Getting started in cybersecurity can be surprisingly difficult, even when you've done everything you're supposed to do.
You've studied, developed your technical skills, earned qualifications and put in the work. But knowing how to turn that knowledge into a career, finding people willing to share their experience, and understanding where you fit in the industry can be an entirely different challenge.
It's something we talk about a lot at Cyberr. Cybersecurity is full of people who are incredibly generous with their knowledge, but finding those people isn't always easy, particularly when you're new to the industry.
And that's one of the reasons I'm so pleased to announce our new partnership with Canada's Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC).
Connecting Canada's emerging cybersecurity talent with a global community
ICTC has spent more than 30 years supporting Canada's digital economy through research, workforce development and skills programmes.
Through our partnership, graduates of ICTC's cybersecurity programmes will be able to connect with Cyberr's international professional community, opening up opportunities to learn from experienced practitioners, develop their skills, find mentors and build relationships with cybersecurity professionals beyond their immediate networks.
This isn't simply about connecting people in Canada with people in Europe. It's about recognising that cybersecurity is an international profession, and that the experiences, knowledge and perspectives we share across borders can make all of us better at what we do.
Whether someone is exploring their first role, building practical experience or trying to understand the many different directions a cybersecurity career can take, having access to people who've already navigated those challenges can make an enormous difference.
The importance of finding your people
One of the things I love about the cybersecurity community is how much people are willing to help each other.
Sometimes that means a formal mentoring relationship. Sometimes it's a conversation with someone at an event, a question answered by a more experienced professional, or a connection that introduces you to an entirely different part of the industry.
These interactions might seem small, but they can shape careers.
And while training and technical development are essential, they don't replace the confidence, perspective and sense of belonging that come from being part of a professional community.
At Cyberr, we want people to have access to those connections regardless of where they live, which organisations they work for or how far along they are in their careers.
Our partnership with ICTC gives us an opportunity to extend that community to more of Canada's emerging cybersecurity professionals, while strengthening the relationships between practitioners across Canada and Europe.
Stronger connections across borders
The challenges cybersecurity professionals face rarely respect geographical boundaries.
As digital infrastructure expands and technologies such as AI continue to change how organisations operate, sharing knowledge and developing skilled professionals becomes increasingly important.
There is a tremendous amount we can learn from each other across international markets, not only about technology and emerging threats, but also about how we develop talent, support career progression and build stronger professional communities.
That's also why this partnership fits so naturally alongside ICTC's Canada-Europe Digital Economy Bridge initiative, which is designed to encourage greater collaboration between businesses, researchers, workers and institutions on both sides of the Atlantic.
By connecting emerging professionals with a wider international network, we can help create relationships and opportunities that continue to grow as their careers develop.
Building careers, not just connections
I don't believe the value of a professional network should be measured simply by how many people are in it.
What matters is what those connections make possible.
Can someone find advice when they're unsure what to do next? Can they learn from someone with a different background or area of expertise? Can they build relationships that support them throughout their career, rather than only when they're looking for a job?
These are the kinds of experiences we want to make more accessible through Cyberr, and they're central to what we hope to achieve with ICTC.
I'm excited about what we can build together, and particularly about the opportunity to help more emerging cybersecurity professionals feel that they have a place in this industry.
Because developing cybersecurity talent isn't only about teaching people what they need to know.
It's also about making sure they have people around them who can help them put that knowledge to work.
