Master’s Student in Cybersecurity Seeks Career Advice

The poster is a master’s student in cybersecurity in the US, graduating in May 2026, with a Security+ certification and hands-on lab experience (Active Directory, Microsoft Defender, and a Home SOC Lab). They have no prior internships or work experience but have applied to 40+ roles and received rejections, seeking advice on whether to pursue internships, entry-level roles, or IT positions first. They also ask how to make their projects stand out and what strategies helped others break into the field.