Need professional advice
Hello everyone!
I am here to ask for some advice.
Let me put some background first.
I (22F) am from Bulgaria.
I have completed my Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity with excellence and 2 years earlier than normal because I decided to go on an individual learning schedule and pass all the exams plus write and present my thesis earlier.
At the moment I am undergoing my Master’s in DF which is expected to be completed in March 2027 after I pass the exams, write and present my thesis. Everything passed already is with the highest score possible.
I have been working in the IT field for some years now - started as frontend programmer, then got in cybersecurity with a support-like position, became an analyst in a SOC team, did some cybersecurity engineering freelance and currently I am a threat intelligence analyst for one US company - remotely.
The thing is that this last position is not the normal TIA and I feel like I am not working on the right skills if I want to get in DF.
I was also wondering what positions there are in the private sector, is there a demand for DF specialists? There is also a possibility to become an expert working on court cases but they need 5 years of experience and I have 4 at the moment.
I find DF very interesting and would really want to get in the field and do this full time.
My question is how to prepare myself and what to look for - courses, certificates, tools, labs, jobs, companies. Also government or private?
Any insights would be much appreciated!