Has AI Killed Entry-Level Cybersecurity Jobs?

Author:

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.

Every few years, security teams convince themselves that the talent pipeline is fine, just competitive. The harder conversation, the one that rarely makes it into leadership meetings, is whether the pipeline exists at all.

AI isn’t just changing who gets hired. It may be eliminating the on-ramp entirely. That question drove the conversation in “Hacking the Death of Entry-Level Jobs: An hour of critical thinking about how to get your foot in the door in the age of AI,” and the tension it surfaced went well beyond résumés and job postings.

What emerged wasn’t a simple warning about automation. It was a more uncomfortable question about whether cybersecurity was ever truly an entry-level field, or whether we’ve been telling ourselves a story that AI has simply made harder to sustain.

Joining

David Spark

for this conversation was,

Kathleen M.

, former CISO, MyCareGorithm, and

Mathew Biby

, director of cybersecurity,
TixTrack
. We were also joined by

Jason Lawrence

, cyber security director,
Yancey Bros. Co.
, to discuss his article: “Breaking Into Cybersecurity in 2026: What Changed, What Still Matters, and Where to Focus.”

Watch the full video here

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Best quotes from our guests

“There’s going to be a role for people using prompts. It is going to be a lower-level role, and the more important roles are the ones that can validate the outputs.” – Kathleen Mullin, former CISO, MyCareGorithm

“If you come at it from the perspective of, ‘Hey, I’m just gonna enter something into a prompt, I’m gonna copy, I’m gonna paste it,’ you’re replaceable. Waiting for a company to train you from scratch will become a losing strategy.” – Mathew Biby, TixTrack

“Understanding and validating what the truth is is something that we need in terms of critical thinking. It has become even more critical with AI because AI has no empathy and it is not a human being.” – Kathleen Mullin, former CISO, MyCareGorithm

“The rare skill that I think is needed in security and even IT is the ability to define the right problem, not just solve the right problem. That’s where AI has a long way to go, and that’s where individuals can show immediate impact and value.” – Mathew Biby, TixTrack

“Going through massive amounts of data to solve specific real-world problems comes from understanding and listening to the business. If they can’t articulate it, they can’t write the prompt to get the answer they need.” – Kathleen Mullin, former CISO, MyCareGorithm

“Anybody can learn technology. But what’s most needed in our profession is people understanding how to define problems, how to solve problems, and how to generate recommendations for solving those problems.” – Mathew Biby, TixTrack

Quotes from the chatroom

“100% disagree that there are no entry-level jobs. A tier 1 SOC to me is no different than tier 1 help desk. I can train both to do triage work.” –

Steve Gentry

,
Cognate Cyber

“Even transitioning from a related field today has become substantially more difficult.” –

Andrew Aken, PhD, CISSP

,
QKS Group

“I think we DO need to support an entry level. I am working as DevSecOps without a formal degree or education. I have had many mentors who have opened the world up to those who are interested, but without formal training, it is a big deal. I think keeping the community closed to those with brilliant minds, but no formal training, is a big missed opportunity.” –

Jake C.

,
Flybook Reservation Software

“Execs will make the offsets to go from OpEX to CapEx with AI, so even though it is immediate cost savings, it’s also an accounting exercise.” –

Will Lassalle, MBA, PMP

,
JLS Technology USA

“I have witnessed in real time people trying to use AI to uplevel themselves, but when they don’t have a broader perspective and/or broader understanding, they can’t realize that the answers don’t make sense or can’t put the answers into the right context. Entry-level isn’t gone. But everything in school/college needs to adjust for what the new entry level ‘is.'” –

David Ratner

,
Silent Push

“As I get older, I have figured out that everything in life is entry-level in essence. The term that resonates is: ‘The more I think I know, the more I know the less I know.’ What leaders need to do better at is harnessing people’s skills. Many are underutilized IMO.” –

Clifford Ziarno

,
Ares Enterprise

“You can always teach skills — you can’t teach work ethic, dedication, resilience, or the desire to learn. Embracing different experiences and perspectives can only help strengthen us all.” –

Alyson M. Laderman, Esq.

,
Cyber Mettle

Join us on Friday, May 8, for “Hacking the End of Compliance”