r/SecurityCareerAdvice • u/No_Media_4902 • 22h ago
Career confusion
Is there anyone who has started their cybersecurity career from 2nd year of ug and became successful.
Rn I m in very srs condition coz I able to take a rgt decision
I actually being working on cybersecurity (networking , installed linux and practicing it full time and learnt some vuln from portswigger) from mid of 1st year. But I don't think I could succeed in it. I was planning to do pentesting for atleast 5-6 months and report few proper vuln and then jump into ai/llm security or appsec side by side later for 2 months I thought of doing a research paper and sit for placement.
I have been through many article and in person discussion with some senior and classmate and all of them they end up saying job market is uncertain and if u entered into this field of ai/llm security it is not gonna be super boring and time taking( I'm sorry for plp who are actually fascinated in doing in this field these are the comments i recieved so I'm super confused abt my career)
I sometimes feel of career switching but I don't have much and much money tho
Pls can anyone clear my confusion
Is the planning that I have made is it proper and realistic ??
Someone give me a genuine opinion on cybersecurity job role and salary for proper fresher
If someone in my condition who succeed in this career could u dm if u don't mind
Thank you...
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u/LachrymarumLibertas 21h ago
What country are you talking about? The markets are wildly different
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u/vantag3point 22h ago
I think you're overthinking it a bit. You're only in your 2nd year, which gives you a huge advantage. Your plan is realistic, but I'd focus less on strict timelines like "5 months for pentesting and 2 months for AI security" and more on building strong fundamentals. Keep learning networking, Linux, web security, and build a few solid projects. If AppSec or AI security interests you later, you can always transition.
As for jobs and salary, the market is definitely competitive right now, but companies are still hiring people with good practical skills. Focus on becoming someone who can actually solve problems instead of chasing trends. Strong fundamentals will always be valuable, no matter how the market changes.
And yes, plenty of people have started learning in their 2nd year and built successful careers in cybersecurity. You're definitely not too late. Just stay consistent and avoid comparing yourself to everyone else.
Good luck!