When is the right time to leave your job?
Why I decided to look around although my previous job was great
It’s no secret that I recently accepted an offer as a Security Engineer at Google. If you’re connected with me, you’ve probably seen my excitement shared in a post on LinkedIn. But beyond the thrill of landing the role, I want to share the journey that led me here — and the lessons I learned along the way.
The Challenge of Breaking In
For far too long, Google has been regarded as one of the most challenging companies to navigate in its hiring process. Those who succeed are generously compensated, and I can personally attest to that. My path to securing this position was anything but traditional. If you read last week’s newsletter, you know I didn’t follow the typical route to obtain a Computer Science undergraduate degree, nor did I grind through countless LeetCode questions. Instead, I carved out an unconventional path.
A Comfortable Position
At my previous company, I was responsible for engineering a new landing zone designed for clients to push data for processing. This involved migrating seven clients from a legacy API gateway managed by a third party to a new gateway deployed on a Kubernetes cluster.
I concentrated on implementing resilient architectures using microservices, ensuring that each component could securely scale independently. Data was stored in Amazon S3 for durability, while Kafka messaging was leveraged for real-time data processing, ensuring that downstream consumers could consume data without bottlenecks. This setup enabled us to handle increased loads and improved data flow efficiency. Security was paramount throughout this process; I ensured encryption both at rest and in transit, including encryption for client gateway certificates using GPG, to maintain compliance with industry standards.
Beyond knowledge transfer sessions for the wider team and code reviews, my day-to-day tasks became mostly focused on TLS certificate renewals, credential rotations, and ad-hoc housekeeping. This became far less stimulating compared to last summer when I was deeply engaged in designing the architecture, building the deployment pipelines, and breaking the platform to test its limits.
Forget all of the boring stuff; sorry, I get quite passionate when I’m in the flow… Long story short, after a while, I found myself yearning for a new challenge in the cybersecurity landscape.
A short video emulating a similar flow utilising, kafka, kubernetes, docker, producers and consumers via python, shell scripting, git and more (set up independantly for practice in my home lab — raspberry pi).
An Unexpected Discovery
One evening in April, while preparing to break my fast, I stumbled upon a job ad for the Cloud Security Platform Engineer role at Google. It was a surprising moment; I had never encountered a title like that from Google before. What made it even more enticing was how perfectly it aligned with my career trajectory. Having just completed the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist exam, I had been deeply exploring container orchestration security. Naturally, I opened Pandora’s box and expanded the dropdown to read the job description — and to my delight, I smiled in amusement.
More on that in the newsletters to come, consider subscribing for more! 😉
Key Scenarios for Exploring New Opportunities
To conclude, here are a few key scenarios that might prompt you to consider looking around:
Stagnation: If you realise that advancement in your current role is limited, it may be time to seek a position that offers better growth prospects.
Desire for Challenges: If you’re feeling unfulfilled, pursuing roles that allow you to tackle complex issues can reignite your passion for the field.
Cultural Misalignment: A disconnect between your values and the company culture can be a significant motivator. If you seek a more supportive and collaborative environment, exploring options that align better with your principles is worthwhile.
Pursuing Specialisation: If you discover a specific area of cybersecurity that truly excites you, don’t hesitate to focus on roles that allow you to deepen your expertise in that niche.
Networking Insights: Industry connections can reveal exciting opportunities that align with your skills and aspirations, providing a compelling reason to explore new possibilities.
Remember, sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to the most rewarding opportunities.
Thank you for taking the time to read my journey! This newsletter was deliberately kept short to avoid overwhelming you with information. If you enjoyed it, I encourage you to consider subscribing and leaving a comment with your thoughts. I'd love to hear what topics you’d like to see explored in future editions!