I already had a background in Cyber working in both South Africa and the UK, so it seemed like a good time for me to further my career by doing a Masters. I chose this programme because it was very practical. A lot of the modules placed a heavy emphasis on doing practical assessments and assignments instead of theoretical work. Coming from cyber, I knew that this was very important as it’s easy to say you know how to stop a cyber-attack but, in the moment, can you actually do it? This is the difference between being a novice or an actual cyber expert!
I expected it to be pretty tough but hoped that my previous cyber experience would help me out. I was also quite nervous because doing a master’s is not something everyone is able to achieve, so if I were to get this, I knew I’d have to work extra hard.
Network Penetration Testing and Digital Forensics were the two modules that had the greatest impact on me. These modules took me out of my comfort zone and made me build real life labs that cyber security professionals use on a daily basis. The amount of detail and technical expertise that was needed to complete these modules really challenged my problem solving ability and showed me just how little I knew about cyber security.
Almost as tough as doing a masters! The UK job market throughout 2025/2026 has been the toughest it’s ever been in recent history, especially in a global hub like London. And for an international student, it felt like everything was stacked against me. The UK job market is fast paced and ruthless but beautiful if you do manage to get something.
The biggest challenge I faced was the visa sponsorship hurdle. Finding companies willing to sponsor a Skilled Worker Visa was tough and as soon as some of them heard I was an
international student the application would stop right there. Another challenge I faced was ghosting. This is where I’d apply for a role and then just never hear back from an employer or just get a generic email saying that I was unsuccessful in my application. When I’d email back to request feedback on my application so that I can improve, I’d get nothing.
I started applying as soon as I landed in May! I knew how tough the job market was and wasted no time in networking with different people and companies. My masters was only 12 months so I knew I had to make every month count as I didn’t want to leave anything to the last minute.
Quality applications over quantity. It’s very easy to send the same or slightly modified CV to 100s of companies and think you’ve done a good job but in reality, this gets you nowhere. I’ve also found that networking and getting to know people worked better than applying for a job. Go to an event, meet people, ask then what their job is like, find out how they found applying for the position they’re in now. Don’t just go up to people and say, “can I get a job I really want to work here”, make a personal connection with that person and leave a good impression so that in the future when a role comes up, you have someone to reach out to.
– Reaching out to people and asking for help on how to be a better cybersecurity professional, not reaching out for jobs.
– Keeping up with the latest cyber security trends and news so that when I did speak to someone, I knew what was going on in the world of cyber and was able to have good, intellectual conversations. This especially helped in my final interviews.
– Perseverance, it’s not easy and you will face a lot of rejection, but you must brush this off and keep going. In order to be in the 1% of people that lands a role, you must be willing to do what the other 99% won’t.
I did not tailor my CV for most applications, but what I did tailor were the answers I gave in the virtual interviews. Each company is different and therefore you can’t give the same answers at every virtual interview. Do some research on the company and then tailor your answers to the questions to show that you have the same vision/goal as that company.
Oh tonnes! I must’ve received over 100 unsuccessful applications and got feedback for only 4 of them. Every rejection email for a role which I’d spent over 2/3 hours applying for was extremely devastating. I even started to rethink my strategy a few times after being rejected from roles I thought I was perfect for.
I had great support from friends and loved ones that kept reminding me to keep pushing no matter what.
Failure was simply not an option for me, so I knew that despite all the rejection, despite how tough the job market was, despite how tough it was to get a role as an international student, I was going to get something. Maybe not now, maybe not next week, but by the time I have my master’s I would have something!
– Embedded into a specific team to work on live projects that directly impact the business and its customers
– Full stack and Data Development
– Hands on experience with cloud-based data solutions like AWS, Snowflake and Python
– Penetration testing and network security (firewall configuration)
When I initially set out on my job hunt, I wanted to go into banking/finance as I hadn’t worked in the industry before and I knew that the fast-paced environment would both challenge me and grow me as a person. So, I guess I’m most proud of the fact that I set out to achieve a specific goal and ended up doing just that!
To contribute my cyber knowledge to make banking safer for everyone. I’ve already done work that could (hopefully) help achieve this goal during my master’s here at UWS London so I’m looking forward to working with the brilliant minds at NatWest to see if we can make this happen.
You’re in a great environment surrounded by lectures and staff that want you to do well and will give you all the tools to succeed so make the most of it. Your degree may seem like it’ll take forever to complete but it really does go by in a flash so make the most of your time. Also, don’t just worry about studies and jobs, you’re in one of the greatest cities in the world so go out and see the sights and have some fun! At the end of the day, you’re the one that decides how your future turns out so have fun, work hard and enjoy!
Don’t use AI to do your work, use AI to teach you how to do the work. AI is around to stay so use it appropriately.
When you get an assignment, do it then. Don’t wait until the last minute to do it because by then you’ll have 3 or 4 other assignments also due and you’ll rush to get things done.
Take pride in your work. When you produce a report or dissertation, make it as professional and flawless as you can. Pretend that you’re creating it for the CEO of a big company and that everything must be perfect.
When working with other students, don’t forget that they’re also students too and can make mistakes. If someone makes a mistake, learn from it and move on.
Have fun! There are only a few years of your life when you get to be a student so don’t forget to take breaks and actually enjoy what you’re studying.
Stay up to date with all things relevnt to your career, you never know when you’ll bump into a potential employer.
Every part of the interview process counts so make sure you’re professional throughout. Whether that’s dressing appropriately for interviews or using the correct language. Always give off the best version of yourself.
If you don’t know something, just say you don’t know. An employer can tell when you’re waffling about things you don’t understand.
Be consistent. Treat the job hunt like an actual job. Spend a certain amount of time on it per day, keep track of all your applications, send out daily emails or messages. Inconsistency or saying ‘ugh, I’ll apply later’ is what catches out a lot of people.
Start early, it may seem like you have plenty of time to find something, but that time goes quickly. Besides, it’s always nice to get an offer early and then you can just focus on your degree. Trust me I know!
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