Start Cybersecurity Career Today
Almost every company requires a security professional in todays digital era! There has never been a better time to start a career in cybersecurity. If you are skilled in security practises, and have relevant experience, there are several cybersecurity job opportunities across all sector and industries.
The perfect chance for me to build my foundations on the critical pillars of Cybersecurity, says Digambar, an alumns of Great Learnings Cybersecurity Program. Read further to learn about his journey with Great Learning.
Find Cyber Security Course in Top Indian Cities
Choosing A Cyber Security Career Path That Works For You
To choose implies that there are options for you to choose from. The cyber security space is vast enough that you can find roles that suit the skills you have and your natural inclination. To help with the selection, weve compiled a list of cyber security roles and what is needed for each one.
1. Becoming a Pen Tester
A pen tester is someone you hire to hack you. Sounds counter-intuitive but wouldnt you want to know about your systems vulnerabilities before external and possibly malicious parties do? The pen tester simulates a cyberattack, and the insights they generate can help an organization close up the vulnerabilities in their system.
Pen testers are creative they have to be to find ways to penetrate networks. They also keep extensive records of their activities and any vulnerabilities they discover. If this appeals to you, then you may have found your calling.
2. Becoming a Compliance Analyst
Compliance analysts make sure their organization is up to date with government rules and industry regulations. They are more into research and administrative work. They ensure which rules directly or indirectly affect their organization and educate the members of the organization to make sure they comply.
The compliance analyst is a researcher, and more than anything has top par project and people management skills.
Average salary: $98k
What Cybersecurity Jobs Are Out There
If youve done any research into cyber security positions, you must have come across something called the cybersecurity talent gap. The cyber security talent gap is the lack of skilled cyber security personnel available to fill much-needed roles in organizations. A recent estimate shows that over 3.5 million cyber security roles will go unfilled in 2021 globally. These are positions that you could already be training to fill!
Furthermore, a PricewaterhouseCoopers report states that less than half of companies worldwide are prepared for a cyberattack. Its a fact that cyberattacks are increasing in regularity and severity, and this points to a serious need for skilled personnel in the cyber security industry. So whats needed to get into cyber security?
Further reading: The Ultimate Guide to Cybersecurity Careers
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Skills And Qualifications Needed For A Career In Cyber Security
- Publish Date:Posted over 1 year ago
With data breaches becoming a pressing problem for a growing number of businesses across a wide range of industries, the demand for highly skilled cyber security professionals is on the rise. In fact, as many businesses move online and become more technologically advanced, the issue of information security is only set to increase in priority and those individuals with the right cyber security qualifications and skills are set to prosper.
For individuals with an interest in IT, computer science or cyber-crime, cyber security could be a very fruitful career path. However, since cybersecurity is a particularly broad field and information security specialists can have a diverse range of responsibilities, not to mention work in a vast number of industries, information security specialists will need a comprehensive set of skills and qualifications.
Cyber Security Qualifications
If you believe you possess several of the skills above and have a passion for information security, you may want to think about pursuing a career in cyber security. If youre at the start of your professional career, one of the best ways to get into the information security sector is to take a relevant degree subject.
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Networks and security
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Mathematics, physics or other STEM subjects
Systems Security Certified Practitioner
Certified Information Systems Security Professional
Certified Information Security Manager
Skills needed for a career in cyber security
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You’ll Be A Part Of An Exciting Challenging Field
The internet touches almost all aspects of daily life. In our digital age, cybersecurity plays an essential role in ensuring online safety, as well as the safety of the essential systems that support our daily lives, including electricity, transportation, and financial institutions. As a cyber security professional, you’ll be working daily to keep critical infrastructure secure, and will constantly be facing new, engaging challenges.
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Are You Ready To Find A School That’s Aligned With Your Interests
Cybersecurity has emerged as one of the most in-demand fields in tech. It attracts established information technology professionals seeking new career challenges. Cybersecurity’s diverse job opportunities often draw tech-savvy IT generalists.
A 2021 CompTIA analysis noted cybersecurity’s increasing share of the tech job market. By October 2021, cybersecurity jobs accounted for 20% of the year’s total tech hiring. By comparison, cybersecurity jobs accounted for only 18% of the tech job market in 2020 and 17% in 2019.
Meanwhile, Cybersecurity Ventures predicts there will be 3.5 million cybersecurity job openings globally by 2025.
Tech professionals wondering how to get into cybersecurity from general IT can choose from multiple career paths. This guide reviews common cybersecurity retraining options.
Acquire Relevant Technical And Soft Skills
Specific technical skills are prerequisites for becoming successful and sought-after cyber security professionals. Therefore, you must acquire these technical skills and be good at them.
First and foremost, you must be good at coding. Acquire working knowledge of programming languages like JAVA, Python, C++, and other latest technologies. Hands-on experience in using tools like PowerShell and OpenSSH is desirable.
