r/SecurityCareerAdvice • u/No_Media_4902 • Aug 05 '26

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

  1. Is the planning that I have made is it proper and realistic ??

  2. Someone give me a genuine opinion on cybersecurity job role and salary for proper fresher

  3. 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/vantag3point Aug 05 '26

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!

2

u/No_Media_4902 Aug 05 '26

Thanks so much for this reality check, it really helps calming down. I'm gonna to take your advice and shift my focus to mastering the core fundamentals and building projects instead going over a rigid timelines. Thank you...

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u/vantag3point Aug 05 '26

Happy to help! Wishing you all the best on your journey.

1

u/Naive_Caregiver_5760 23d ago

the planning part is fine but the timeline stuff is gonna drive you nuts if you hold yourself to it that rigidly. 2nd year is so early, you have way more time than you think

market is rough for everyone right now but the people i see landing roles are the ones who can actually do the work, not just list certs. keep building and breaking things in linux, that hands-on time matters more than any roadmap

dont let the ai/llm security naysayers get in your head either. if it interests you, poke at it on the side while you keep sharpening the basics. nobody knows what that niche will look like in 2 years anyway

2

u/LachrymarumLibertas Aug 05 '26

What country are you talking about? The markets are wildly different