Rose-Colored Glasses Hide All the Red Flags for Women in Cybersecurity

Careers are a winding road, both studded with obstacles and made smoother by great mentors. Laura Koetzle moderated a panel of three highly accomplished senior women: Judith Conklin, CIO at the US Library of Congress; Faye Dixon-Harris, managing director at the Federal Home Loan Bank in San Francisco; and Tameika Turner, senior cybersecurity program manager at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Each woman shared that she didn't set out to build her career in cybersecurity or technology but rather arrived in the field via the US military, an entry-level role at a financial advising firm, and an administrative job in government while studying. All three women also received pivotal advice and sponsorship from mentors to: "think bigger" when one expressed the ambition to be a deputy (rather than the C-level executive); go back to school so that no one would ever be able to use a lack of a degree as an excuse to deny a promotion; and move to a new organization with a mentor and take on their first technical role.

You need to sift the advice that bombards you to separate the gold from the muck. At all stages in your career, people will come to you with well-intentioned advice. But discerning what is useful and what isn't can be a challenge. Sift your advice by asking questions about the advice and who's giving it, such as: Who are you, and why are you telling me this? Do you have a vested interest in giving me this advice? Will what works for you work for me? Identify green-flag advice from those who have your best interests at heart, have listened to your perspective, and who bring in a new perspective. Beige-flag advice can be beneficial — these are pieces of advice that can be helpful, if applied in the right circumstances or context.

Good and bad advice comes in abundance, and in themes. For over a decade, women have been told to lean in, until we all discovered that if we leaned in any further, we'd snap. This isn't the only well-intended yet bad advice we've received. Attendees shared the multitude of good and bad advice they've received, and it turns out that there are universal themes that we've almost all experienced (see the figure below). We've been told that we're not ready, to be normal, to be "less," and to talk things out when we clearly shouldn't. And thankfully, many of us have also been the lucky recipients of advice about how to hold boundaries, brag about our achievements, not hold back, and assume positive intent in others.

Well-intentioned advice on genAI, leadership, burnout, skills and certifications, and networking comes with several myths. As analysts, we spend a large chunk of our time debunking the status quo — the well-intentioned advice given to security leaders. Attendees joined analysts in debunking myths in the following subject areas: