In his first column as CSO's Career Catalyst, Michael Santarcangelo outlines three essentials everyone needs to consider to make security work more than just a job. Have you ever wondered about the difference between a job and a career? I have.
As a result, I have spent the last decade considering the difference between practitioners and professionals, jobs and careers.

How do you define security professional? Check out CSO blogger Dan Lohrmann's thoughts on the topic in Lohrmann on GovSpace<

> Along the way I have been honoured to train thousands for successful careers as Certified Information System Security Professionals, founded the Security Catalyst Community and developed the Catalyst Career Compass" program. In fact, I'm working with a group of amazing people right now to re-launch the Security Catalyst Community and incorporate a guild, complete with a mentoring program (look for details in a few months). Seems a focus on professionalism and career success has always interested me. Now I have the opportunity to share ideas and strategies for career success in this column.

Why me? I have cultivated a unique blend of skills and abilities: I am a professional speaker (with the capability to teach others), a published author and have over a decade of experience forged in the trenches. Over my career, I have contributed time and effort to advancing the profession through service to (ISC)2 and CompTIA. Most importantly, I am human catalyst focused on harnessing the power of people; in fact, I hold a degree in Human Ecology (go Cornell!).