain women in cybersecurity:
- Learn to walk in heels: We’ve heard the call for girls in STEM starting as early as elementary school, encouraging early exposure in the field. Many organizations focus on getting young women into computer science through camps, classes, and competitions. Organizations like Rosie Riveters, Girls Who Code, and Boolean Girl make learning computer science exhilarating at a young age. Throughout college, there are opportunities to recruit women from many different majors: business, marketing, math, data science, engineering, and computer science. By weaving cybersecurity into all of these majors and intentionally recruiting women from organizations like WiCys or WomenTech Network, there’s a chance.