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Not Interested in an AppSec job? Learning Security Can STILL Boost Your Career.

Updated:
November 14, 2022
Written by
Aneesh Bhargav

Let me paint a picture: you work in product engineering, say, as a developer, a DevOps engineer, or an architect.

You know application security is important for the product you're building. You're interested in security and you want to get involved. BUT you don't want to change careers to a security role full-time.

Is this you?

If it is, you probably have some questions:

  • Why should YOU get involved in security?
  • Is it worth your time and effort to learn security skills?
  • If yes, what's the quickest way to get those skills?

Let's go about answering these questions one by one.

Why should you get involved in security?

It's a common myth that security is purely the responsibility of the security team. The product engineers build the app, the security team checks it for flaws, then the product is shipped. Right?

Wrong.

The problem is that this mindset assumes security teams are knowledgeable about the stack you're building on. They know how to break apps and find all the exploits, but don't know the best way to fix them.

That means the responsibility to secure the software falls on you, the product engineer. You're the 'builder', after all. It only makes sense that you fix it too.

But there's good news: you can still make a big difference in security without doing security full-time. Your first step is to acquire the right skills.

AppSecEngineer's hands-on labs use real-world security to teach you. Watch the video.

Is it worth your time and effort to get security skills?

Even if you wanted to cared about security, it's fair to ask: what's in it for you?

If all you get in return for learning security skills is more work for the same pay, that would just suck. Thankfully, you can boost your career big-time by acquiring key skills in AppSec.

1. Product engineers with security skills get better salaries

Whatever your role on the product team, one thing's for sure: having security skills makes you more valuable.

Let's say you're a developer who understands secure coding. Employers will give you far more preference than an equally experienced developer who doesn't have the security skills.

Why? Because secure code can dramatically reduce the time taken to remediate vulnerabilities, speeding up development. Your skills enable your team to go faster.

The same applies for any other role on the team. If you get security skills relevant to your field, you can easily earn more money and enjoy a better position at your company.

Want to learn secure code in a language you know? Try out AppSecEngineer's Playgrounds.

2. Security skills make your job easier

One of the biggest advantages to being security-fluent is how it streamlines parts of your workflow.

Maybe you're a DevOps engineer looking for ways to shorten your SDLC and release faster. But wouldn't that affect security?

If you were trained in DevSecOps, you could implement security automation in your CI/CD pipeline. That would ensure scalability without sacrificing security.

You may not realise it at first, but security influences each and every aspect of product development. The more skills you have, the better you get at problem-solving.

3. Avoid getting laid off, or bounce back much faster

2022 was marked by companies laying off hundreds of thousands of employees amid economic turmoil. 2023 may not be much better.

In such an unstable hiring economy, competition is sky-high. Only one thing sets you apart from thousands of others: real-world skills.

As a product engineer with security skills, you're in a much better position than 95% of your competition.

As a valuable team member, you're far less likely to get laid off. But even if you do, you can bounce back and find a new job much faster than before.

Hands-on problem solving is fun! Test your security skills with AppSecEngineer's Challenges.

Train to become the MVP on your team with AppSecEngineer

AppSecEngineer is designed for every role on the product team, not just security folks.

As an all-in-one training suite for product teams, we offer 50+ courses and activities in application security. That includes:

  • AWS & Azure security
  • DevSecOps
  • Containers & Kubernetes
  • Threat Modeling
  • Basic & Advanced AppSec

Check out the full catalogue here.

These courses feature 700+ hands-on labs that showcase real-world security scenarios. It's also 100% browser-based so zero downloads or installs, and zero security risk.

We've even got:

Unlock all the content in our library in just one click. Get it now and start learning today.

Source for article
Aneesh Bhargav

Aneesh Bhargav

Aneesh Bhargav is the Head of Content Strategy at AppSecEngineer. He has experience in creating long-form written content, copywriting, producing Youtube videos and promotional content. Aneesh has experience working in Application Security industry both as a writer and a marketer, and has hosted booths at globally recognized conferences like Black Hat. He has also assisted the lead trainer at a sold-out DevSecOps training at Black Hat. An avid reader and learner, Aneesh spends much of his time learning not just about the security industry, but the global economy, which directly informs his content strategy at AppSecEngineer. When he's not creating AppSec-related content, he's probably playing video games.

Aneesh Bhargav

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