Episode
8 Ways to Jumpstart Your Cybersecurity Career in 2026 | #DTF032
- Podcast
- DTF Cyber Podcast
- Published
- Jan 19, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4697
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://cyberpodcast.net
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Summary
2026 is here, and the cybersecurity job market is evolving. Whether you are trying to break into the industry or land your next senior role, the playbook has changed. In this episode of the DTF Cyber Podcast, Fern and Troy are joined by Gary Perkins (CISO at CISO Global) to break down 8 actionable steps you can take right now to jumpstart your career. From building public red team projects to mastering new attack toolchains like the Flipper Zero, we cover the technical and soft skills that hiring managers actually look for. We also dive into why networking is your #1 asset, how to contribute to open source projects, and why "learning to script" is non-negotiable for modern security pros. 🚀 In this episode, we cover: Why you need a public GitHub portfolio (even if you aren't a dev). How to legally perform "hunts" in your current job to gain experience. The difference between "scripting" and "developing" and why Python/Bash helps. Why reading non-cyber books can actually make you a better CISO. 👇 Jump to the 8 Career Hacks: 00:00:00 - Intro: Welcome back to 2026! 00:01:02 - Meet Gary Perkins, CISO at CISO Global 00:07:43 - #1: Build One Public Red Team Project Quarterly 00:14:00 - #2: Master a New Attack Toolchain (Flipper Zero, Bloodhound, etc.) 00:21:16 - #3: Contribute to Open Source Security Projects 00:29:16 - #4: Perform a Weekly Hunt in a Real Environment 00:43:35 - #5: Learn to Script Your Own Tools (Python & Bash) 00:51:18 - #6: Network Like Your Career Depends On It 01:02:17 - #7: Read a Non-Cyber Book (The Phoenix Project, Leaders Eat Last) 01:07:42 - #8: Teach Something Publicly 01:16:20 - Bonus Resource: The Threat Intelligence Support Unit (TISU) Cohort 📚 Resources & Mentions: Book: The Phoenix Project Book: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek Organizat…