Tareesh Ismail had always been drawn to security work. He had hoped to join the police, but a back injury closed that door, and he had to rethink what came next. Today he is an L1 SOC analyst at T-Systems.
Before he found CFCI, the same doubts that stop a lot of people nearly stopped him.
“Before learning about CFCI, I didn’t think I could do cybersecurity. I thought I had to do a whole bunch of coding. I thought it would be too daunting, and that it was too late. But it’s really not too late.”
Trainers who can teach, not just do
For Tareesh, the difference was that his trainers were strong on both fronts.
“The biggest difference was that the trainers at CFCI are really good at cyber, and really good at teaching. The thing CFCI does best is the hands-on approach, being able to try things and apply them. That makes it so much easier to learn.”
He also valued that the support did not stop at the end of the course.
“There’s a lot of guidance and help, even post-course, and that boosts a student’s chance to get a career afterwards.”
Honest about the effort
Tareesh is refreshingly straight about what it takes, and we would always rather be honest than overstate it.
“It’s not a magic bullet. It does take hard work. But if you put in the work and you’re willing to learn, it’s manageable. I worked my job while doing the courses, so it’s definitely manageable.”
His message
“Don’t give up. If you think you might be interested, go for it.”
If “too technical” or “too late” is the story you have been telling yourself, test it cheaply first. A free info session and the free experiential workshop let you try the work with no commitment. The flagship Career Kickstart programme is part-time and built around working adults.
80% of graduates who completed the full programme and career services secured cybersecurity employment (as of early 2026), and 75% of graduates who secured cyber roles had no prior IT background. If the timing is your main worry, our guide to a mid-career switch into cybersecurity is worth a read.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it too late to switch to cybersecurity?
No. People switch into cybersecurity from many different careers and at many stages of life. It takes real effort rather than a shortcut, but with structured, hands-on training the field is far more accessible than it looks from the outside. Many graduates worried they had left it too late, then succeeded anyway.
Can you study cybersecurity while working full-time?
Yes. The flagship programme is part-time and mostly online, so it is designed to fit around a job. Graduates regularly complete it while working, which takes discipline but is genuinely manageable for working adults.