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Sparkcon 2026

Last year I attended Sparkcon as a student, but this year I attended as a professional. Bringing along a clipboard and an inquisitive mind, I decided to briefly interview attendees and company representatives. I asked what advice they would have for those like myself just getting into the Cybersecurity industry. Here are some of responses which I was given.

• Try to search company websites for jobs instead of job boards like Indeed or Linkedin.
• Certifications are nice, but demonstrable personal/professional experience is better.
• Do free online cybersecurity courses like Hack The Box or TryHackMe.
• Tailor each resume you submit to a job. AI filters are trained to exclude "shotgun applications".
• If you are looking to get generalized knowledge of multiple cybersecurity fields, look for employment at a MSSP.
• There are many cybersecurity fields; try to find one that you like and become an expert in it.
• Figure out what you want to do, why you want to do it, and what skills will allow you to do it.
• Try to search company websites for jobs instead of job boards like Indeed or Linkedin.
• Find someone willing to teach you. Mentorship is the best way to gain important knowledge.
• Be in front of current security events and developments, not behind.
• The currently most important security concern is how attackers will use AI in social engineering.
• Agentic AI is going to be an important tool for automating security responses.

This year’s Sparkcon was an illuminating event, and I look forward to applying what I learned going forward.