Divya K, CISSP, CC explains how the ISC2 Bangalore Chapter has been building industry initiatives and leveraging the member community to help connect students interested in a cybersecurity career with the profession.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ISC2.
One of the biggest challenges in our industry is the cybersecurity skills shortage. As demand grows for skilled professionals, many students graduating from engineering and IT programs are unsure about career opportunities in cybersecurity or lack exposure to the practical skills employers are looking for. At the ISC2 Bangalore Chapter, we decided to take on the challenge of building initiatives that meaningfully connect students with the profession: designing and delivering programs that raise awareness about cybersecurity careers, and also give students the confidence and skills to pursue them. As the Chapter’s Program Manager for Industry–Academia Collaboration, I’ve been able to play a part.
Partnering with Local Colleges
Under the guidance of Kamal Sharma, our Chapter Chair, one of my first steps was to create structured training programs tailored to engineering students. Our plan was simple: to complement what they were already learning in the classroom with practical insights, certification awareness and real-world skills.
We duly partnered with colleges in and around Bangalore, and ran sessions that introduced students to cybersecurity basics, frameworks and global certifications like ISC2’s Certified in Cybersecurity (CC). We designed workshops and awareness sessions that covered foundational concepts from network security to cloud basics. We added case studies to make the material more engaging.
The first surprise was that recruiting students was easier than we expected: once word spread through faculty and student groups, registrations grew quickly. Many students admitted they had never considered cybersecurity as a career path until they attended our sessions. One particularly encouraging outcome was seeing students register for certification exams after these programs, inspired by the fact that the industry offered so many opportunities beyond coding or traditional IT roles.
Of course, not everything went smoothly. We quickly realized that students came with very different levels of existing exposure to cybersecurity. Some were already familiar with tools like Wireshark, while others were hearing about cyberattacks for the first time. We adapted by offering layered modules and sharing additional resources for self-study.
Hands-On Learning
To make learning more hands-on, we introduced students to Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges and hackathons. These were always a hit: students loved the competitive, gamified approach to problem-solving. It gave them a taste of the “real work” of cybersecurity – analyzing logs, finding vulnerabilities, or solving puzzles under pressure.
We curated beginner-friendly challenges and guided students step-by-step, often with mentors from the Chapter on hand to provide hints and encouragement. In some cases, we teamed up with other cybersecurity communities in Bangalore to co-host events, which expanded the reach and gave students exposure to a wider professional network. One of my favorite memories was from a CTF event at which a group of second-year engineering students, who initially felt completely out of depth, ended up solving one of the toughest challenges in the competition. Their sense of achievement was contagious and afterward, they told us they wanted to pursue cybersecurity careers more seriously.
We didn’t always get it right. Sometimes the challenges were too advanced, and students were discouraged. Lessons were learned: we introduced different tracks — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — so that everyone could participate meaningfully.
Spreading Career Opportunities
Another important focus for our Chapter has been spreading awareness about cybersecurity career paths. Many students told us that while they had heard of cybersecurity, they had no idea about the range of roles that exists, such as SOC analyst, penetration tester, governance/risk/compliance specialist, cloud security engineer etc.
To address this, we organized panel discussions and webinars where professionals from different domains shared their career journeys. We also showcased real, human stories, which resonated well with students. We also created “day in the life” sessions, at which Chapter members spoke candidly about what their jobs involved, the challenges they faced and the skills they wished they had learned earlier. For example, one session that I remember vividly was given by a senior incident responder, who described for students the adrenaline of handling a live breach and how teamwork mattered more than individual brilliance.
Another tactic that worked particularly well in terms of spreading careers awareness was involving alumni — students who had attended earlier sessions and gone on to start their first cybersecurity internships or jobs. Inevitably, their stories resonated strongly with current students because they could see themselves in those journeys.
Has it Worked?
At time of writing we don’t yet have formal quantitative statistics, but the qualitative impact of our initiatives is clear:
- Students are more aware of cybersecurity as a viable and exciting career
- Participants show interest in pursuing certifications or internships
- Faculty members advise that they are better able to communicate industry needs to their students
- Chapter members themselves feel more connected and energized through mentorship
For me personally, the most rewarding part has been watching hesitant students transform into confident learners. For our Chapter, it has been about building a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
Key Takeaways
It’s clear to me that our initiatives have been positive in connecting skilled people with cybersecurity opportunities – all of us in the Chapter have seen new people enter the profession. So, here’s what I would say to other Chapter members inspired to do something similar.
- Running these initiatives isn’t always easy. Coordinating with colleges takes time and aligning schedules with academic calendars is tricky.
- Turnout may sometimes be lower than you hoped for – especially during exam season. Our online sessions often had more participants, but engagement was harder to maintain compared to in-person events.
- Mentorship is just as important as technical training. Students often need reassurance, advice on how to prepare for interviews, or guidance on building their resumes. Providing that human connection has made our initiatives far more impactful.
- Collaboration is vital. We work with college faculties, other cybersecurity groups and even industry partners, which has helped us scale our efforts and reach more students than we could have managed alone.
Cybersecurity skills and people shortages are global issues, but – for me – solutions start locally. At the ISC2 Bangalore Chapter, our training programs, CTFs and career-awareness initiatives have shown that Chapters can make a real difference in bridging the gap between academia and industry.
Divya K, CISSP, CC has 12+ years of experience in banking, IT, teaching, cybersecurity, governance, education and community initiatives. She has held management and technical roles, with responsibility for cybersecurity operations, governance, vendor management, awareness, mentoring and training. She is also a Google Women Techmakers Ambassador.