This will enable you to design security solutions, task automation, etc., in the field. It helps to gain a comprehensive understanding of concepts related to cyber security. Here are a few of them:
All this technical knowledge and expertise will help you excel as a cybersecurity professional. You can acquire the required skills and knowledge on the concepts mentioned earlier by enrolling in advanced training sessions, online tutorials, workshops, webinars and other sources like books.
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Take A Cybersecurity Degree
In order to start out on your career path, most employers look for candidates that have a bachelorss degree in information technology, computer science, or software engineering. This is dependent on the role that you are considering applying for. However, holding a bachelors degree is not always enough. If you are looking to specialize in cybersecurity, you should look to add to your qualification with a masters in cybersecurity.
The majority of people looking to start on a cybersecurity career pathway will choose to take a masters in cybersecurity as this will enable you to boost both your skills and your resume. A cybersecurity degree allows you to get trained to a professional standard while taking modules in data security, machine learning, and penetration testing all elements that you will see day-to-day as a cybersecurity professional.
The Advantages Of Taking A Masters In Cybersecurity Include:
- Builds on previous qualifications
- Proves your knowledge to employers
- Allows you to get knowledge of the most recent innovations
- Gives you entry to a network of fellow professionals
- Enables you to hone your skills
- Gives you expert knowledge of the industry
How To Begin A Career In Cyber
Answer by Mårten Mickos, CEO of HackerOne, on Quora:
Cybersecurity is an attractive career for ambitious people and a great way to make the world a better place. If you want a career in cybersecurity, dont wait. You dont need to be of a particular age or gender. You dont need any particular approval or certification or study place to get going.
Just start learning and start doing. Get involved any way you can. Bug bounties is a great way to learn and test your skills. Check outHacker101. Just know that even if you can jump straight in, you will need skill, tenacity and patience to ultimately reach a rewarding level of proficiency. Bug hunters may need a year or two of learning before the start finding security vulnerabilities worth reporting. Most bug hunters study theHacktivityfeed where vulnerability reports are published once the vulnerability has been fixed.
Also note that to go far and to become a technical expert on cybersecurity, a lot of studying will be needed. What you invest in learning will come back as career opportunity. A degree in Computer Science will not hurt.
You should know that behind the facade of seriousness and advanced terminology is a profession where normal people carry out normal tasks. Cybersecurity is certainly an exciting industry to work in. But it is not nearly as cryptic as it portrays itself. It is a bunch of people who have fun together while making the world a better place.
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How To Start A Career In Cyber Security
There have been several high-profile security breaches in recent years, including the NHS and more recently Marriott Hotels, bringing the demand for cyber security professionals to its peak.
Like much of the IT sector, employers are struggling to fill these cyber security skills gaps some predict that there could be around 100,000 unfilled cyber security jobs in the UK by 2022.
So, there is demand for cyber security professionals, but whats the best pathway to a career in cyber security?
How To Begin A Career In Cybersecurity Without Previous Knowledge
If you’re intrigued by the world of Cybersecurity, there’s no better time than now to break in…pardon the pun!
Weve all felt the effects of when companies dont make Cybersecurity a priority. You might even have had to bear the brunt of when companies dont invest in their Cybersecurity yourself. Personal data gets leaked, sensitive information is spread across the web, and you can even lose your life savings by giving the wrong company your bank details. Perhaps its even motivated you to do something about it, and become a Cyber warrior!
Cybersecurity may seem complicated to those on the outside, mostly because it comes with a dictionarys worth of jargon. But anyone with a little technical knowledge and the desire to learn can launch themselves into this exciting career path.
But that begs the questionhow do you go about getting a Cybersecurity job when youve got no experience?
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Example Cybersecurity Careers With Salaries
This section provides detailed salary statistics, including salary variations based on education level and industry.
The following are some of the most common job types within the field of cybersecurity, and their respective salaries. All salary information is provided by CyberSeek.org.
How cybersecurity degree level affects salary
The following three sections present information about how the education level of a job applicant can affect the salary they earn.
Bachelors degree
Bachelors degree holders typically earn the lowest salary in the cybersecurity field. According to Payscale, cybersecurity professionals with a bachelors degree earn an average annual salary of $70,232. This is an average salary, not a starting salary.
In terms of an entry level position, the The National Association of Colleges and Employers has found that the starting salary for a cybersecurity professional with a bachelors degree is $62,200 per year.
As a cybersecurity technician with a bachelors degree gains experience theyll begin to earn a better salary, especially once they have 10 years or more of experience. However, a bachelors degree may keep a technician from advancing within an organization. Many upper management positions require a masters degree.
Masters degree
Besides industry experience and advanced certifications, the best way to increase a cybersecurity salary is to complete a masters degree program.
