Kicking off Cybersecurity Career Week with NIST!

Credit: NIST

Considering a career in cybersecurity? Cybersecurity Career Week (CCW), a campaign led by the NICE Program at NIST from October 19-24, 2026, aims to raise public awareness and help people find their path to #ChooseCyber. During this week, academia, industry, non-profit organizations, and government agencies host events, share resources, provide trainings, and engage community to build awareness about the cybersecurity job opportunities, educate people on how to develop capabilities to qualify for cybersecurity roles, and showcase how building a cybersecurity workforce enhances the Nation’s security and promotes economic prosperity.

How to get started

Be ready to engage, explore, and try something new. Use CCW to ask questions, attend an event, connect with people already working in the field, or participate in challenges. You never know which conversation, activity, class, or resource might introduce you to your future cybersecurity career.

To get started, visit the official CCW website to access global and local event listings, interactive toolkits, and free career planning resources. If you are an educator, mentor, or professional guiding others, the site also offers dedicated tools, and turnkey event guides to help you host activities and inspire the next generation of cybersecurity talent.

Your cybersecurity career journey can start anywhere and at any time. The cybersecurity workforce needs people with a range of interests, experiences, strengths, and skills. Maybe you love solving problems, helping people, investigating how things work, communicating ideas, analyzing information, or building technology. During CCW you can find out about the variety of cybersecurity career options available and discover one that connects with your interests.

Explore more

Cybersecurity is much bigger than one job title. Discover resources like the NICE Framework to learn about different types of cybersecurity roles and what skills are needed. Check out CyberSeek to learn more about what jobs are in demand, use the Cyber Career Pathways Tool from the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies to discover pathways, check out videos from practitioners, and see how different cybersecurity roles interconnect. Just click around and explore — you might be surprised by what you find!

Remember, every career starts with a first step. Start small. Explore one career path. Ask one question. Learn one new skill. Make one connection. Share something you learned with someone else. CCW is about allowing yourself to be curious and discover where that curiosity might take you. Your path does not have to look like anyone else's — just keep exploring, learning, and moving forward. Happy CCW!