It depends on the role, the organisation, the team and the individual. I've never done on call, I only work on a bit when I choose to and I have the flexibility to pretty much work when I want as long as the job gets done. Others may have different experiences but you're basically asking a question that cannot be answered with any degree of accuracy or precision.
I'm a senior consultant. Asking everyone what their role is and their work/life balance is of no real value to you though and suggests you are looking at things through rose-tinted spectacles.
If you are considering trying to transition to cybersecurity from an unrelated field then your single biggest issue by a country mile will be just getting your foot in the door. If you think at this stage you have the luxury of picking and choosing your role to optimise things like remuneration and WLB then you are in for a massive reality check at some point.
Despite what nonsense you might have been fed by influencers, cyber security is not a get-rich-quick scheme and there is not massive demand for people with no experience & a few certs. Junior roles are fairly thin on the ground to start with and they will invariably go to candidates who have solid experience in IT, SWE or other related fields. Next in line will be high calibre graduates with relevant degrees and internships. Anyone not falling into those two categories is really going to struggle and will probably fail to get off the starting blocks. There are exceptions to every rule of course and a lot of people got lucky during the once-in-a-generation tech boom we saw on the back of the pandemic but that was then and this is now.
Thanks for the response. The reason I ask about WLB is to get an understanding of what to expect and even if it’s something I want to pursue. From other industry interviews you won’t get a straight answer asking companies so that’s why I’m asking people who do the job. I asked about the role so I can know what to research since others have stated it varies by role. The value I get is knowing how to focus my research, questions to ask during informational interviews, and understanding if it’s something I want to pursue. On top of knowing the role people have and since WLB is in important to me I can understand what the typical trajectory is like. So what you and others have said and posted have been incredibly valuable to me. No, it won’t lead to a job tomorrow but I can better determine if I want to pursue it and know what careers to explore.
Security Ops Manager here.
As many have noted, SOC work is one of the more unpredictable roles in cybersecurity. Whether it's shift work for 24/7, or late night call-out for incidents/outages.
If you go into pen testing, that is a bit more predictable, and sometimes not--if your target won't let you test during working hours, guess what hours are left? However, there is also a bit of negotiating room here.
Consulting route is brutal. You will spend A LOT of time on airplanes, airports, trains, rental cars, hotels ... basically George Clooney in "Up in the Air". I speak from far too much experience on this.
GRC or vuln management is a 9-5 job that tends to be 100% predictable and tends to have excellent work/life balance.
I've been doing GRC for almost 20 years and can say this is 100% true. I either have lots of downtime or I am working full days in a row. However, my weeks average 5 to 8 hours a week of real work, mostly meetings. So I just knock certifications for a good pay bump at my next job.
Ping me if you want additional advice.
Depends on your job. If you’re in GRC then you’ll probably have a typical 9-5. If you’re a SOC analyst you might be working 12’s and/or on call.
Cybersecurity is very vast. I recommend you research what it is in cybersecurity you want to do. There are a lot of people trying to get into the field with no tech experience and I’m not sure what they think working in cybersecurity entails.
Thank you I’m researching but was curious of a true expectation of balance. I didn’t want to get caught up in the money aspect and the idea of minimal working hours didn’t sound right.
Check this out: https://niccs.cisa.gov/workforce-development/nice-framework
This is intended to help industry standardize skillsets and expectations for roles across cybersecurity. It categorizes all the different roles in cybersecurity and lists out the relevant skills, knowledge, and certifications for each. It *also* links relevant online courses from different providers.
Great way to get started figuring out what path you want to take.
Like most, it all depends on your employer. Currently 100% in office, but can work remote if we have appointments outside of work to attend to. No on-call. I can go in late, leave early. I can take off from the office and remote in from home to finish the day. Boss is super lenient and understanding when it comes work/life balance as long as you don't take advantage.
My previous gig, 100% in the office and just as chill as my current employer, but my current employer edges it out slightly....😁😎💪
I can pitch in and say, that the work tempo can varies from industries to industries, banking and healthcare can definitely be more hectic especially financial and privacy data are huge these days, so attacks and threats are more common therefore you can expect long hours and hectic going on more often if you work in those sectors.
I’m a SOC/cybersecurity analyst, and I work in the education sector so from my personal experience I can say that it’s pretty chill and more lay back, I work regular office hours and no calls or standby after hours.
You’re not going to transition directly into security unless you’re insanely lucky. But when you do get there, it’ll vary. I’ve not done required on-call for about 15 years now, but I have occasionally been woken up when the SHTF. Depends a lot on your specialism and your employer.
