5 answers
Casper
Student
Sedro-Woolley, Washington
3
Questions
Asked
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What is the likelihood of your occupation being a work from home job, is it more often an office job?
Im curious to see how many people can do this from their home, or if I should plan on being in an office 9-5 situation.
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5 answers
Martha Kramer
Corporate Training, Communications
361
Answers
Stamford, Connecticut
Updated
Martha’s Answer
This is a good question, Casper. Unfortunately, I think the answer is that it depends on multiple factors, such as the company, your manager, the time period, and your specific role. I mention "company" and "your manager" because even if your company has a more flexible approach, your manager might want you in the office more frequently.
I mention "time period" because there was big push for return to office (RTO) after the pandemic, but employees have resisted. So many companies have shifted from RTO to hybrid (part in the office, part from home) policies. As more people who grew up online become managers, I think the focus on RTO will lessen, especially if the available labor pool shrinks.
Last, I mention your role because some roles are more individually focused, such as Quality Assurance, and more are team-oriented, such as Design. If your team is in the same geography (often not the case), there would be more pressure to work in the office. Also, if you become a manager and at least some of your team is in the same geography, you could be expected to be in the office more.
I found the Forbes article (see link below) provided an interesting perspective on this issue. Good luck!
Forbes - https://www.forbes.com/sites/karadennison/2024/12/12/an-update-on-return-to-office-policies-as-we-enter-2025/
I mention "time period" because there was big push for return to office (RTO) after the pandemic, but employees have resisted. So many companies have shifted from RTO to hybrid (part in the office, part from home) policies. As more people who grew up online become managers, I think the focus on RTO will lessen, especially if the available labor pool shrinks.
Last, I mention your role because some roles are more individually focused, such as Quality Assurance, and more are team-oriented, such as Design. If your team is in the same geography (often not the case), there would be more pressure to work in the office. Also, if you become a manager and at least some of your team is in the same geography, you could be expected to be in the office more.
I found the Forbes article (see link below) provided an interesting perspective on this issue. Good luck!
Martha recommends the following next steps:
You rock! This advice is very helpful.
Casper
M Zain Khan
I am student and doing remote online jobs sidely
2
Answers
Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan
Updated
M Zain’s Answer
You're absolutely right that many roles in Information Security, especially for students or entry-level professionals, have a strong potential for remote work. The shift towards cloud computing, SaaS solutions, and other digital platforms has significantly increased the feasibility of remote work in this field. Here's a deeper look at how remote opportunities align with various entry-level roles:
Junior Security Analyst: Most of the tasks involved in this position, including monitoring network traffic, reviewing security logs, conducting vulnerability assessments, and analyzing potential threats, are highly compatible with remote work. Cloud-based monitoring tools, SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems, and ticketing platforms enable analysts to perform their duties without being on-site.
Technical Support in Information Security This role might include assisting users with troubleshooting security-related issues, setting up multi-factor authentication, managing access controls, resolving malware issues, or others. Because most of these activities revolve around systems and software, they can be done from almost any remote location.
Cyber Incident Monitoring and Response: Incident response teams often work with digital evidence and remote monitoring tools, making remote work feasible for activities like identifying threats, initiating containment measures, or analyzing malware and attack patterns. Teams can collaborate through digital platforms and respond to incidents regardless of their physical location.
Log Analysis and Vulnerability Identification: Splunk, SolarWinds, and other cloud-based platforms are used in information security. Log analysis, threat detection, and vulnerability scanning can be done remotely if the employee has secure access to the organization's systems.
Tasks Requiring On-Site Presence:
While remote work is highly viable in many aspects of information security, some activities still require physical presence:
Hardware Installation and Configuration: Installing firewalls, routers, or other physical security infrastructure usually requires a presence at the location.
Security Audits and Physical Inspections: On-site audits, inspection of physical security measures (locks, access controls, etc.), and checking the physical infrastructure often require being at the location.
Incident Response: In some high-priority incidents, it may be necessary to be on-site to address breaches that require manual intervention or physical access to certain systems.
The Trend Towards Remote Work:
The global trend towards remote work is becoming more pronounced, especially in industries such as information security where collaboration tools, cloud platforms, and remote monitoring tools have matured. Many companies, especially startups or tech-focused firms, are embracing flexible working arrangements, allowing for a better work-life balance for employees and increasing access to global talent. In addition, the pandemic hastened the adoption of remote-first work environments, and now many organizations continue to prioritize remote work, especially in the cybersecurity space.
Conclusion In summary, if some of the tasks in information security continue to demand on-site involvement, there is certainly a lot of room for remote work entry-level opportunities. With the growing reliance on cloud technologies and SaaS platforms, it is even more probable that students or entry-level professionals will find remote opportunities in the information security field.
