Today, cybersecurity has transformed into a critical element for the fabric of any modern business. With umpteen number of news reports regarding data breaches and security threats hitting the headlines, it is evident that all organizations are in need of cybersecurity professionals to protect their networks. Every role in information technology has a cybersecurity aspect. Turning your focus on security will open up a world of options. Cybersecurity as a profession is making steady progress even if it is an entry-level cybersecurity job and individuals enrolling in cybersecurity certifications are on the rise.
What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity refers to protecting internet-connected systems such as software, hardware, and other data from cyberattacks, identity theft, and data breaches and can also aid in risk management. An organization will be better equipped to prevent and mitigate cyberattacks if it has a strong sense of network security and a working incident response plan. Information security, a subset of cybersecurity, is designed to maintain the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data.
Top Reasons to Pursue a Career in Cybersecurity
The cybersecurity domain is now in the spotlight, and here are the ten reasons that prove that cybersecurity is the right choice that has the capability of taking your career to great heights.
1. Unlimited Growth
A career in cybersecurity provides an ever-expanding scope as it presents you with the ultimate growth potential for your career path and learning opportunities. A good cybersecurity professional will understand how technologies and organizations work. A cybersecurity professional realizes that ‘the learning never stops.’ The cybersecurity sphere provides a massive opportunity to stay challenged and engaged. The cybersecurity field offers a wide array of opportunities for all professionals who are willing to challenge themselves.
2.The Ability to Solve Puzzles
The variety and growth of technologies provide cybersecurity experts with a different variety of puzzles to solve. In cybersecurity, though we rely on tried and tested principles, the tactics keep changing. There is always a new puzzle to be solved. Each new wave of technology creates new risks. Cybersecurity professionals are vested with the job of identifying, understanding, and addressing these risks. Each situation depicts a unique puzzle and is a new opportunity to rise to the challenge.
3. Plenty of Variety
Cybersecurity professionals get the opportunity to work with teams directly on technologies and systems that they never dreamed of. Starting from robots to cars to websites that serve millions and millions of users, the variety offered by cybersecurity is near infinite. This makes cybersecurity an exciting career prospect. The variety offered by cybersecurity has an interesting offshoot: cybersecurity professionals come from diverse backgrounds as broad skillsets are required to understand the modern security challenges properly. There is no right or wrong way in training yourself to become a sought-after cybersecurity professional. Develop your own skillsets and understand your areas of strength to shine in the cybersecurity domain. Having a more diverse background and skillsets will certainly help you go a long way. These skills can be acquired through the numerous cybersecurity certifications offered by prestigious online learning platforms.
4. Chance to be Part of an Exciting Field
The internet has become part and parcel of life and touches all the aspects of our daily life. In this digital age, cybersecurity plays a critical role in ensuring online safety and also oversees the safety of the significant systems that support our daily lives. This includes transportation, electricity, and financial institutions. A cybersecurity expert will constantly face new and engaging challenges and will strive each day to keep the critical infrastructure secure.
5. Increased Job Opportunities
Cybersecurity is a fast-growing field, and employers are always on the lookout for qualified professionals. Between 2007-2013, the number of jobs posted for cybersecurity grew by 74%. According to reports presented by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, employment in the field is expected to grow by 18% from 2014-2024. This is faster than the average rate projected for all occupations. The demand for cybersecurity jobs does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon as there are a lot of cybersecurity jobs that need to be filled.
6. Need for Professionals at Every-Level Jobs
A cybersecurity expert is not someone who works in a basement and deals with computers and a myriad of cables. Right from interns to CEOs, cybersecurity experts are found at all levels of an organization’s hierarchy. Any organization that is dependent on computers and networking is in need of qualified security professionals to manage and oversee all aspects of their infrastructure.
A cybersecurity expert is needed at every level, and he can be an IT security worker, an IT security manager, a security group supervisor, a device administrator, or even a C-level executive. Even if you get into the lower level of management of an organization, it does not limit your ability to shine in your career and move up the ladder. Demonstrating skill, knowledge, and expertise is the key to make yourself indispensable even at an entry-level cybersecurity job.
7. Constantly Facing New Challenges
You will be challenged daily in a cybersecurity job as it is not a static domain. You will be bombarded with amazing and surprising discoveries and new and unexpected failures. Attackers will continue to develop new exploits on a daily basis. Your job will be to evaluate these new threats as it will help you improve your organization’s defences. If you are one who enjoys facing tough and constantly changing challenges, cybersecurity is the right fit for you. As a cybersecurity expert, you can solve new puzzles, support new activities on a regular basis, and fight off new demons.
8. Opens Up Avenues to Create New Jobs
The field of information technology is fast-paced and ever-changing. Many positions that exist today were not in existence five to ten years ago. Technology has produced an endless list of jobs. In the future, many jobs that exist today will disappear or be filled by other forms of technology which will bring about new types of jobs, careers, and responsibilities. For a cybersecurity career specialist, it is even possible to draft your own job description, as versatility is a prominent feature in this field. In cybersecurity, professionals can draft their own job title, customize their position within the organization, and fine-tune the focus of daily activities based on concepts, ideas, and opportunities that are not even in existence today.
9. Ability to Focus on Many Things
Apart from just pulling cables and configuring routers, cybersecurity offers more specializations. Design is one of the most overlooked areas of cybersecurity, and it is not a single-focused concept. It includes new concepts of security mechanisms, crafting new security rules, configuring back-end logic, creating new filtering schemes, designing the user interface, etc. The success of good security lies in good design and planning. Other than just focusing on the details of what to allow and what to deny, security must also consider workflows and business tasks.
10. Upward Mobility
One of the notable perks for cybersecurity experts is upward mobility. Job opportunities and promotions will eventually come your way if you learn and grow in the role that you have acquired. Gaining more experience allows you to land a lucrative job that you want. Even if you initially get into an entry-level cybersecurity job, you have a much higher quality of life with the right attitude and work ethic.
Conclusion
The two key logistical advantages for a strong career offered by cybersecurity are solid compensation and low to no unemployment. This is one career path which, if chosen, will give you more room to grow. There is a lot of scope for continuous improvement as you will learn new skills and understand new technologies. There will always be a lot of puzzles to be solved, and you can also take pride in the work you do as it will have a positive impact on both the physical and digital world. That said, a career in cybersecurity is certainly a promising and rewarding opportunity.
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