A 35-year-old cybersecurity professional has opened up about a career dilemma that many employees may quietly relate to. Despite earning well and having the support of his manager, he feels his current role has left him technically stagnant. Now, he fears staying comfortable for too long could make it harder to find another job.
He said he spent most of his career as an individual contributor before joining his current organisation around 1.5 years ago. “I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs working 13 years for the same company. Job safety is 100%, but at what cost?
His first assignment was as a manager overseeing security operations for a client. At the end, your mental satisfaction is the only thing that matters,” the user wrote.
“I’ve kind of become a jack of all trades, master of none,” he wrote, describing his experience across different areas of cybersecurity and multiple domains. Another person said they were dealing with a similar career crisis and were focusing on upskilling while looking for better opportunities. (Also Read: American man mocks Indian professor’s IIT degree, gets schooled by social media ) “Keep looking out for better opportunities,” they advised.
(Also Read: ‘How can a society have everything’: Woman contrasts life in Mumbai and Bengaluru ) However, his new role brought a different problem. “My current role is basically a governance role. The situation has also made him question how secure his current position really is. His company is facing financial difficulties and there have reportedly been discussions about layoffs.
There is very little technical work,” he said, adding that much of his time is now spent on client calls, discussions, assurances and managing expectations. He admitted that he sometimes feels he is “just giving people false hopes and fooling them” because there is hardly any hands-on technical work involved. he is not convinced Although his manager has told him that more projects are coming and that the organisation has plans for him. “If that happens after another 1 to 2 years of doing nothing technical, I’m worried about where I’ll stand,” he wrote.
he realised that management was not necessarily his strength While he performed well technically and operationally. After disagreements with a client over what he described as unreasonable behaviour towards his team, he was moved to another project by his supportive manager. The biggest concern, however, came when he started applying for jobs and attending interviews. Now I’m struggling badly,” he wrote. He believes spending too long in his comfort zone has caused him to lose touch with technologies and technical skills that he was once comfortable with. He has now started upskilling, revisiting the basics, preparing for interviews and trying to become technically relevant again. At the same time, he feels guilty about potentially leaving a manager who has supported him. Read the full story here. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
Despite this, the job pays him well, particularly for someone working from a Tier 3 city. “Earlier in my career, I used to clear around 95% of the interviews I attended. “I’m 35, have a family. One user said they had always wanted to work in cybersecurity but had been unemployed since April 2026. Another user said they had faced similar questions about their own career after 13 years at the same company.
Because the salary is good,” he said, i can’t afford to spend the next few years sitting comfortably in a role where I’m not learning anything, just.
He said he is among the highest-paid employees under his manager, even though some colleagues who work considerably harder earn less. “I’m learning Python and AI to add a few technical skills to my profile,” they wrote. A fourth user, who said they were around the same age and had similar experience, offered to connect with the cybersecurity professional professionally. (Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media.