Junior Security Analyst: Most of the tasks involved in this position, including monitoring network traffic, reviewing security logs, conducting vulnerability assessments, and analyzing potential threats, are highly compatible with remote work. Cloud-based monitoring tools, SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems, and ticketing platforms enable analysts to perform their duties without being on-site.
Technical Support in Information Security This role might include assisting users with troubleshooting security-related issues, setting up multi-factor authentication, managing access controls, resolving malware issues, or others. Because most of these activities revolve around systems and software, they can be done from almost any remote location.
Cyber Incident Monitoring and Response: Incident response teams often work with digital evidence and remote monitoring tools, making remote work feasible for activities like identifying threats, initiating containment measures, or analyzing malware and attack patterns. Teams can collaborate through digital platforms and respond to incidents regardless of their physical location.
Log Analysis and Vulnerability Identification: Splunk, SolarWinds, and other cloud-based platforms are used in information security. Log analysis, threat detection, and vulnerability scanning can be done remotely if the employee has secure access to the organization's systems.
Tasks Requiring On-Site Presence:
While remote work is highly viable in many aspects of information security, some activities still require physical presence:
Hardware Installation and Configuration: Installing firewalls, routers, or other physical security infrastructure usually requires a presence at the location.
Security Audits and Physical Inspections: On-site audits, inspection of physical security measures (locks, access controls, etc.), and checking the physical infrastructure often require being at the location.
Incident Response: In some high-priority incidents, it may be necessary to be on-site to address breaches that require manual intervention or physical access to certain systems.
The Trend Towards Remote Work:
The global trend towards remote work is becoming more pronounced, especially in industries such as information security where collaboration tools, cloud platforms, and remote monitoring tools have matured. Many companies, especially startups or tech-focused firms, are embracing flexible working arrangements, allowing for a better work-life balance for employees and increasing access to global talent. In addition, the pandemic hastened the adoption of remote-first work environments, and now many organizations continue to prioritize remote work, especially in the cybersecurity space.
Conclusion In summary, if some of the tasks in information security continue to demand on-site involvement, there is certainly a lot of room for remote work entry-level opportunities. With the growing reliance on cloud technologies and SaaS platforms, it is even more probable that students or entry-level professionals will find remote opportunities in the information security field.
John Easton CEng FIET FBCS CITP
Design large computer systems for companies
37
Answers
Winchester, England, United Kingdom
Updated
John’s Answer
Hi Casper!
I think there are two ways to look at this.
From a purely "technical" perspective, I can work anywhere. Nothing changed for me during the pandemic as all of my team are in different countries, so we were working together online together already. That just meant that I did that from home only rather than from a variety of locations. From a "business" perspective, work is pretty much hybrid. I spend some time in the office and some time elsewhere (home, travelling, at a client site etc). There is certainly encouragement for people to spend more time in the office, but as mentioned above, for me that doesn't change the fact that all my team interactions are online anyway ;-)
From the perspective of someone just starting out on their career, while many companies will offer some sort of hybrid working arrangement assuming they have the tools to support it, I think there is a definite benefit to new starters spending more time in the office to get to know people and to learn from the experiences of others. My eldest started working during the pandemic. He was only working online and as a result really didn't develop any relationships with other people in the company over that time. He moved to a different role about 24 months ago that was hybrid (3 days/week in the office) and REALLY BENEFITTED from working with people in ways that he now would much prefer to be working in an office / hybrid arrangement than working from home. Rather than looking at office-based work as being a drag, think of it instead as a means to more quickly pick up new skills and to make new colleague / friend relationships that are so much easier face-to-face than online.
Hope that helps?
I think there are two ways to look at this.
From a purely "technical" perspective, I can work anywhere. Nothing changed for me during the pandemic as all of my team are in different countries, so we were working together online together already. That just meant that I did that from home only rather than from a variety of locations. From a "business" perspective, work is pretty much hybrid. I spend some time in the office and some time elsewhere (home, travelling, at a client site etc). There is certainly encouragement for people to spend more time in the office, but as mentioned above, for me that doesn't change the fact that all my team interactions are online anyway ;-)
From the perspective of someone just starting out on their career, while many companies will offer some sort of hybrid working arrangement assuming they have the tools to support it, I think there is a definite benefit to new starters spending more time in the office to get to know people and to learn from the experiences of others. My eldest started working during the pandemic. He was only working online and as a result really didn't develop any relationships with other people in the company over that time. He moved to a different role about 24 months ago that was hybrid (3 days/week in the office) and REALLY BENEFITTED from working with people in ways that he now would much prefer to be working in an office / hybrid arrangement than working from home. Rather than looking at office-based work as being a drag, think of it instead as a means to more quickly pick up new skills and to make new colleague / friend relationships that are so much easier face-to-face than online.
