In a world filled with opportunities, it’s normal to reach a point where you want to explore something new. As you learn more about your strengths and passions, it’s very likely that you’ll desire to find work that aligns. The Making The Transition Series is here to share real stories of amazing women who have successfully changed careers, with sage advice for navigating the transition.

In today’s Making The Transition segment, we had the privilege of connecting with Shadara Mackie to talk more about her transition to Cybersecruity Consultant. Check out our conversation below!

Tell us about yourself.

If I had to simply describe my current role, I’d say I assist well-known businesses in managing their network traffic, using my company’s security software to prevent data security breaches which would result in your personal information being stolen by hackers if successful.

As a Cybersecurity Consultant, I partner with C-Suite executives from small businesses up to Fortune 500 companies to strengthen their security posture and protect their critical assets and data from the adversary. When I stepped into this role a year ago, I didn’t realize I was stepping into my dream career. I genuinely enjoy what I do, and I’m grateful to be in my career of choice after completing graduate school in the same field of study. I enjoy being a part of the industry that’s essentially responsible for protecting the digital data we share online every day. As we continue to evolve in the IT space, cybersecurity will continue to be in demand. My interest in cybersecurity came from my previous career in telecommunication as I investigated a substantial amount of cases which included identity theft, account hijacks, and more. My curiosity was triggered, and I was determined to understand how this all happens. Cybersecurity is a very fun and rewarding career, and I’m happy with my decision.

Tell us more about your career journey.

I must admit that my journey to cybersecurity was not as smooth as I intended. After receiving a Master’s Degree in Information Security in 2018, I thought that accomplishment would make my transition easier, but I was sadly mistaken. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the hands-on experience necessary to obtain a role in the field I chose to further my education in. I received hundreds of rejections. When it comes to IT, degrees are nice, but your skills are more desired. I previously worked in telecommunications which was not my ideal career, but I acquired so many technical skills that I didn’t realize until later on. I began my in telecom when I decided to relocate to Georgia back in 2014. Prior to making my decision to relocate, I worked as a Juvenile Detention Officer in Illinois after I completed my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Sociology.

After 3 years of being a mentee, attending bootcamps/workshops, endless certification studying, hundreds of applications submitted, I finally was blessed with a few resources, including The Winners Circle, that helped me successfully get the “You’re Hired” I was seeking for so long. I honestly underestimated my skills until I took a step back and really outlined my entire work/education experience. Often times we’re performing technical tasks that we may not realize. Also, after realizing I could polish my interview skills, The Winners Circle provided all the tools and resources necessary to sharpen those interviewing skills and really speak to my experience. As you can imagine, the process was filled with sleepless nights, tears, doubt, etc., but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

What would you say were the most challenging aspects of your career transition?

The most challenging aspects of my career transition was adapting to a completely new field/company/systems, the self-doubt episodes I’d endure after unsuccessful interviews, and the amount of time you contribute to career transitions.

What was the single most helpful asset during your transition?

Consistency. I know it sounds cliche, but if I wasn’t consistent with my plan, I wouldn’t be where I am today. We often get into the habit of doing something, but then all of a sudden, we stop. That was me for 3 years. When I finally developed my career transition plan, I was able to successfully start and motivated myself to keep going. Even though I received an enormous amount of rejects, my drive kept me going to eventually give me the career that’s perfect for me. I now realize that the rejections were just saving me from the positions that weren’t really designed for me, leaving me the opportunity to really find the company/career that fit my needs.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

Honestly, everything happens for a reason, so I wouldn’t necessarily do anything differently because those lessons were meant to be taught or else I wouldn’t be able to help others. Maybe one thing I wouldn’t mind bypassing if I had to do it again would be avoiding the bootcamps and their astronomical prices.

What advice can you give someone who’s looking to change careers?

The advice I would give is to first identify what your skills and interests are. If you are stuck on deciding your next career move, look over your experience and look into 3 careers you can go into with those skills. Then see if you can do a job shadow. This is important because it’ll save you so much time and energy because if you can test out a career before fully committing to it, why not? You may find that you absolutely hate whatever you were ordinary thinking about getting into. After understanding your skills and interests, once you narrow your career choice list down to 1, do your research on that field and find out what it takes to get in that field. Don’t be afraid to take a quick online class (LinkedIn, YouTube, etc) to sharpen your skills. The more skills you have, the better chance you have with landing the job.

Anything else you’d like to share?

If you’re not happy with your current career, don’t torture yourself by staying there. Know your worth. Although your current company won’t give you the promotion or raise you well deserve, there’s another company eager to hire someone like you and will pay top dollar for your skills. Never underestimate yourself. You are more qualified than you think.

Thanks for tuning into the Making The Transition Series! Be sure to check out the our other interview segments for a glimpse into other roles you may be interested in pursuing.