Crashing the Boys’ Club: Women Entering Cybersecurity Through Non-Traditional Paths - TechNewsWorld

Crashing the Boys’ Club: Women Entering Cybersecurity Through Non-Traditional Paths By John P. Mello Jr. March 25, 2025 5:00 AM PT Email Article 2 11 23 57 Although many women take the traditional IT route into cybersecurity, a large portion (37%) have entered cyber from non-IT or military positions, according to a survey released Friday by ISC2, the organization that maintains and administers the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification exam. The organization reported that a significantly higher percentage of women than men who participated in the same study have leveraged education, professional development, self-initiated experience opportunities, and apprenticeships to pursue their careers. The report also noted that 56% of women respondents said their organizations are already changing their hiring requirements to bring in more people from non-cybersecurity backgrounds. “This is illustrative of employer efforts globally to widen the potential cybersecurity talent pool without compromising standards,” the report maintained. “This is something that we currently observe not only in cybersecurity but in tech roles in general,” said Žydrūnė Vitaitė, business unit manager for Monitum, a software-as-a-service company specializing in smart security solutions with offices in Sweden and Lithuania, and a co-founder of Women Go Tech, an NGO that focuses on empowering women in the tech industry. “First of all, women who had previously built careers in different sectors have more diverse backgrounds, stronger problem-solving skills, and advanced pattern recognition skills,” she told TechNewsWorld. “Another key advantage here is transferable skills,” she continued. “Such women can work in dynamic environments, where not only knowledge but traits such as curiosity, problem-solving, creativity, and other aspects matter.” “From our experience in re- and up-skilling programs, we have seen adult women in their thirties to forties deciding to shift from non-tech to tech, and they do it exceptionally successfully,” she added. Non-IT Backgrounds Open Cybersecurity Doors Thomas Vick, a technology hiring and consulting expert at Robert Half, a global staffing and recruiting firm, explained that hiring individuals with non-IT backgrounds can often bring diverse perspectives and problem-solving approaches shaped by their unique experiences. “For example, there is a growing demand for interpersonal and management skills in IT roles, underscoring the importance of understanding and integrating business methodologies into technological development,” he told TechNewsWorld. “Professionals with strong communication, critical thinking, and project management experience can often enhance an IT team’s effectiveness,” he added. “Their varied experiences often lead to creative solutions and a more holistic understanding of the work being done.” Alyson Laderman, CEO of Akylade, a provider of cybersecurity certifications with offices in Florida, pointed out that it can be difficult for women to gain IT experience because it, too, is a male-dominated field. The problem is worse now because of shrinking opportunities, she added. “There’s not as many of those entry-level-type IT positions to get into — to be able to start there and then move up to cyber,” she told TechNewsWorld. “So I think what you’re seeing is a shift in the workforce in general, both in terms of gender, but also in terms of opportunity as to IT being a feeder into cybersecurity.” Teresa Rothaar, a governance, risk, and compliance analyst with Keeper Security, a password management and online storage company in Chicago, noted that the climate for women in cybersecurity has been showing signs of improvement over the past few years. “However, it still faces substantial challenges,” she told TechNewsWorld. “Significant work still needs to be done to ensure equal opportunities and a supportive environment for women in this industry.” “Ongoing challenges to women’s advancement in cybersecurity include significant underrepresentation, as women remain notably outnumbered in cybersecurity roles despite efforts to close the gap, and men continue to dominate the field, particularly in leadership and technical positions,” she said. “The workplace culture in many cybersecurity environments can be unwelcoming to women, with issues such as gender bias, lack of recognition, and sometimes