Education

14 Reasons to Choose a Career in Cybersecurity

Imagine that you had the chance to work in an entry-level job making over $60k per year, without any experience and just an associate’s degree. It might sound crazy, but the fact is that this is the reality for many who get into the world of IT and cybersecurity. If you are in the process of considering your future career and want to get into a field that is developing at a huge rate along with offering a massive range of opportunities for career growth and progression, getting into cybersecurity could be an excellent choice for you. Here are some of the top reasons to consider working in this field. 

High Demand

The demand for the cybersecurity workforce is growing rapidly as more and more businesses require these professionals to help protect their companies against the increase in cybercrime and hacking attacks. With over four billion people now using the internet, and this number is expected to rise even further in the future, there is going to be an infinite need for cyber security experts to help everybody from small businesses to the military. 

It’s Easy to Get Into

There are currently thousands of job openings in cyber security that only require an associate’s degree, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. And, what’s more, is that with a bachelor’s degree in IT or a similar field, you can find even more job openings and career opportunities with even more generous starting salaries. Getting into this career is often easy since many companies are willing to take on people with basic knowledge and skills and train them in the field, including support for getting certifications that are worth their weight in gold when it comes to finding further opportunities and building your career. You can easily work your way up into cybersecurity from entry-level positions such as tech support, which will require you to have CompTIA’s A+ Certification along with good people skills. 

Take Your Career Anywhere

No matter where you go in the world, there’s an increasing need for good cybersecurity professionals. No matter where you go in the US, it’s never going to be difficult to find a cybersecurity position, making it a great choice of career for anybody who is interested in potentially relocating in the future. Cybersecurity is just as important around the world as it is in the US, making a qualification in this career the perfect ticket for anybody who loves to travel. 

Freelance and Business Opportunities

Cybersecurity is a field where there are lots of opportunities for employment, but also a great chance to freelance or start your own business. Small business owners in particular will often outsource their cybersecurity needs to freelancers rather than working with an in-house team since it’s usually a cheaper option that allows small businesses to get the best results on a tighter budget. If you are interested in getting into a field that will allow you to become your own boss in the future, cybersecurity is an ideal choice. 

Career Advancement and Further Education

If you are ambitious and want to advance your career as much as possible in the world of cybersecurity, there are lots of opportunities available that will allow you to meet your career goals, take on more responsibility at work, and increase your salary potential. While the entry requirements for a career in cybersecurity are fairly low in comparison with other professional career types, you can get a master’s in cybersecurity from SBU to focus your knowledge on a certain area, significantly improve your skills and become a respected expert in your field, allowing you to take your career to the next level. Online degree programs are now available, making it easier than ever for cybersecurity professionals to study while they work and gain a new qualifications without missing a beat in their careers. 

Ideal for Veterans

If you are a military veteran, cybersecurity is an ideal civilian career choice to move into after a career in the military. In 2016, the Cyber Veterans Initiative was launched in Virginia, providing veterans with access to free training, opportunities, and resources to help them build successful careers in this field. Scholarships are available to help veterans study cybersecurity and many corporations and government agencies have a preference for veterans when hiring cybersecurity professionals, meaning that those with military experience are often in with a better chance of getting hired compared to somebody with no previous military service. 

Excellent Rates of Pay

If you want to get into a career path that offers generous starting salaries and the opportunity to earn even more as you move through the ranks, cybersecurity is an excellent choice. Compared to many other career options where you only need an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree to enter the field, cybersecurity offers an average pay of around $80k per year for an Information Security Analyst, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest 10% of earners in this field earn very generous salaries, between $30-50k per year, while the highest ten percent of earners are on over $140k annually. 

Math Skills Aren’t Required

While basic math skills are important for working in any IT field, one of the best things about cybersecurity is that you don’t need to be a mathematical genius to get into this career. When taking a cybersecurity degree, you don’t have to worry about taking any sciences or calculus. Instead, you’ll be focusing on learning programming languages and building your IT skills

Work for Government Agencies

Government agencies often have the biggest requirements for cybersecurity professionals since a breach could lead to serious repercussions. When you are educated to the degree level in cybersecurity and have a lot of experience in this field, you can be in with a chance of working at some of the coolest government agencies such as the NSA, Homeland Security, the CIA, and the FBI. If you’re interested in using your cybersecurity skills to protect government secrets or catch some of the world’s worst criminals, you can get very far. 

Learn to Hack

Cybersecurity is often offered as an alternative to teenagers who are obsessed with hacking. Teens sometimes get into trouble for doing silly things like hacking into their school’s network or getting into their parents’ email accounts. If growing up, you were the type of kid who thought that hacking was the coolest thing you’d ever seen and always wanted to know how to do it, or even taught yourself how to, then getting into a career in cybersecurity allows you to foster this interest and put it to good use. Cybersecurity often involves a process known as ethical hacking, which refers to hacking into the networks of a business or government agency to determine how secure they are and provide recommendations for improvement. 

Low Employment Rates

The high and growing demand for cybersecurity professionals means that working in this field provides you with a very secure career. The continued demand for cybersecurity professionals around the world today has not only provided endless options for working in cybersecurity, but it also means that the unemployment rates are seriously low. 

Work with Your Interests and Strengths

Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand in almost any industry you can think of, from finance and banking to governments, manufacturing, energy, retail, advertising, media, healthcare, telecommunications, and many more. As you can imagine, this means that cybersecurity professionals have the chance to apply their work to the industries and fields that they are the most interested. The demand is highest in those industries that tend to manage high customer data volumes such as healthcare and finance, but you can find work almost anywhere. 

Never Stop Learning

With technology advancing on a daily basis, hackers and cybercriminals are becoming more and more innovative and adaptive when it comes to finding new, nefarious ways to break into networks and computers to steal sensitive, private information. Because of this, it’s absolutely essential for cybersecurity professionals to ensure that they are committed to continuing their education throughout the course of their career, making sure that they stay up to date with the latest changes in software, security protocols, and techniques so that they can stay ahead of any potential hackers and cybercriminals. 

It’s Never Too Late to Start

Whether you’re fresh out of high school and considering a cybersecurity career or want to change your current career completely and get into this exciting, high-demand field, it’s never too late to start a career in cybersecurity. With many online programs and qualifications that you can get to kickstart your cybersecurity career, getting started is easier than ever and you could find yourself working in a lucrative, exciting cybersecurity position very soon. 

If you’re planning your future career or considering a career change, cybersecurity is an ideal field to consider. With extremely high demand that is set to grow in the future, cybersecurity can involve working in a wide range of industries and fields, with great starting salaries and career development options.  

Hussnain Ali

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