Cybersecurity: The New IT Career Boom?

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More and more companies, as well government’s are increasing their commitment to cybersecurity. Recent newsworthy breaches have shined a light on the cybersecurity issue to be sure, but the exorbitant costs to these affected businesses have further exhibited the need to ramp up protection efforts. Evidence suggests this is creating a new IT career boom.

Show Me the Money!

Companies are now, more than ever, willing to pay large salaries to experts that can help them avoid security breaches.  Experienced IT experts who have focused their attention on cybersecurity are earning upwards of $500K per year, and to many companies, they’re worth every penny.

The costs of cleaning up a breach can be well into the millions in terms of real dollars, but the fallout due to factors such as public trust, shareholder confidence, lost productivity, and a host of other social and economic factors are difficult to quantify. Being prepared is proving to be much less costly as a result.

Many large companies are seeking Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) who report directly to the CEO. This new high-level emphasis on cybersecurity has removed many of the barriers that have kept IT and cyber professionals from reaching the top rungs of the corporate ladder.

According to this article by Seth Fitzgerald at Top Tech News, the FBI is hiring as many as, 2K cybercrime experts, and other government agencies are doing the same.

The Problem: Delays in Detection and Reporting.

Often breaches may go undetected for days or even weeks.  When you combine that with delays in reporting, it creates a time vacuum that cybercriminals can leverage for maximum gain.

The public is becoming increasingly aware of the isuue, and that has forced companies to take steps to put consumers and shareholders at ease. This new public awareness is causing the paradigm to shift in the favor of cybersecurity practitioners and those considering cybersecurity as career path.

In recent years, colleges and universities have bolstered their cybersecurity offerings, and businesses are helping as well.  Tripwire’s Cybersecurity Risk Manager Life Journey Experience is a web-based, interactive look into cybersecurity as a career path. Such initiatives encourage students of all ages to begin considering cybersecurity as a viable and lucrative career choice.

In fact, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the information security analyst field will grow by at least 37 percent through 2020, and I believe that may be too conservative an estimate as cybercrimes continue to occur at an alarming rate!

NOW is a Great Time to Get Started!

If you are considering cybersecurity as a career field, now is the time to start pursuing the required experience, skills, training and certifications to prepare you for these critical positions. Some higher-level certifications have experience requirements, but entry-level certifications are available.

The most important thing you can do is get started right away.  The field is booming now, but just like other career field booms that have occurred in the past, at some point this field will become inundated will entry-level cybersecurity program graduates who are all competing for the same positions.

Education, training and certifications are still the best way to stand out from the crowd. If you have any certifications you most likely already know this, but if you don’t

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I would really like to know your thoughts about cybersecurity as a career path. Do you think this is next big thing in IT or just much ado about nothing? Is this a new IT career boom or an IT career bust? I hope will you leave a thoughtful comment below.

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