Jr. Pentester here, but I wear other hats in my shop. Vuln Mgmt, running OTA's, CA's, Pentests, etc. There is no common "fires". Cybersecurity is like an onion... many layers.
Everyone has different shops, and with that different work/life balance.
For me it comes and goes like the tide.
There are times during busy season I'll put in 45-50 hrs a week doing various assessments, pentests, etc. But it's also balanced out by weeks where sometimes I'll be doing more research than work. Sometimes it's stressful. Other times I am bored out of my gord.
I WFH 100% also, so it is evened out. Not everyone is going to be the same.
You're asking a generalized question that really can't be answered OP. It's not like other industries, or jobs. Lots of technical need to know. Lots of research. Lots of imposter syndrome.
I came from a non traditional tech background, mainly being general business related stuff. Then the lockdown happened, and I transitioned into this slot. I was extremely lucky to get it.
There is a demand. Don't get discouraged. But it's a steep slope.
If work/life balance (or really anything) is important to you, it's something you should ask about in your interviews once you make it to that stage. No matter what a field is like in general, there are always organizations that stand out as exceptions, so it's always good about finding out about the specific people you're applying to work with. I know people within cyber who are very over-worked (though many seem to enjoy it) and some who are very strict about a 9-5 role.
Thanks for the response. The reason I’m asking here about WLB is because I’ve found some companies aren’t straight when answering that question. Glassdoor can help somewhat but thought getting it straight from someone in the field could help understand.
I would be wary of companies that don't give a straight answer. However, I will say that my company has 3 layers of interviews: an HR screen, a virtual technical interview with an engineer, and then in-person interviews with engineers. The person in the first interview, the HR screen, would probably not give a straight answer because they simply don't know, they're HR and and don't work with the engineers. It would only be when a candidate is actually interviewing with other engineers that they'd be able to ask those kinds of questions.
It depends on the role, the organisation, the team and the individual. I've never done on call, I only work on a bit when I choose to and I have the flexibility to pretty much work when I want as long as the job gets done. Others may have different experiences but you're basically asking a question that cannot be answered with any degree of accuracy or precision.
Thank you for the response. What’s is your role within cybersecurity? What’s your title?
I'm a senior consultant. Asking everyone what their role is and their work/life balance is of no real value to you though and suggests you are looking at things through rose-tinted spectacles. If you are considering trying to transition to cybersecurity from an unrelated field then your single biggest issue by a country mile will be just getting your foot in the door. If you think at this stage you have the luxury of picking and choosing your role to optimise things like remuneration and WLB then you are in for a massive reality check at some point. Despite what nonsense you might have been fed by influencers, cyber security is not a get-rich-quick scheme and there is not massive demand for people with no experience & a few certs. Junior roles are fairly thin on the ground to start with and they will invariably go to candidates who have solid experience in IT, SWE or other related fields. Next in line will be high calibre graduates with relevant degrees and internships. Anyone not falling into those two categories is really going to struggle and will probably fail to get off the starting blocks. There are exceptions to every rule of course and a lot of people got lucky during the once-in-a-generation tech boom we saw on the back of the pandemic but that was then and this is now.
Thanks for the response. The reason I ask about WLB is to get an understanding of what to expect and even if it’s something I want to pursue. From other industry interviews you won’t get a straight answer asking companies so that’s why I’m asking people who do the job. I asked about the role so I can know what to research since others have stated it varies by role. The value I get is knowing how to focus my research, questions to ask during informational interviews, and understanding if it’s something I want to pursue. On top of knowing the role people have and since WLB is in important to me I can understand what the typical trajectory is like. So what you and others have said and posted have been incredibly valuable to me. No, it won’t lead to a job tomorrow but I can better determine if I want to pursue it and know what careers to explore.
Security Ops Manager here. As many have noted, SOC work is one of the more unpredictable roles in cybersecurity. Whether it's shift work for 24/7, or late night call-out for incidents/outages. If you go into pen testing, that is a bit more predictable, and sometimes not--if your target won't let you test during working hours, guess what hours are left? However, there is also a bit of negotiating room here. Consulting route is brutal. You will spend A LOT of time on airplanes, airports, trains, rental cars, hotels ... basically George Clooney in "Up in the Air". I speak from far too much experience on this. GRC or vuln management is a 9-5 job that tends to be 100% predictable and tends to have excellent work/life balance.
100% true. God knows I miss my vuln management job
When you were in vm were you in the infrastructure side or appsec?
More on the appsec side, tho we mostly worked with SIEM tools.
GRC is pretty much office hours. Incident Response will be nothing and then when something happens, around the clock.