a hostile work environment hindering their progress and retention in the field,” she continued. “Gender pay gaps persist in cybersecurity, with women often earning less than their male counterparts for similar roles, a disparity that is particularly pronounced in tech fields,” she added. “Women in cybersecurity also face barriers to career advancement, including fewer opportunities for promotions and leadership roles, as well as a lack of support for continuing education and professional development.” Education as Pathway Into Cyber The ISC2 report also noted that alongside the strong percentage of candidates leveraging IT experience to get into cybersecurity, advanced education was a significant pathway into these roles, although more so for women than men. Nearly a quarter (24%) of women respondents said they came in with a cybersecurity-related undergraduate degree (compared to 18% of men), and 23% of women (18% of men) entered a cybersecurity role with an undergraduate degree in a field not directly linked to cybersecurity. In addition, 18% of women respondents (12% of men) noted that they held an advanced degree — a postgraduate qualification such as a master’s or a doctorate — in a cybersecurity-related subject before taking up a cybersecurity role. For non-cybersecurity advanced degrees, 16% of women respondents (11% of men) held these qualifications before entering the cybersecurity workforce. “Men get hired on potential. Women get hired on proven ability,” Laderman argued. “Women are almost required to get that higher education, get more experience, to be able to show that they are of the same value of what typically men would be potentially capable of doing.” “It’s clearly not a fair standard, but it’s something I myself have been through,” she added. Vitaitė noted that women in her organization’s programs also tend to have higher education levels — and many certificates — in various subjects. “Unfortunately, this is a consequence of lower self-esteem and willingness to boost confidence and employability with hard knowledge,” she said. “Women also tend to apply later in the process of a career shift,” she continued. “They want to build a knowledge base and prove it via formal and informal education. Only later do they apply for the roles — usually when they meet 80% to 90% of the requirements. Men tend to apply to the roles much earlier and learn on the go.” Value of Cybersecurity Certifications Another finding by the ISC2 report was that beyond career and formal education, women place a significant emphasis on certifications and professional development to support their efforts when securing and furthering a cybersecurity career path. Holding a cybersecurity certification before entering their first job in cybersecurity was cited by 18% of women respondents and 16% of men. “Because cybersecurity is a relatively new field, certifications are a great way for professionals to transition into it from another field,” said Julia Toothacre, chief career strategist at Resume Templates. “Mid-career professionals who have experience in another area might benefit from various certifications to increase their chances of getting hired,” she told TechNewsWorld. “I don’t think there is a gendered perspective when it comes to certifications. It’s really based on a combination of experience and education, which will vary between everyone — male or female.” Rob Rashotte, vice president of global training and technical field enablement at Fortinet, a provider of firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, endpoint security, and antivirus programs in Sunnyvale, Calif., added that reexamining and revising education and training requirements for cybersecurity roles is a great place to start to address the existing workforce shortage in the domain. “Many organizations are still likely overlooking solid candidates,” he told TechNewsWorld. “While many companies have diversity hiring goals, we aren’t seeing hiring numbers increase significantly among women, minorities, and veterans.” According to Fortinet’s 2024 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, despite 91% of respondents saying they prefer to hire candidates with technical certifications, 71% of organizations require potential new hires to hold a four-year degree. “Organizations should be identifying candidates who possess the right soft skills and then using certifications to help them gain cybersecurity-specific knowledge,” Rashotte maintained. He added, “According to the report, most leaders are open to this approach, with 89% of respondents saying they would pay for an employee to obtain a certification.” 