Ph.D. in cybersecurity
National Guard And Reserves
Members of the National Guard, or applicants that are willing and able to join the National Guard, may be eligible to apply for federal jobs located within a National Guard unit. The National Guard and Reserves set their own qualification requirements and are not subject to the appointment, pay, and classification rules in Title 5, United States Code. However, they are subject to the veterans preference discussed above.
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What Does It Take To Break Into Cybersecurity
The first thing you need to tackle when it comes to cybersecurity is the basics of IT systems and networks, for example, the different types of networks available and their protocols. Once you are familiar with the fundamentals you can delve into the basics of networking traffic, security, and communication principles.
Learning how to create and analyze network servers is also important when it comes to cybersecurity for beginners, while data decryption and encryption are also useful, along with topics such as backup processes and data recovery. Learning about how to prevent hacks is also a crucial subject when it comes to cybersecurity for beginners.
As technology advances and the online space grows, there is greater opportunity for cyber-attacks and hacks to occur, especially when it comes to mobile payments, e-commerce, and cloud computing, for example.
Machine learning, social media, and the vast array of apps that many of us use on a daily basis make it easier for criminals to find ways to hack systems to steal data and financial information. The risk for businesses is especially high, and this is where cybersecurity professionals come in. Building and maintaining secure systems is essential for most organizations and businesses in the modern world, and expertise in this area is heavily in demand.
You Can Use Your Entire Skillset
Cybersecurity is a dynamic field, attracting people from all different types of work backgrounds. This means that within the broad field of cyber security, there’s an opportunity to differentiate yourself by drawing on your skillset from prior jobs, such as information technology, administration, or accounting, while also building new cybersecurity skills.
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Graduate Entry Into Cyber Security
Because of the relatively young age of cyber security as a profession, career paths are not always clear. However, Probrand’s marketing director Matt Royle reveals that ‘creative, technical and business brains are desperately needed across the digital industry’.
Graduates typically have two primary routes into cyber security. ‘You can either start in a junior role to build hands-on experience, or develop your technical skills through education’, explains Matt. ‘At Probrand, we look for individuals who use their initiative as well as an entrepreneurial spirit, leaving them hungry for success – whether you’re a student, recent graduate or a working professional.’
That’s not to say undertaking a cyber security Masters degree would have a negative impact on your career journey, as Matt describes how employers expect a balance between practical skills and qualifications.
A Masters would give you greater awareness of the cyber security landscape. This would be ideal if you’re unsure what you’d like to specialise in, or if you’re interested in developing a broader depth of knowledge. Search for Masters degrees in cyber security.
It’s worth noting that a computer science degree isn’t essential for a job in cyber security. Non-technical professionals often have a range of transferable skills that are also required for cyber security, especially in the realms of management and training.
Read more about your postgraduate study options at IT courses.
Roles As A Cybersecurity Professional
As cybercrimes become more commonplace, cyber security careers are becoming increasingly prevalent in organisations of all shapes and sizes. The cyber security roles, simply put, comprises safeguarding the organisations computer systems and networks from becoming the victims of cyberattacks.
Cybercrimes are becoming more sophisticated, specialised, and targeted. Consequently, the roles and job titles associated with a career in cyber security are becoming diversified and specialised, as well, to deal with specific aspects of maintaining the safety and security of computer networks and digital data.
Various paths are available to achieve a job as a cybersecurity professional. To begin, one must start with an entry-level job in the field and equip themselves with adequate training and knowledge for attaining different levels of progress. One can expect swift growth as a cybersecurity professional because of the increasing demand.
Irrespective of the industry, many jobs open up for cybersecurity professionals, including jobs in banking, educational, content management, and IT services. The following are the various job roles to begin a career in cybersecurity
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What Is Cyber Security
In simple terms, cybersecurity is the practice of securing networks, resources, and systems from digital/cyberattacks. This means anytime you take measures to protect a system or network from cyberattacks, you are practicing cyber security.
Despite its superficial simplicity, cyber security is a lot more complex than installing antivirus or antispyware software onto your machines. It is a wide, comprehensive field consisting of different disciplines and best practices to preserve the safety, integrity, and reliability of networks and digital systems.
Enroll In Online Cyber Security Courses
If you are not interested in pursuing formal education in cyber security, an excellent solution would be enrolling in online courses. Such programs are available for all students, including first-time students and those changing their major or career.
Online cyber security courses are a great alternative because they are more affordable than most options while still equipping you with the basic skills required for the job.
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Chief Information Security Officer
This is an advanced-level job for which you will be required to handle a Security Officers team. You have the power to create your own security measure. You will also be required to collaborate with other stakeholders in determining the security of the system since this is an advanced role. There is an absolute necessity for proper training and certification. Apart from high technical requirements and 10-15 years of experience in the field, a Chief Information Security Officer is also required to have leadership skills, project management skills, and excellent analytical skills. They also must have experience in defining procedures and policies.
