Cybersecurity courses: Despite great promise, first job remains elusive

When Chaitanya, a third-year Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) student in Pune, began studying cybersecurity, he thought an advanced certification would help him enter the industry. He became interested in penetration testing after Class 12 and cleared the Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) examination in his second year. OSCP is a hands-on certification focused on finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in computer systems.

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But the job search brought a different experience. “I sent around 200–300 applications for VAPT, SOC Analyst, Cybersecurity Analyst internships and entry-level roles, but I didn’t get a single interview or opportunity,” he said. VAPT, or vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, involves finding weaknesses in websites, applications or networks and testing whether they can be exploited. A Security Operations Centre (SOC) analyst monitors systems for signs of cyberattacks and investigates suspicious activity.