2 11 23 57 John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John. Leave a Comment Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account. Related Stories Why Texas Is the Ideal Home for Apple’s AI Data Center February 27, 2025 Database Admins See Brighter Job Prospects Amid IT Challenges August 8, 2024 Workers Using AI To Snag Pay Raises, Promotions: Survey July 16, 2024 More by John P. Mello Jr. View All AI Apps Generate Revenue but Struggle With Retention March 17, 2026 Microsoft Warns of Hackers Supercharging Cyberattacks With AI March 11, 2026 AI Glasses Shift Into Momentum Mode, Shipments Grow 322% in 2025 March 10, 2026 Aptera Reaches Milestone in Solar-Powered Vehicle Production March 4, 2026 Google Primes Chrome for a Post-Quantum World March 3, 2026 Data Centers in Space: Pi in the Sky or AI Hallucination? February 24, 2026 AI Washing Could Take Customers to Cleaners February 12, 2026 Pilot Wells Lay Groundwork for Hydrogen-Powered Energy Production February 4, 2026 AI Rapidly Rendering Cyber Defenses Obsolete: Report February 3, 2026 Identity, Data Security Converging Into Trouble for Security Teams: Report January 28, 2026 More in Women In Tech AI-Powered Software Offers Breakthrough for Treating Dyslexia January 12, 2024 ‘Women Don’t Play’ Confronts Gender Disparity in the Tech Industry June 8, 2023 Study Finds AI Threatening Many Women’s Jobs May 31, 2023 Female Army Veteran Uses Tech To Help Create a Better Future November 11, 2022 Solar Lantern Inventor Brings Ecofriendly Light to Toxic Darkness October 17, 2022 Science, Art Inspire Women in Tech Entrepreneurship August 4, 2022 B2B Funding Firms Banking on Embedded Finance August 1, 2022 Cybercriminals Employing Specialists To Maximize Ill-Gotten Gains July 13, 2021 Encouraging Research Finds Brain Adjusts to ‘Third Thumb’ May 25, 2021 Apple Needs This New Hire to Be Heroic May 17, 2021 How often do you use AI tools for product recommendations? Regularly Sometimes Rarely Never The Death of Page One: AI Storefronts Rewrite Retail Strategy Asynchronous Customer Support Is Breaking E-Commerce The Fraud Visibility Gap Created by Agentic Shopping Why One-Size-Fits-All ERP Fails Mid-Market Retailers CRM-Integrated Loyalty Closes the Inactivity Gap With AI Silent Churn Is the Biggest Customer Support Risk How AI Lets Brands Rehearse the Customer Experience Before Launch Workbooks Takes On CRM Giants With Plain-English AI How to Secure Cloud Storage on Linux With VeraCrypt Weaponized Python and Linux Malware Target Executives and Cloud Systems Over-Privileged AI Agents Are the Next Enterprise Blind Spot Linux: The Real Operating System Microsoft Warns of Hackers Supercharging Cyberattacks With AI Apple Accelerates Its Unified Silicon Strategy AI Glasses Shift Into Momentum Mode, Shipments Grow 322% in 2025 The Silicon Battlefield: Autonomous Weapons and the Next Era of Warfare TECHNEWSWORLD CHANNELS MOBILE APPS Meta Positioning WhatsApp To Be a Super App OPERATING SYSTEMS Linux: The Real Operating System PRIVACY The Real Attack Surface Isn’t Code Anymore — It’s Business Users REVIEWS Galaxy XR Is Impressive. The Problem Is Nobody Needs It (Yet) ROBOTICS An AI Survival Guide for Curating Your Digital Inner Circle SCIENCE Data Centers in Space: Pi in the Sky or AI Hallucination? SEARCH TECH Favored Google Search Results Can Cost Consumers Cash SERVERS Assessing AMD’s 2025 Momentum and Its CES 2026 Reveals SMARTPHONES Apple’s High-Stakes Gemini Bet May End in a Messy Split SOCIAL NETWORKING Australia Bans Social Media Accounts for Minors SPACE Meta Llama 2025: The Open-Source AI Tsunami SPOTLIGHT FEATURES Why Distinguishing Trade Secrets From Public Knowledge Matters TABLETS WWDC: Apple Unifies Operating Systems, Makes iPad More PC TECH BUZZ Rob Enderle’s 2025 Tech Product of the Year TECH LAW US Think Tank Waves Red Flag Over Chinese Economic Espionage TRANSPORTATION The Volvo EX60 Signals the End of the Plug-In Hybrid VIRTUAL REALITY Forrester’s Keys To Taming ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ Disruptive Tech WEARABLE TECH 4 AI-Driven Outcomes Could Define the Future of Humanity WOMEN IN TECH Crashing the Boys’ Club: Women Entering Cybersecurity Through Non-Traditional Paths APPLICATIONS How to Harden Firefox for Better Security on Linux AUDIO/VIDEO Is Creator Studio