Intro The idea is simple, to be a better cyber defender, one must be able to step into the mindset of a hacker. Without taking offensive training, how does one defend against hackers? It is a common thought process to think that to be a better cyber defender, you just need to take cyber defense training. And although defensive training is important and it does help, there’s not a single defensive training I have taken that teaches you to defend from an offensive perspective.

The importance of generalized knowledge Wait, security dude, isn’t this talk about specific focus? Well, yes. However, I want to start off by saying that low depth or even medium depth knowledge in a multitude of topics is very valuable. Being generally good at many different things in cybersecurity has served me well. It has allowed for me to be capable in many topics and is valuable when interviewing for new positions.

Stigma There’s a strange stigma in the cybersecurity industry that SOC analysts are the least knowledgeable of all departments. That working in a SOC is just to start your career but you want to move out of that department as quickly as possible. There’s even a stigma that if you stay in a SOC for too long, it is an indication that you’re not good enough to move to other teams.

What is employee burnout? I believe it to be when a team member has lost passion and drive due to the work itself. An employee that has burned out can still be a high performer, however, does not have the same passion and drive that the person came in with. Ultimately, this means that the person is not content and is just pushing through work. My experience with burnout I have been burned out twice, for different reasons.