I've been doing GRC for almost 20 years and can say this is 100% true. I either have lots of downtime or I am working full days in a row. However, my weeks average 5 to 8 hours a week of real work, mostly meetings. So I just knock certifications for a good pay bump at my next job. Ping me if you want additional advice.
Depends on your job. If you’re in GRC then you’ll probably have a typical 9-5. If you’re a SOC analyst you might be working 12’s and/or on call. Cybersecurity is very vast. I recommend you research what it is in cybersecurity you want to do. There are a lot of people trying to get into the field with no tech experience and I’m not sure what they think working in cybersecurity entails.
Thank you I’m researching but was curious of a true expectation of balance. I didn’t want to get caught up in the money aspect and the idea of minimal working hours didn’t sound right.
Check this out: https://niccs.cisa.gov/workforce-development/nice-framework This is intended to help industry standardize skillsets and expectations for roles across cybersecurity. It categorizes all the different roles in cybersecurity and lists out the relevant skills, knowledge, and certifications for each. It *also* links relevant online courses from different providers. Great way to get started figuring out what path you want to take.
Thank you so much for sharing. I will take a look and I’m sure it will be a great resource.
Also what’s your current role/title if you’re able to share?
I work from home 9-5 and am on call every two weeks for two weeks. On call usually adds 3-5 hours over two weeks and that can be at any time.
Like most, it all depends on your employer. Currently 100% in office, but can work remote if we have appointments outside of work to attend to. No on-call. I can go in late, leave early. I can take off from the office and remote in from home to finish the day. Boss is super lenient and understanding when it comes work/life balance as long as you don't take advantage. My previous gig, 100% in the office and just as chill as my current employer, but my current employer edges it out slightly....😁😎💪
I can pitch in and say, that the work tempo can varies from industries to industries, banking and healthcare can definitely be more hectic especially financial and privacy data are huge these days, so attacks and threats are more common therefore you can expect long hours and hectic going on more often if you work in those sectors. I’m a SOC/cybersecurity analyst, and I work in the education sector so from my personal experience I can say that it’s pretty chill and more lay back, I work regular office hours and no calls or standby after hours.
Depends on the role and organization. Me personally, I have a great work life balance. After my shift, I can leave work at work
You’re not going to transition directly into security unless you’re insanely lucky. But when you do get there, it’ll vary. I’ve not done required on-call for about 15 years now, but I have occasionally been woken up when the SHTF. Depends a lot on your specialism and your employer.
Depend on the firms and practice/business unit. Some cybersecurity workaround the clock
Jr. Pentester here, but I wear other hats in my shop. Vuln Mgmt, running OTA's, CA's, Pentests, etc. There is no common "fires". Cybersecurity is like an onion... many layers. Everyone has different shops, and with that different work/life balance. For me it comes and goes like the tide. There are times during busy season I'll put in 45-50 hrs a week doing various assessments, pentests, etc. But it's also balanced out by weeks where sometimes I'll be doing more research than work. Sometimes it's stressful. Other times I am bored out of my gord. I WFH 100% also, so it is evened out. Not everyone is going to be the same. You're asking a generalized question that really can't be answered OP. It's not like other industries, or jobs. Lots of technical need to know. Lots of research. Lots of imposter syndrome. I came from a non traditional tech background, mainly being general business related stuff. Then the lockdown happened, and I transitioned into this slot. I was extremely lucky to get it. There is a demand. Don't get discouraged. But it's a steep slope.
Stay as far away from incident response as you possibly can and train/study on your work hours and I'd say it's pretty damn good.
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Thanks for the response. Also, what’s your role/title if you’re comfortable sharing?
Cybersecurity isn’t entry level. It will be extremely hard to land a job in cybersecurity with zero experience.
If work/life balance (or really anything) is important to you, it's something you should ask about in your interviews once you make it to that stage. No matter what a field is like in general, there are always organizations that stand out as exceptions, so it's always good about finding out about the specific people you're applying to work with. I know people within cyber who are very over-worked (though many seem to enjoy it) and some who are very strict about a 9-5 role.
Thanks for the response. The reason I’m asking here about WLB is because I’ve found some companies aren’t straight when answering that question. Glassdoor can help somewhat but thought getting it straight from someone in the field could help understand.
I would be wary of companies that don't give a straight answer. However, I will say that my company has 3 layers of interviews: an HR screen, a virtual technical interview with an engineer, and then in-person interviews with engineers. The person in the first interview, the HR screen, would probably not give a straight answer because they simply don't know, they're HR and and don't work with the engineers. It would only be when a candidate is actually interviewing with other engineers that they'd be able to ask those kinds of questions.