Cultivate these half-dozen qualities and watch your career soar.

From the 1950s through the 1970s, popular magazines carried an ad for the Famous Artists School that asked, "Could you be an artist?" The ad promised that if you had the basic traits for art, you could become a famous artist.

Could the same be said about a cybersecurity career? 

Hundreds of thousands of people have gone into the field, but what specific intellectual and personality traits are more useful — ones that make it a bit easier to become a success?

Recently, we looked at some nontechnical degrees that can lead to cybersecurity success. Their existence means success is not just about being good at mathematics or having the right background in computer science. Also worth noting: There are many paths to success in cybersecurity, just as there are many positions within the field. However, certain qualities bear cultivating for anyone who wants to enter — or advance — in the field.

(Image: Alex Po VIA Adobe Stock)

About the Author(s)

Curtis Franklin, Principal Analyst, Omdia

Curtis Franklin Jr. is Principal Analyst at Omdia, focusing on enterprise security management. Previously, he was senior editor of Dark Reading, editor of Light Reading's Security Now, and executive editor, technology, at InformationWeek, where he was also executive producer of InformationWeek's online radio and podcast episodes

Curtis has been writing about technologies and products in computing and networking since the early 1980s. He has been on staff and contributed to technology-industry publications including BYTE, ComputerWorld, CEO, Enterprise Efficiency, ChannelWeb, Network Computing, InfoWorld, PCWorld, Dark Reading, and ITWorld.com on subjects ranging from mobile enterprise computing to enterprise security and wireless networking.

Curtis is the author of thousands of articles, the co-author of five books, and has been a frequent speaker at computer and networking industry conferences across North America and Europe. His most recent books, Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center, and Securing the Cloud: Security Strategies for the Ubiquitous Data Center, with co-author Brian Chee, are published by Taylor and Francis.

When he's not writing, Curtis is a painter, photographer, cook, and multi-instrumentalist musician. He is active in running, amateur radio (KG4GWA), the MakerFX maker space in Orlando, FL, and is a certified Florida Master Naturalist.

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