Top Reasons to Become a Penetration Tester
We are often times asked “why did you become a penetration tester” or “why should I get into penetration testing”? There are many different reasons to get into penetration testing and everyone is motivated by different things. We took a poll in our office of why our team members got into penetration testing and today we will explore some of the responses.
1. Every single day is different.
While almost every job could say this is true, as a penetration testing consultant, every day is a different. Daily tasks vary from hacking (of course!), to writing reports, to attending conferences, to giving educational talks, to further training, to talking to previous clients, and the list goes on. Also, one day you may be trying to hack a Fortune-500 company via an external penetration test, and the very next day you may be trying to break into the office of a completely different SMB via a physical penetration test.
2. Every project has its own challenges that you must overcome.
Every project is its own little puzzle. Along the way you collect data that eventually you have to piece together in order to solve the puzzle. This keeps our engineers intellectually challenged at all times, which some people thrive on. Become a penetration tester requires a very specific skill set and way of thinking, which is put to the test in some way on every project.
3. The information security community.
The information security community is like none other. There are so many folks that are genuinely interested in giving back, helping people grow, networking, and engaging. Many professional communities can be cutthroat, but the infosec community seems to look out for each other. The “cons” and other events are phenomenal and great ways to meet new people and learn new things, all at the same time.
4. A true sense of purpose and helping society.
Having worked in other professions personally, including finance, I genuinely feel like the work I am doing at a penetration testing firm makes a difference. By helping companies improve their security posture, you are not only helping to protect them, but also their customers. While it is hard to know if and when you may have prevented a breach, it is cool to think about the fact that you play a part in preventing organizations from being hacked.
These are just a few of the reasons that our engineers here at Triaxiom Security have pointed out but there are many other benefits to becoming a penetration tester. Looking for a rewarding job? Trying to find a way into penetration testing? We are always looking for engineers to join the team and if you are interested, reach out to us with your resume at careers@triaxiomsecurity.com or contact us here.
