InfoSec Hiring Needs to Change (Opinion)

Couldn’t agree more. When I started working in Info Sec a few years back, I only had the CompTIA Security+ certification to my name and a couple of years experience in IT Support / Sys Admin. I would say having access to a decent lab environment, good resources (plenty of them out there in the form of books / online learning) and a passion for all things Info Sec will definitely be of benefit.