HOW TO PURSUE A WELL PAYING CAREER IN CYBESECURITY

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You see it in the headlines almost every week; “Cybersecurity shortage”, demand outweighs supply and the skills gap for professionals is increasingly widening.

It’s no wonder that being in Cybersecurity is one of the more lucrative fields of study akin to the medical and software related fields.

A recent article in Focalpoint entitled ‘how big is the cybersecurity talent shortage’ tackles the issue and the numbers that are significant in looking at the problem as a whole.

The report goes on to say that: The best estimate we have of the global workforce shortage comes from (ISC)², which predicts the gap to hit 1.8 million in 2022. And that shortage is fairly evenly distributed: 68% of cyber security experts in North America say they don’t have the professionals they need on their security teams, as do 67% in Latin America and 66% in Europe. The issue isn’t distribution of cyber resources – it’s that there just aren’t enough of them out there.

Another recent article entitled “The 15 Top Paying Certifications for 2018” from Global Knowledge has 6 Cybersecurity related certs namely CGEIT, CISSP, CRISC, CISM, CEH, and CISA in the list; with the average salary topping out at almost $110K.

The fast pace of technology, and the internet in particular, has significantly transformed how we live our lives the past 30 years. Along with that, as more and more of our daily tasks, work, and social lives shift from physical to virtual, an inherent risk results in the exposure of our private information to cyber thieves and opportunists that lurk online.

Unfortunately, it will get worse before it gets better, due to the faster internet speeds and the rate at which information is spread, there is a great need for cybersecurity practitioners that will help police and support public and private infrastructure and cyber defense.

All of that to say, Cybersecurity will always be in demand as long as the internet is around so it’s going to be a booming industry for the long haul and will, therefore, be a stable and growth-oriented career choice.

With that, here are the 5 best ways to get into the Security industry;

Cybersecurity I believe is one of the easiest subjects to master since most everyone has an idea of what it is, due to the prominence it receives on almost a weekly basis of being in the news.

You causally ask any person off the street, and they can give you a very good idea of what Cybersecurity is and what it’s about.

People are now highly aware, and it’s this awareness that can be a ticket in the door for anyone wanting to be part of this dynamic and exciting career.

Of course taking classes and getting formally educated about IT and Cybersecurity is a definite must but unlike traditional courses where people need to enroll on campus, Cybersecurity courses can be taught and learned online in various different sites and at your own pace.

Introduction to the industry can happen as early as in Middle School with the Government’s Cyber Patriot program which is a program “created by the Air Force Association (AFA) to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future”; or can be learned via numerous online providers such as Cybrary, Coursera, and Udemy that offer up comprehensive courses complete with certificates and diplomas upon completion; all of which are industry accepted.

If you already have finished a degree and would want a shift in concentration, there are resources such as CWA- Cybersecurity Workforce Alliance which is a collaboration of big-name financial institutions and Government entities whose goal is to simplify entry into the industry as well as provide hiring opportunities for those that go through the different educational programs.

Never has there been a time when a whole industry is screaming for bodies so to speak, than in the Cybersecurity space.

So as you can see, the barrier to entry has significantly been lowered so it’s definitely something that deserves consideration as a long-term career choice.

One thing that can help accelerate your entry into the industry, after taking formal training, is to invest in Security certifications such as CompTIA’s Security +, EC Council’s CEH-Certified Ethical Hacker, and ISC2’s SSCP-Systems Security Certified Practitioner to name a few.

Employers will be looking for these as a sign of competency in lieu of landed experience in the field but if you’ve already landed an IT job and would want to move into the Security concentration, these same certifications will allow that lateral movement or can be simply a way to get compensated more by your current employer.

It certainly helps that IT starting salaries are among the highest in any industry, bringing between $51,280 - $90,120 annually from 2015 estimates according to a Rasmussen College report; and with the validation of these certifications, a salary bump of 5-20% is certainly a reasonable expectation given the current market trends.

One of the best ways to assimilate newly learned knowledge is to have a mentor.

And in Cybersecurity, there are various ways to be connected and find mentorship simply by connecting with your local security associations like ISSA-Information Systems Security Association and Spicecorp to name a few.

By connecting with these groups, you can definitely get linked with a mentor that can guide and even open doors of opportunities for employment.

One thing that’s good about the Cybersecurity industry is although there is a shortage of folks that are available for employment, there is no shortage of professionals that are willing to give back by mentoring and sharing their journeys on how to land and excel in the same field; you just have to make the effort to connect and be prepared to receive advice and tips.

A good way to prove your skills once you’ve gone through training and certification while waiting for your full-time employment opportunity is to volunteer your services.

Whether at your local library, church, small businesses or even senior centers; wherever there are computers connected to the internet, your services are needed and are valuable.

By doing so, you are also opening up opportunities for yourself to be either hired as consultants or full time by these same establishments, once they see that the competent service you provide would be invaluable to their business or operation.

Again, it’s just a matter of reaching out to these companies and bringing them value, even if it means giving it for free for a short time.

Sir Richard Branson said it marvelously when he stated that “luck is when determination meets opportunity”; which in essence is what we need to be in order to be successful in Cybersecurity or any field for that matter.

Being determined as well as prepared, academically and mentally, will most definitely be our greatest assets in any career and employment opportunity out there.

We just have to want it bad enough and be willing to do what it takes to realize our goals.

Do you have any other inputs you can add or share with us in regards to this subject? Please do share by commenting below or sending us a note at thedebtfreejourney@gmail.com

Thanks for reading and until our next post…

Peace and Blessing to you All.