Working as a cybersecurity professional is appealing because of the demand that exists for experts in this field and the variety that’s available in the roles on offer.
Here’s a look at what cybersecurity opportunities are out there right now and what you can do to take advantage of them as the year progresses.
Contemporary cybersecurity careers unpicked
We weren’t kidding when we said this sector offers various roles to weigh up and paths to follow. The top options include:
Security engineer
Understanding current threats and implementing strategies to prevent them is part and parcel of working as a securing engineer. It’s also a job that embraces a big-picture approach to protecting mission-critical IT assets.
Incident responder
When breaches do occur, incident responders will leap into action to deal with all sorts of security snafus, reducing the fallout and ensuring business continuity.
Security manager
Overseeing teams of specialists and ensuring that interdepartmental communication and collaboration are handled efficiently is the job of security managers. The most senior positions in this area are occupied by top-level executives.
Security consultant
For a freelance approach to working as a security professional, being an expert consultant hired by businesses to advise on matters from dealing with remote threats to encompassing on-site measures to prevent data theft and disruption.
Ethical hacker
Hackers aren’t always the bad guys. In fact, anyone with skills in this arena can put them to positive effect by working as an ethical hacker, carrying out penetration testing to establish whether an organization’s security is fit for purpose.
Advice on entering the cybersecurity job market
There are a number of ways to become a security professional, such as:
Getting a cybersecurity qualification that fits the career you want
Many qualifications, certifications, and accreditations exist in this field. If you don’t know the difference between CISSP vs CISA, you can find out more on this page and use what you learn to decide which is right for you.
The main thing to keep in mind is your own career goals and ambitions. Some qualifications will broaden your horizons and give you transferable skills, while others will be more specialized and give you access to a particular subset of opportunities from an employment perspective.
Comparing company reputations
Another reality of the modern job market is that would-be employees have more power to scrutinize prospective employers before deciding whether or not to accept job offers from them.
This is particularly relevant to cybersecurity pros since there’s so much demand for experts that you can afford to be discerning.
Companies that have experienced PR disasters in the past will struggle to attract and retain talent. For workers, researching the reputation of a business and getting feedback from existing and past employees is a way to filter out unsuitable options.
Continuing to grow and improve
Cybersecurity doesn’t sit still, and neither can the professionals that operate within this sphere. So even if you’ve got experience and prior training in security-related areas, being willing to continue learning and growing year by year will help you remain an alluring proposition to employers.
This also means taking any opportunities that current employers offer rather than treading water and hoping for the best.
The last word
With good salaries, lots of flexibility, and ample choice, cybersecurity opportunities and jobs are definitely worthy of your attention whether you’re still studying or you’re thinking of a career change.
Just be aware that qualifying as a pro involves hard work and a diverse skill set, so be prepared to put in the effort to get what you want out of your future working life.
Read Next: 25% of SMBs cite lack of time as a challenge to manage cyber risks, reveals DigitalOcean
