Today, the internet wants people who are open to new ideas and are able to create apps that meet the ever-changing requirement of people and organizations. There are hundreds and hundreds of information technology jobs available nowadays. Already, thousands and millions of people are into information technology jobs and careers. Now, the market demands more security as data and information have become more vulnerable to threats and attacks. Consider a career in Cybersecurity then.
Cyber attacks are costing organizations
According to yearly reports, Target has incurred $292 million damage after the breach in 2013. Home depot incurred $298 million from the 2014 breach. In the week that followed the breach announcement, Equifax’s stock lost nearly $6 billion in value, although it has started to recover. With the growing attacks, organizations want to hire more cybersecurity pros to help protect both their information and their profits. Nevertheless, companies have just started the massive hiring in the last few years, thus there’s not an equivalent pool of candidates joining the field. As a matter of fact, most current cybersecurity workforces are veterans of the IT field and nearing retirement.
THE GROWING CYBER SECURITY INDUSTRY
Cybersecurity is a growing industry with a rapidly-increasing job market. As technology improves and cybersecurity threats continue growing, the need for qualified candidates intensifies. A career in cybersecurity then is a great idea for students of persons looking for a change in career. With more data and money at risk, not to mention company reputations on the line, more experts are needed to prevent breaches before they occur. Thus, careers in cybersecurity are growing nearly four times faster than any other job related to information technology. To make certain that they are enough experts to fill the slots being made every day, some companies, such as the Palo Alto Networks in Silicon Valley, recruit more women to a field that has long been male-dominated.
CYBER SECURITY JOBS TO CONSIDER
Regardless if one is a student thinking about a college major, a working adult hunting for a better job or a seasoned professional looking for a new challenge before retirement, there are different kinds of jobs that could appeal to many personalities, such as the following.
- Analyst
This is one of the most common jobs in cybersecurity wherein one assesses risk and give advice on securing systems. For those who like talking to people, figuring out problems they face and how security could help and research on solutions, this is the job to go for.
- Engineer
Engineering is a common job wherein one designs and builds security solutions for networks and systems. Enjoy creating things and working on projects wherein one gets to see the work come to life in a finished product by becoming an engineer.
- Coder
Coding software has been a standard technology job for years. Now, more and more organizations need people who could build design and create security software, such as anti-virus, and build normal software in a secure way to prevent vulnerabilities and bugs. This job is perfect for those who like solving logic problems.
- Manager
There has to be someone to manage employees and ensure that tasks are completed. The ideal manager should have the rare ability to translate between normal language and technical jargon.
- Pen Tester
Penetration testing is a term used for attempting to break software or a system to search for and fix weaknesses.
- Incident Responder
Companies with requirements for robust security, such as the military, they often have people actively monitoring and fighting attacks on their systems. This job is great for those who like challenges such as competing against others to think two steps ahead.
- Investigator
Digital forensics is growing with cybercrime increase, requiring investigators who could gather and analyze evidence for solving the crime. People who love solving mysteries are great for this job.
A CYBER SECURITY CARER IS MORE THAN JUST MONEY
Although high benefits and salaries are attractive, cyber professionals are likely more driven by love of technology and the challenging, interesting and meaningful work that a career in cybersecurity offers. Those working in the cybersecurity field seldom receive any publicity for their work, even when the work is of utmost importance. Professionals in the filed could safeguard top secret government information to ward off online attacks, which have the potential of paralyzing the electronic systems of a country and in general compromise national safety. The attacks are becoming more frequent and far-reaching as the IoT continues growing. Experts in web security are the people relied on to help keep personal information safe and prevent web terrorists, enemy forces and other malicious people from gaining access to information stored online.
THE BOOMING CAREER FIELD
The demand for cybersecurity staff is rising at more than three times the pace of the rest of the Information Technology job market and twelve times the pace of the job market in general. Current cybersecurity personnel shortages number from 20,000 to 40,000. The shortage would probably remain for years or even decades. It’s safe to say that graduates who have a Cybersecurity master’s degree would have a significant amount of career opportunities for years and years. As long as the internet is around, so would the need for cybersecurity professionals. This kind of job provides peace of mind that’s more valuable compared to financial compensation alone.
The cyber professional’s daily work could prevent the malicious attacks and the extensive identify thefts occurring these days. They could ward off a cyber-attack that could compromise the security of a country. These are the intangible benefits that distinguish the cybersecurity field from a lot of other web-related and computer-related positions.