How To Get Started In Cybersecurity & Become Digital A Protector
In this digital era, it is no easier to predict trends in employment. The growing automation, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence already started disrupting the entire job market. Hence, this raises the need for cybersecurity. As if this wasn’t enough, the world economies also suffered badly due to the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in early 2020. Remote working, which was so long avoided by companies across the world, suddenly became the only choice left to maintain business continuity. So, even job preferences and factors have changed since last year. We saw an increasing demand for digital skills as businesses started shifting online.
Today, more than the traditional in-demand software developer role, there is a higher demand for emerging job roles like artificial intelligence engineer, data scientist, DevOps engineer, machine learning engineer, and data analyst. One of the popular fields among these is cybersecurity. As businesses worldwide are going digital, there is a massive amount of data under threat. Securing a company’s computer systems, networks, and digital assets is the need of the hour, and cybersecurity is a crucial step towards achieving it.
How Companies Give Values to CyberSecurity
Cybersecurity is being given high priority by companies these days. Organizations have now understood that keeping a cybersecurity team in place is a better practice than losing millions of dollars in a cyberattack along with the hard-earned reputation in the industry. As a career, you will never be disappointed to step into the world of cybersecurity. There are many job roles worth pursuing whose demand is also high and come with lucrative salaries. In fact, many are seeking a cyber security certification in Atlanta, New York, Austin, Houston, San Diego, and other parts of the US to develop the right skills and land a new job.
Are you wondering what are the different ways to get started in cybersecurity? If yes, then this article is for you. Read on to find out more.
Starting a Cybersecurity Career
1. Educational Background
When you are thinking about starting a career in any domain, you would first inquire about the educational background required. An associate degree or a graduate-level four-year degree in cybersecurity is the best qualification you can have to get started in this field. A graduate degree in computer science, information technology, or related field is also beneficial. If you are not from an IT background, it doesn’t mean you cannot become eligible for cybersecurity job roles. With interest and the right skills, you can increase your employability.
2. Courses and certifications
Whether you have an IT background or not, cybersecurity courses and certifications can help you get started. There are ample online courses designed for beginners as well as experienced professionals to help them understand cybersecurity concepts right from basic to advanced level. Reputed training providers also have virtual labs where you can work on industry projects and apply the skills you have developed during the theoretical classes. You will get a course completion certificate that you can add to your resume and showcase your knowledge.
Similarly, industry-recognized cybersecurity certifications are offered by popular accreditation bodies like the EC-Council, ISACA, (ISC)2, and CompTIA. Achieving a certification from any of these institutes is quite beneficial for your career and will let you join the elite group of professionals who can speak the global language of cybersecurity and are aware of the latest trends and best practices in this field. Most of these certifications require you to pass rigorous exams that are not just memory-based but the ones that check if you can apply what theoretical concepts you learned during your preparation. Certifications like the CompTIA Security+ or PenTest+ can be taken by beginners while others like the EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification is ideal for experienced cybersecurity professionals.
3. Skills Required
Cybersecurity is a broad field and you cannot gain expertise in all of its areas. You will have to limit your learning according to the job role you are applying for. Different skillset is associated with roles like the ethical hacker, security analyst, forensic expert, incident responder, cryptographer, and security architect. Some of the top skills you will require are computer forensics, database security, defending against common attacks, networking fundamentals, various security tools, operating systems and their administration, programming languages like Java, Python, or C++, firewalls, and network load balancers. It is important to have soft skills, an analytical mind, detail-oriented, communication, problem-solving, and keen learner.
4. Internships
Now it’s not necessary to keep looking for entry-level cybersecurity jobs and do nothing meanwhile. You can try for an internship which is somewhat easier to find. A good internship will give you practical exposure as well as a chance to understand the roles and responsibilities of cybersecurity professionals. It will give you the necessary corporate experience and showcase your skills while applying for a full-time job. By working on any small project, you will become aware of the challenges that cybersecurity pros face in their day-to-day lives. All this experience will help you show the employers that you have become job-ready.
Now that you know what qualifications, skills, and certifications the field of cybersecurity demands, you should take the first step in learning more about it. We would recommend taking an online training program to learn the basics and prepare for a successful career ahead.
