A career in cybersecurity is one of the most popular career paths to take. It's a career field that will never be obsolete and can open doors to many different opportunities. Cybersecurity professionals are experts at protecting networks, computers, programs, data and everything the network connects to or stores information about.
Cybersecurity specialists work with the latest technologies and protect against breaches from hackers, malware creators and other cybercriminals who try to steal valuable information from companies. It is essential to explore the various possibilities of a career in the cybersecurity field.
In today's economy, every piece of data is digitised in the majority of organisations. Hence, they need people with specialised cybersecurity skill sets to protect themselves and the data network. You may be wondering why you should choose a career in cybersecurity? This blog post will answer that question and provide information on how to get started with your career path.
What is Cyber Security?
Cyber Security is the protection of digital information and data on different devices. The technology department builds, maintains, and implements security measures to protect computer networks from hackers or other cyber-attacks. They are also responsible for ensuring compliance with regulations.
Cybersecurity professionals are those who work to identify, manage and respond to cybersecurity risks. They're the ones responsible for identifying potential threats on a digital device or network to protect against hacking, malware and data breaches. Cyber Security Courses enable aspiring security professionals to acquire specialised skills and knowledge through highly qualified training.
The career field has been increasing drastically over recent years due to new technological advancements being made available to the public at an alarming rate. This makes it necessary to have creative ways of guarding against online attacks and securing essential data that can be lost. It means many job opportunities will most likely arise within this field in the coming years, so now would be a good time to start considering what path you want your career in cybersecurity.
Why a Cyber Security Career?
A cybersecurity career is a vocation that requires constant learning and adaptation. All cybersecurity career paths are equally crucial for the success of society, as they all share similar functions. The IT department of every company requires a cybersecurity specialist. From security operations to risk assessment, breach investigation to compliance, the need for a cybersecurity professional is progressing. Some compelling reasons to choose the cybersecurity career are:
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The digital future and unlimited growth: As an ever-evolving sector, cybersecurity possesses unlimited growth potential in career and learning opportunities. With the upsurge of the digital future, cybersecurity is vital in every organisation, private and public.
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Variety of security professions: From cybersecurity analysts to chief information officers, various career options in cybersecurity are available. Security professionals have an abundance of career prospects to choose from.
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Increased Salary: With the specialised skills and abilities comes the demand for security professionals. The demand comes with good salaries depending on the position.
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Real impact and job satisfaction: Defending the network, data, and systems creates an impact across the digital world to the physical world. Finding solutions, solving puzzles, and defending networks bring high job satisfaction among cybersecurity professionals.
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Credibility and heightened demand with certification: There are various specialised certifications for each form of profession. Certified professionals are validated and have the scope to join the higher ranks of the cybersecurity career path.
How to Start your Cyber Security Career Path?
To get started with a career in cybersecurity, you must choose between the multiple career options and obtain an adequate education. Depending on your skills and interests, you must decide which career to pursue. With Skill Matrix, you can evaluate and estimate your skill level and interest to have a more accurate career path.
To begin with, a general prerequisite of a career in cybersecurity includes:
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Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or any relatable field
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Adequate knowledge of cybersecurity and its fundamentals
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Up to date with all cybersecurity trends and tactics
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Proper certification in your choice of field
With substantial knowledge of information security and prior experience in the field, you can aim for job options like:
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Information Security Analyst
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Cyber Security Consultant
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Network Administrator
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Cybersecurity Analyst
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Security Auditor
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Chief Information Security Officer
A secondary career path in cybersecurity is the engineering route. It is best suited for aspirants with prior experience in engineering and an interest in building secure systems. The job options include:
To start your career in cybersecurity, you must understand the various career paths given above. Once you have invested your time in understanding your career options, you can:
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Invest in your education with a degree in cybersecurity
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Get certified in a specific area or a subject matter that you are interested in. Some of the most prevalent cybersecurity certifications include CISSP (Certified Information System Security Professional), CompTIA Security+, CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), CISM (Certified Information Security Manager), CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor), etc.
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Network with almost all industries without any exception.
Best 4 Cyber Security Career Paths
The digital transformation of technologies makes the cybersecurity profession more demanding every day. By acquiring the proper certification in cybersecurity, you can pursue the career path you are most interested in.
There are multiple variations in Cybersecurity certification courses. Some of the best cybersecurity career paths comprise of the following:
1.Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Chief Information Security Officers have an extensive background with certifications in information security such as CISSP(Certified Information System Security Professional) or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
It is a senior-level role with a lot of power and creative freedom and can only be achieved with immense knowledge, expertise and experience. WIth at least 7-12 years of experience, you can spearhead an organisation's IT initiatives.
The career path to becoming a CISO starts from being a programmer or an analyst and then promoted to security analyst, engineer or auditor. As you advance with IT certifications, enter a management position and get promoted to a CISO role.
2.Security Consultant
The Security Consultant career path is for those who want to have an opinion about how technologies can be used securely. It is more of consulting than being hands-on with the IT infrastructure or security products.
The career starts by starting your career as a network, systems or software engineer and then gradually move into project management or development roles. A consultant may also begin working directly on projects instead of managing them once they are at this stage. After gaining enough experience, you will consult organisations without any supervision required from senior consultants/managers.
With certifications like CompTIA Security+ and CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), you can procure the training and knowledge of a security consultant. The expertise gained will enable you to deal with a wide range of security systems across diverse companies and industries.
3.Penetration Tester or Ethical Hacker
To become an ethical hacker or a penetration tester, you need knowledge and experience in hacking and security analysis.
Penetration testing focuses on finding vulnerabilities in company systems before malicious hackers do so. Companies usually employ penetration testers to assess how vulnerable they are to outside attacks. Penetration testing also helps evaluate what steps should be taken to prevent system breaches from occurring at all.
Ethical Hackers provide technical services related to data privacy, information assurance, network defence, monitoring and protection to a company's network system. An intermediate certification of CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) or ComptTIA+ will enable you to be promoted to a senior penetration tester role or ethical hacker roles such as security consultant or security architect.
4.Security Architect
The Security Architect is responsible for the data and physical security of a company's network system. They are in charge of designing, implementing and maintaining the necessary safeguards to protect it from becoming vulnerable to outside attacks.
Suppose you are eager to join a cybersecurity career path to create big-picture strategies, design, build, and implement network and computer security. In that case, the security architect career path is the one for you. You can get promoted to security architect from an intermediate role like security administrator or network administrator.
As a senior-level position, employers will require proper certification in cybersecurity courses like CompTIA Security+, CEH, CISSP, or ECSA, which will help you accelerate your career path and stand out from other candidates.
To Sum Up
Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field, and there are many opportunities for qualified professionals. As a cybersecurity professional, you will be protecting the digital assets of businesses and organisations by identifying vulnerabilities in their systems to prevent data breaches or other cyberattacks. Professionals must have strong technical skills and adequate certifications to get ahead in your career. We have outlined four different career paths for those who are interested in pursuing a career in cybersecurity. If you're interested in pursuing one of the various cybersecurity career paths, it's essential to start your cybersecurity education and building networks.
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