A step by step guide to getting your first job in security engineering
Do you need help to break into the security engineering industry? Look no further than “Kickstart Your Security Engineering Career”! This meticulously crafted guide, developed by industry experts with over a decade of collective experience, provides a step-by-step framework for landing your dream job. Unlike other career guides, this book goes beyond theory and provides actionable steps to develop the knowledge, skills, mindset, and experience necessary for success.
In addition, with exercises to measure progress at the end of each chapter, you’ll gain the confidence to tackle even the most challenging interviews. The book includes a dedicated chapter covering different question types and approaches, so you can be prepared to impress any interviewer.
Praise from our early reviewers and readers about Kickstart Your Security Engineering Career.
- Technology Assurance Audit Associate @ KPMG
- Staff Security Research Engineer @ Series E startup
- Student @ Columbia University
- Undergrad at the University of Southern California
Karan Dwivedi is a recognized cybersecurity expert with a passion for upskilling the security community.
Currently, he serves as a security engineering manager at Google. Karan has led large-scale security projects at Google and Yahoo in the US for products like Google Search, Google Assistant, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finance, Flickr, etc, to safeguard over a billion users. At Yahoo, he was part of the security team responding to the world’s largest data breach.
He founded The Cyber Instructor which provides the “missing” cybersecurity training which has upskilled over 5000+ students from 50+ countries. He publishes a weekly newsletter to provide expert insights in cybersecurity. Karan contributed to building the internet standard for scoring vulnerabilities, the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS 4.0). He is featured in major media like Hakin9 Media Magazine, Forensic Focus News, and has won multiple awards in cybersecurity.
He has delivered talks at national and international conferences like National Cyber Summit, Tech Ex North America, Tech Summit SF, BSides Las Vegas, etc, to influence private and public sectors. Karan taught over 250,000 students in the Google Cybersecurity Certificate program launched in May 2023 on Coursera. He holds a master’s degree in Information Security from Carnegie Mellon University, USA.
Raaghav Srinivasan is a seasoned cybersecurity leader and author with a passion for making security practical, accessible, and business-aligned. Most recently, he led the Application Security and Security Engineering teams at Chime, helping secure one of the fastest-growing fintech platforms in the U.S. and driving scalable security initiatives across product and cloud environments.
Raaghav began his journey as the founding Security Engineer at HelloSign, where he built the company’s security program from the ground up—work that played a pivotal role in HelloSign’s successful acquisition by Dropbox. At Dropbox, he continued to elevate security across complex, fast-paced environments, combining deep technical expertise with strategic leadership.
A lifelong learner, Raaghav holds a Bachelor’s degree from Vellore Institute of Technology, India, and a Master’s in Information Security from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was honored as an RSAC Security Scholar, awarded to standout emerging talent in the field.
Beyond his technical achievements, Raaghav is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, helping them navigate and thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. Through his writing, speaking, and work at Maximum Viable Security, he continues to shape the future of security—making it not just stronger, but smarter