Apple’s Trojan Horse Into Adobe’s Market? CHIPS Synaptics Has the Platforms. Now It Needs a Modern Megaphone COMPUTING HP Renaissance: Navigating Memory Storms and the AI Horizon CYBERSECURITY Data in the Wild: 40% of Employee AI Use Involves Sensitive Info DATA MANAGEMENT Quenching Data Center Thirst for Power Now Is Solvable Problem DEVELOPERS Percona’s Fast-Impact Database Services Aim to Speed AI Readiness EMERGING TECH Private 5G Seen as Fix for Warehouse Robot Connectivity EXCLUSIVES Database Admins See Brighter Job Prospects Amid IT Challenges GAMING Dell’s Strategic Reset and Intentional Return to the XPS Brand HACKING Hackers Going for Gold at Winter Olympics: Report HARDWARE Jeff Clarke’s Mission to Save Dell PCs HEALTH Experity AI Care Agent Helps Cut Admin Workload in Urgent Care HOME TECH Amazon Brings Alexa+ to the Web as AI Competition Heats Up HOW TO AI-Powered Ways To Save on Christmas in a Post-Shutdown Season INTERNET OF THINGS Calix in 2026: A Quiet AI Power Play for Smaller Broadband Providers IT LEADERSHIP AI Washing Could Take Customers to Cleaners MALWARE Weaponized Python and Linux Malware Target Executives and Cloud Systems MOBILE APPS Meta Positioning WhatsApp To Be a Super App OPERATING SYSTEMS Linux: The Real Operating System PRIVACY The Real Attack Surface Isn’t Code Anymore — It’s Business Users REVIEWS Galaxy XR Is Impressive. The Problem Is Nobody Needs It (Yet) ROBOTICS An AI Survival Guide for Curating Your Digital Inner Circle SCIENCE Data Centers in Space: Pi in the Sky or AI Hallucination? SEARCH TECH Favored Google Search Results Can Cost Consumers Cash SERVERS Assessing AMD’s 2025 Momentum and Its CES 2026 Reveals SMARTPHONES Apple’s High-Stakes Gemini Bet May End in a Messy Split SOCIAL NETWORKING Australia Bans Social Media Accounts for Minors SPACE Meta Llama 2025: The Open-Source AI Tsunami SPOTLIGHT FEATURES Why Distinguishing Trade Secrets From Public Knowledge Matters TABLETS WWDC: Apple Unifies Operating Systems, Makes iPad More PC TECH BUZZ Rob Enderle’s 2025 Tech Product of the Year TECH LAW US Think Tank Waves Red Flag Over Chinese Economic Espionage TRANSPORTATION The Volvo EX60 Signals the End of the Plug-In Hybrid VIRTUAL REALITY Forrester’s Keys To Taming ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ Disruptive Tech WEARABLE TECH 4 AI-Driven Outcomes Could Define the Future of Humanity WOMEN IN TECH Crashing the Boys’ Club: Women Entering Cybersecurity Through Non-Traditional Paths APPLICATIONS How to Harden Firefox for Better Security on Linux AUDIO/VIDEO Is Creator Studio Apple’s Trojan Horse Into Adobe’s Market? CHIPS Synaptics Has the Platforms. Now It Needs a Modern Megaphone COMPUTING HP Renaissance: Navigating Memory Storms and the AI Horizon CYBERSECURITY Data in the Wild: 40% of Employee AI Use Involves Sensitive Info DATA MANAGEMENT Quenching Data Center Thirst for Power Now Is Solvable Problem DEVELOPERS Percona’s Fast-Impact Database Services Aim to Speed AI Readiness EMERGING TECH Private 5G Seen as Fix for Warehouse Robot Connectivity EXCLUSIVES Database Admins See Brighter Job Prospects Amid IT Challenges GAMING Dell’s Strategic Reset and Intentional Return to the XPS Brand HACKING Hackers Going for Gold at Winter Olympics: Report HARDWARE Jeff Clarke’s Mission to Save Dell PCs HEALTH Experity AI Care Agent Helps Cut Admin Workload in Urgent Care HOME TECH Amazon Brings Alexa+ to the Web as AI Competition Heats Up HOW TO AI-Powered Ways To Save on Christmas in a Post-Shutdown Season INTERNET OF THINGS Calix in 2026: A Quiet AI Power Play for Smaller Broadband Providers IT LEADERSHIP AI Washing Could Take Customers to Cleaners MALWARE Weaponized Python and Linux Malware Target Executives and Cloud Systems MOBILE APPS Meta Positioning WhatsApp To Be a Super App More from ECT News Network E-Commerce Times Private 5G Seen as Fix for Warehouse Robot Connectivity March 16, 2026 The End of 'Spray and Pray' Email Marketing March 9, 2026 ReflexAI Helps Sales Leaders Bridge the 70% Execution Gap February 23, 2026 LinuxInsider Oracle Declines Community Proposal for Neutral MySQL Foundation March 16, 2026 How to Harden Firefox for Better Security on Linux March 6, 2026 Open-Source Vulnerabilities Double as AI Coding Grows February 25, 2026 CRM Buyer AI Is Forcing Companies to Rethink Employee Experience March 12, 2026 CIQ Collapses the Gap Between AI Training and CRM March 2, 2026 Visual API: The Next Great CRM Asset Is Automated Imagery February 17, 2026 ×