The Security Foundation

Register for the Security Skills Blueprint Webinar

 

Entering the security industry today isn’t necessarily the challenge. Figuring out how to move forward in it is.

Across our community, we hear the same questions: What skills actually matter? Where should I invest my time early in my career? How do I build experience in a field that spans physical security, cyber, intelligence, and more?

There’s no shortage of advice. However, too often, early-career professionals are navigating a flood of information without a clear way to prioritize what will actually move them forward.

 

What We’re Seeing Across the Industry

Through conversations with leaders across our network, a pattern is emerging.

As Denise Flynn of Chevron shared, “I often come across resumes that have a long list of certifications but that are much too light on experience.”

This isn’t about credentials lacking value. It’s about alignment.

Too many professionals are building skills in isolation, focusing on what’s visible or easy to measure without a clear connection to how those skills are applied in real-world environments.

At the same time, the industry itself is evolving. Security is no longer siloed. The lines between physical security, cyber, intelligence, and executive protection continue to blur. The professionals who move forward are the ones who can operate across those boundaries.

 

Why Skills Alone Aren’t the Answer

One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is this. Success in security isn’t just about what you know. It’s about how you apply it.

Mo Baloch of American Airlines put it simply, “Security failures are often communication failures first.”

That insight reflects something bigger. Security doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through people, through how risks are communicated, understood, and acted on across an organization.

When communication breaks down, security breaks down. When communication is clear, security becomes a shared responsibility. That’s where early-career professionals can start to differentiate themselves.

 

There Is No Single Path Forward

Another misconception we see across the industry is the idea that there is a single “right” way to build a career in security.

As Yusuf Ezzy of PG&E shared, “Holistic security programs benefit from a staff with diverse skills that go well beyond the obvious.”

This reinforces what we are seeing across the industry. Security programs are strongest when they reflect a diversity of skills, perspectives, and backgrounds, not just traditional paths.

Our industry needs people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and strengths. That includes traditional paths, and it also includes professionals who bring experience from outside of security entirely.

What matters is not the path itself, but how you build on it. Liz Rice of PG&E emphasizes the importance of building a balanced skill set across business, operations, and communication rather than following a single predefined path.

When early-career professionals try to follow a predefined route without understanding their own strengths or how organizations actually operate, progress slows. When they take a more intentional approach, momentum builds.

 

What Actually Moves Careers Forward

Across our partners, we consistently see the same capabilities driving growth early in a career.

Not just technical depth, but the ability to communicate clearly, think critically, align to the business, and connect strategy to execution.

Understanding how your organization operates is critical to ensuring security is seen as a value-driving function, not a siloed one, as emphasized by Rodney Drinkard of The Coca-Cola Company.

As Mo Baloch noted, “The professional who can make a CFO genuinely understand why something matters will always outperform the more technically brilliant person who can’t.”

These are the skills that elevate professionals from contributors to trusted partners.

 

A More Practical Way to Build Skills

So how do you focus your efforts in a way that actually builds momentum?

We encourage a more grounded approach. Look at real roles you aspire to and identify what they require. Connect with professionals already doing that work. Anchor your learning to real problems, not just theory. Build a balanced skill set across technical, business, and communication areas.

“When you focus on learning how to think through problems and not just accumulating credentials, you build real capability,” shared Mo Baloch.

This is how skills turn into impact, and ultimately, how careers move forward.

 

Why This Matters

At SCEA, our focus is on advancing the security profession by creating more clarity, more access, and more opportunity for those entering the field.

This isn’t just about individual careers. It’s about strengthening the profession as a whole.

When early-career professionals are equipped with the right skills and perspectives, they don’t just grow faster, they also help build stronger, more adaptive security programs. And that directly impacts the organizations and communities we all work to protect.

 

Where We Go Next

That’s exactly why we’re bringing this conversation together through the Security Skills Blueprint webinar, led by the SCEA Early Career Committee.

The Early Career Committee exists to support individuals entering the profession, connecting our community to mentorship, resources, and opportunities that help build confidence and long-term direction.

In this session, leaders from across the industry will come together to share what early-career professionals are getting wrong, which skills translate across disciplines, how to build capability in the first one to three years, and what organizations are actually looking for today.

If you’re early in your career or looking to enter the field, this is an opportunity to gain clarity and direction from those actively shaping the industry.

 

Register for the Security Skills Blueprint Webinar