You can get into cybersecurity without previous cybersecurity work experience, but you’ll need to show how you’re preparing for the work. Start with technical fundamentals, practice applying them, and build examples you can explain in applications and interviews. Internships, apprenticeships, and related IT roles can help you gain workplace experience along the way.
If you’re a student or recent graduate, you don’t have to choose a specialty before getting started. A free job simulation on Forage lets you complete employer-designed cybersecurity tasks using guided instructions and example answers, helping you discover what interests you and what to practice next.
Start building cybersecurity skills with Mastercard
Learn how to help employees spot phishing threats in Mastercard’s free job simulation.
Avg. Time: 1-2 hours
Skills you’ll build: Recognizing phishing threats, analyzing results, and communicating security advice
How to start a cybersecurity career in five steps
Getting into cybersecurity can feel overwhelming when you’re starting without experience. These five steps break down what to learn, how to practice, and how to use that preparation when applying for your first role.
- Learn the technical foundations.
- Practice through simulations, labs, or projects.
- Choose training or a certification that supports your goals.
- Turn completed work into resume and interview examples.
- Apply for internships, junior positions, and related IT roles.
1. Learn the cybersecurity skills employers need
Cybersecurity teams protect systems, investigate threats, and help people make safer decisions. The technical skills you need vary by role, but these foundations are useful starting points:
- Networking: Understand how devices communicate and what terms such as IP address, DNS, and firewall mean.
- Operating systems: Learn how Windows and Linux manage files, users, and permissions.
- Security fundamentals: Understand common threats, multifactor authentication, access controls, and the basic purpose of incident response.
- Analysis and communication: Practice examining evidence, prioritizing risks, and explaining a recommendation clearly.
In its 2025 hiring research, ISC2 found that hiring managers valued problem-solving, analytical thinking, and teamwork in early-career candidates. Technical learning and communication belong together.
“Communicating clearly and collaborating well with teams is a huge part of success in this field,” says Frank Cicio of iQ4.
Not sure which skill to learn first? Find three cybersecurity internships or junior roles that interest you and compare their requirements. If networking or Linux appears repeatedly, start with an introductory course in that subject. Choose one that includes exercises so you can practice what you’re learning.
2. Practice cybersecurity work
Guided practice gives you a problem to solve when you don’t yet have workplace examples. On Forage, you can complete employer-designed tasks at your own pace and compare your approach with example answers.
These two programs let you sample different activities. Choose Mastercard for a shorter introduction to security awareness, or Datacom if you’re interested in investigating an incident and assessing risk.
Mastercard Cybersecurity
Help identify phishing threats, analyze how employees respond, and develop security-awareness training recommendations.
Avg. Time: 1-2 hours
Skills you’ll build: Technical security awareness, design thinking, security awareness training, data analysis and presentation
Datacom Cybersecurity Operations
Investigate a simulated cyberattack, consider its business impact, and develop recommendations.
Avg. Time: 3-4 hours
Skills you’ll build: Research, analytical skills, communication, risk assessment and analysis
You can also gain practice through class projects, guided labs, campus technology activities, or a small personal project. Choose something manageable, finish it, and document what you learned. Trying these activities can help you discover whether you prefer investigating threats, assessing risks, or communicating with others.
3. Choose training or a certification that fills a gap
Use practice to identify your next learning need. If you struggled with permissions, study operating systems and access controls. If a scenario introduced unfamiliar network concepts, work through a networking lesson or lab.
Certifications can help demonstrate knowledge, but choosing one should serve a specific purpose. Two options to research are:
- ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity: An entry-level option with no work experience required. Its exam covers foundational areas such as security principles, access management, networking, and incident response.
- CompTIA Security+: Covers core security concepts. Compare its exam topics with the roles you’re considering, and review the provider’s recommended experience before deciding whether it fits your current preparation.
Compare the credentials requested in several roles that interest you. Check exam topics, preparation time, eligibility, and total costs before paying. If you’re exploring, free practice and introductory learning can help you make a more informed choice first.
4. Turn your learning into resume and interview examples
When your work history is limited, projects and learning activities can help you show what you’ve practiced. Make each example specific enough that someone can understand your contribution.
After completing Datacom’s job simulation, a resume entry might look like this:
Datacom Cyber Security Operations Job Simulation | Forage
– Analyzed a simulated cyberattack, assessed potential business impacts, and developed security recommendations.
Adapt the bullet to the work you actually completed. Place the entry under Projects or Extracurricular Activities and identify it as a job simulation. It should not appear as employment or an internship with the company.
Forage provides program-specific resume guidance and interview tips. Use them to prepare your own explanation of the problem, a decision you made, and what you learned. For a personal project, a short write-up can serve the same purpose.
Before adding an activity to your application, ask: Could I explain my approach without reading the example answer? If you can’t yet, revisit the work and identify what you need to understand better.
Include relevant coursework and transferable skills too. Customer service may give you an example of explaining an issue calmly; a group project may demonstrate research or teamwork. Our guide to writing a resume with no work experience can help you organize those examples.
5. Apply for internships and entry-level opportunities
Search for cybersecurity internships, apprenticeships, and junior roles alongside related IT opportunities. Examples worth investigating include:
- Security operations center analyst or trainee: Monitoring alerts, investigating suspicious activity, and escalating findings.
- Junior risk or compliance roles: Helping document risks, review controls, and support security policies.
- IT support or campus help desk: Troubleshooting systems, helping users, and building familiarity with access and permissions.
Requirements vary. A junior cybersecurity analyst opening may still expect prior IT experience, while an internship may be designed around a student’s coursework and developing skills. Read responsibilities and requirements together instead of relying on the job title alone.
Compare a few openings and identify the most relevant example you can offer for each recurring requirement. If every role needs a skill you haven’t practiced, make that your next learning priority.
Your career center, professors, alumni, and cybersecurity communities can help you understand roles and find opportunities. Bring a specific question about work you’ve tried; it gives people a useful starting point for advice.
Common questions about getting into cybersecurity
Some people enter through internships, apprenticeships, or junior positions without previous cybersecurity employment. Others build experience in IT support or another related role first. Coursework and projects can support your preparation, but employers set their own requirements.
A degree is not required for every cybersecurity role, but some employers make it a hiring requirement. Read job descriptions carefully to distinguish between a required degree, a preferred qualification, and an option to demonstrate equivalent experience. If you’re applying without a degree, use relevant projects, certifications, and any IT experience to show your preparation.
You can start learning cybersecurity without coding experience. Some technical roles use scripting or programming, while security awareness and some risk or compliance roles involve less coding. Check the requirements of roles that interest you to decide when programming should become part of your learning.
The time it takes depends on your starting knowledge, target role, learning time, and available opportunities. Use milestones you can control, such as completing a project or explaining a security concept, to track your progress.
Take your first step into cybersecurity
Whether you’re starting from scratch or building on what you know, our cybersecurity job simulations let you practice tasks relevant to the field. Choose from introductory and intermediate programs to explore different roles, build your skills, and develop examples you can discuss in applications and interviews.
Image credit: Canva