Hope that helps?
Nicholas Wacks
Software Engineer
1
Answer
Delta, Colorado
Updated
Nicholas’s Answer
Hey, Casper!
This is a somewhat tricky question right now, but a quick answer would be it's very likely to be able to find something remote given enough time and dedication to doing so, but it may be easier if you get experience from a physical location job first.
Longer answer is there are several factors that bump it around in both directions:
1. Post-Covid business changes. During the height of the pandemic, almost all businesses that were able to do so shifted to be fully or nearly fully remote working. There are many of those businesses that now still support it either fully or partially, such as allowing 2 or 3 days a week remote, and the others in office. Most businesses that are transitioning fully back to full office work in the last year or so have seen a moderate amount of employees choose to leave in favor of another remote work job, making the market a bit trickier for prospective employees.
2. Country or world-wide competition. Due to the nature of remote work being doable from anywhere, the overall candidate pool is much larger than it would be for localized jobs, which mostly means that you need to send out many applications and expect to not hear back from most of them. Ideally, if you can find someone at a remote work place to give you a personal reference, that can go a long way for at least getting your foot in the door.
3. Recent layoffs. 2024 saw a much larger than normal number of layoffs across industries, which has left the current job market very heavily favoring employers, with many prospective employees desperate for any job, even one they may be overqualified for. This makes it especially hard for entry and mid level employees to find work when competing with other job seekers with considerably more experience for the same job. I can't tell the future, but I expect this will even out at some point in the near future, but it's hard to say when that will be.
So overall, it may be worth getting a year or two experience at an in-person job, then start hunting for remote work when you feel ready to do so. There's also no harm in sending applications out even while employed with no strong intention of leaving. It can help you get more experience with the application process and potentially land you an unexpected positive change.
Good luck with your hunt, and if you have any questions, I'm happy to follow up!
This is a somewhat tricky question right now, but a quick answer would be it's very likely to be able to find something remote given enough time and dedication to doing so, but it may be easier if you get experience from a physical location job first.
Longer answer is there are several factors that bump it around in both directions:
1. Post-Covid business changes. During the height of the pandemic, almost all businesses that were able to do so shifted to be fully or nearly fully remote working. There are many of those businesses that now still support it either fully or partially, such as allowing 2 or 3 days a week remote, and the others in office. Most businesses that are transitioning fully back to full office work in the last year or so have seen a moderate amount of employees choose to leave in favor of another remote work job, making the market a bit trickier for prospective employees.
2. Country or world-wide competition. Due to the nature of remote work being doable from anywhere, the overall candidate pool is much larger than it would be for localized jobs, which mostly means that you need to send out many applications and expect to not hear back from most of them. Ideally, if you can find someone at a remote work place to give you a personal reference, that can go a long way for at least getting your foot in the door.
3. Recent layoffs. 2024 saw a much larger than normal number of layoffs across industries, which has left the current job market very heavily favoring employers, with many prospective employees desperate for any job, even one they may be overqualified for. This makes it especially hard for entry and mid level employees to find work when competing with other job seekers with considerably more experience for the same job. I can't tell the future, but I expect this will even out at some point in the near future, but it's hard to say when that will be.
So overall, it may be worth getting a year or two experience at an in-person job, then start hunting for remote work when you feel ready to do so. There's also no harm in sending applications out even while employed with no strong intention of leaving. It can help you get more experience with the application process and potentially land you an unexpected positive change.
Good luck with your hunt, and if you have any questions, I'm happy to follow up!
Marcos Peixoto
CISO
4
Answers
São Paulo, Brazil
Updated
Marcos’s Answer
In the field of Information Security, the likelihood of working remotely is considerable, especially for students or entry-level professionals in roles such as junior security analyst, technical support in information security, or cyber incident monitoring. Many of these activities can be performed remotely, as they involve the use of digital tools and cloud-based platforms. Examples include system monitoring, log analysis, vulnerability identification, and supporting users with security-related issues.
However, some tasks may require on-site work, such as installing or configuring security equipment, conducting on-site audits, or handling activities related to the company’s physical infrastructure. Despite this, the global trend is the expansion of remote work opportunities, especially in organizations that prioritize flexibility and digital efficiency. Therefore, even as a student, there is a good chance of finding entry-level positions that allow remote work, particularly in companies that emphasize cloud-based solutions and SaaS systems.
However, some tasks may require on-site work, such as installing or configuring security equipment, conducting on-site audits, or handling activities related to the company’s physical infrastructure. Despite this, the global trend is the expansion of remote work opportunities, especially in organizations that prioritize flexibility and digital efficiency. Therefore, even as a student, there is a good chance of finding entry-level positions that allow remote work, particularly in companies that emphasize cloud-based solutions and SaaS systems.