Cybersecurity jobs are in demand and pay well, but many cybersecurity professionals seem to yearn for the life of a farmer. Their stories reveal the troubling reality of the sector.
“Do you ever regret going into cybersecurity?” a Reddit user asks into the void of the subreddit dedicated to cybersecurity pros.
"It's not an insignificant number of people that have gone from cybersecurity to being goat farmers, and this definitely resonated with me,” responds another Redditor to the question.
What began as a discussion about the cybersecurity field soon took an unexpected turn, with users contemplating returning to their roots – yearning for the quiet and more healthy life of a farmer.
“Some days I would give everything up to get rid of all the bullshit that comes with these jobs just to be able to plant tomatoes every day for a living,” said one cybersecurity worker.
“I was wondering if I could just show up at an Amish community and be like - I’d do whatever and be whatever religion you need me to be as long as I get to stay.”
gushed another disappointed cybersecurity worker.
There’s too much stress in cybersecurity
The mood of these Redditors reflects the growing concerns in the cybersecurity field, as staff feel burnt out, underappreciated, and overworked. Surveys show that half of cybersecurity professionals expect burnout in the next 12 months, many citing workload as their number one stressor.
Research from the cybersecurity firm Blackfog found that nearly a quarter of cybersecurity leaders across the US and UK are actively looking to leave their organizations, with nearly half (45%) coping with drugs or alcohol problems, while the majority (69%) saw themselves withdrawing from social activities in the past 12 months.
The desire to switch to outdoor, physical jobs is likely driven by the overwhelming stress and severely imbalanced work-life dynamic that cybersecurity professionals face in their roles. High responsibility, on-call demands, “sleeping with the ringer on,” and not seeing a tangible result of their work make the cyber staff look for alternatives.
“I want to have a farm with cows tbh,”
shares one Reddit cybersecurity community member.
“I’d love to go back to chopping down trees,”
another responded.
I just want to go back home and build my chicken coop and raised garden beds and build my weird lamps to sell on Etsy,”
opened up another cybersecurity professional.
“All I need is 70 acres and 50 Alpacas to start my new life,”
shares another soul.
“Give me land and a 30-year-old truck and it’d be the dream,”
explains a tech worker.
“I just want to be a farmer in a quiet galaxy far, far away with 50 acres and 20 cosmic floofs,”
writes a Reddit user.
“I just want to be amongst a flock of fluffy animals. With two livestock guardian dogs,”
shares another.
Some cybersecurity professionals reveal that they already have goats, sheep, chickens, and cows or have joined a local community garden just to bring balance to their demanding cyber jobs.
Farming is not easy either, but you are an engineer
Some Redditors pointed out that dealing with Mother Nature isn’t as easy as it seems. Weeds, pests, and other natural obstacles can quickly disrupt the idyllic vision of farm life.
Low income is another drawback compared to cybersecurity. Farmers' financial perspectives are much less optimistic, and some professionals have admitted that they can’t afford the privilege of digging the soil for a living.
”I'd prefer an "outside" job but they usually pay shit,”
shares one pro.
“If other jobs paid what I make now, I'd be out of cloud security in a heartbeat.”
shares another.
However, being an engineer-type could come in handy, allowing cybersecurity pros to explore high-tech solutions to boost farm productivity.
“Inputs heat, lights, power, water all controlled,” one cybersecurity worker shares a plan to achieve high levels of yield.
“Offset energy cost with solar panels, the most efficient gear I can find, and geothermal or at least a heat pump. Automation for crop monitoring and small adjustments.”
In cybersecurity, is overworking a “badge of honor?”
Jamie Levy, Director of Advisory Tactics at security firm Huntress, told Cybernews that incidents and challenges are inevitable in cybersecurity. While this keeps the work engaging, it can also be a double-edged sword, increasing the risk of burnout.
According to her, burnout can be quickened depending on how close to the flame of an incident an employee works in their day-to-day job. A never-ending barrage of repetitive alerts and tickets, coupled with a lack of creative stimulation, can quickly wear out SOC analysts.
“Anytime someone is doing something repetitive, there’s a high chance of burnout from their day jobs,” says Levy.
On the other hand, incident responders face similar risks due to the high-stress nature of their work. Dealing with incidents often means long hours of analysis, communicating with stressed-out clients, and lacking sleep when working overnight.
Eddy Abou-Nehme, Director of Operations at RevNet Ottawa, commented that a big part of burnout comes from constant high-stakes pressure and the need to stay ahead of evolving threats.
“A lot of experts feel underappreciated because their work is often invisible until something goes wrong and then they’re the ones taking the blame,”
Abou-Nehme said.
Robert Jansen, the CEO at TekStream, adds that the daily successes of cybersecurity workers normally are taken for granted. “Victories aren’t trumpeted enough, which is a massive disservice to the amazing work being done by our industry's millions of talented employees,” he explained.
Many agree that a terrible work-life balance is a key element in burnout, as the field often has a poor workplace culture.
“Many security teams still operate under a ‘hero culture’ where overwork is expected, and burnout is seen as a badge of honor,”
said Keith Palumbo, CEO of Auguria.
According to him, security teams often face blame when things go wrong instead of receiving support to build sustainable processes. Unclear career paths and weak leadership further fuel frustration and turnover, leaving already overwhelmed teams even more strained.
“Poor management and lack of boundaries are often to blame for these issues occurring in the first place,” concludes Levy.
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