Cybersecurity Certification: Turning Threats into a Promising Career
Cybersecurity is rapidly growing and has immense career potential. Understand the importance, the job market, the certifications, and how to get started.
Technological advancements in IT offer numerous conveniences. But at the same time, they also present a significant threat in the form of evolving cyber-attacks that endanger users. This is why cybersecurity has been and will become even more crucial in the rapid innovation of IT, leading to a big surge of promising career opportunities within the cybersecurity field.
Table of Contents
1) Understanding Cybersecurity
2) Dangers of The Ever-Evolving Cybercrime
3) The Big Surge of Cybersecurity Jobs
4) Potential of Cybersecurity Careers
5) Beginning a Career in Cybersecurity
6) Conclusion
Understanding Cybersecurity
“Cyber" refers to anything related to computers, information technology, and the internet. In essence, cybersecurity is the practice of safeguarding electronic devices, systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks.
The primary goal of cybersecurity is to protect systems and networks that store private information belonging to individuals and organizations. This action has always been and will even be more crucial because as the internet is faster and gadgets are smarter, these malicious attackers are relentless in finding new ways of hacking and extracting valuable information.
Dangers of The Ever-Evolving Cybercrime
Cybercrime has existed ever since the early widespread adoption of the internet. Over the years, it keeps evolving and finding new forms to deceive users, from computer viruses and scam emails to sophisticated internet fraud and advanced server breaches. In the last two decades, the number of cyber-attack victims constantly increased, from only 6 per hour in 2001 to 97 today.
In more recent years, cyber-attacks truly show how dangerous and harmful they are for businesses. 40% of companies in Europe reported a cybersecurity incident between 2023 and 2024, while 64% of European business leaders anticipate facing a cyber issue within the next year.
A simple anti-virus program or “change your password” reminder is no longer sufficient these days. For an organisation, there must be a team of experts who know how to guard and oversee the whole IT systems, networks, and infrastructures. Due to this concern, skilled cybersecurity professionals are now in search, especially by multinational companies and start-ups.
The Big Surge of Cybersecurity Jobs
Cybersecurity jobs have always been increasing over the years in response to rising cyberattacks. However, the COVID-19 pandemic marked a pivotal moment in which cybersecurity reached a new height, as the shift to remote work rendered many companies and get them vulnerable to online hacking.
The rising demand for cybersecurity experts has become a global topic of discussion among many companies and organisations, and this happens because several key reasons:
- Server breaches and information leaks by hackers have become one of the main concerns among many organisations. Because of this issue, cybersecurity professionals are needed to safeguard a company’s IT infrastructure and sensitive data, as well as take corrective actions in case of a cyber breach.
- Regulatory frameworks, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, have been established to ensure proper internet practices. To correctly keep in compliance with the regulations, cybersecurity experts are required to oversee that all applications and workflows adhere to the laws and guidelines.
- Digitalisation is guaranteed to be a fundamental aspect of global business culture. Many companies are eager to adopt technologies in their operations, which raises the need for cybersecurity professionals who can facilitate proper implementation.
- The rapid innovation of technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, has always introduced new vulnerabilities. To get through and make the most out of the ever-changing nature of technology, cybersecurity experts are needed to educate and guide organisations.
Cybersecurity Ventures forecasts that by 2025, 35% of Fortune 500 companies will have board members with cybersecurity expertise. This all only shows that as information technology continues to play a critical role in various aspects of human life, the demand for cybersecurity jobs is on the rise, which presents remarkable career opportunities.
Potential of Cybersecurity Careers
Because of the key reasons above, cybersecurity jobs are considered one of the most promising career choices in the near future. This is because of the combination of multiple trends and events:
- Job Security & Growth IT will always be an integral part of individuals and organisations. This makes the demand for cybersecurity experts consistent or even higher with a projection that the industry will experience at least 20% growth by 2025.
- Competitive Salaries & Benefits Cybersecurity jobs are considered one of the career choices that offer attractive compensation salaries. As an example, the 2023 median annual pay for information security analysts in the U.S. was $112,000. Specialised positions such as certified ethical hackers may expect even higher salaries.
- Shortage of Skilled Workers In 2016, reports indicated 1 million unfilled positions of cybersecurity professionals. Nearly a decade later, the global shortage is expected to persist, with a projected 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions worldwide in 2025.
Multiple High-Risk Sectors Cyber threats expose risks to every business. But there are a few sectors that face the highest risks such as the public, financial, telecommunications, and healthcare services. This is because of the large volume of confidential information they handle, the direct impact on society and customers, and the dynamic regulations.
Beginning a Career in Cybersecurity
While numerous opportunities exist within the job market, it does not make entering the competitive field of cybersecurity and securing a job may be that simple. Like any profession, adequate training, education, and initial experience are essential to securing your dream career.
To begin, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, information technology, or computer science can provide a solid foundation. Alternatively, enrolling in an online cybersecurity course may also serve as an effective entry point and help you stand out in the cybersecurity job market as companies need high-skilled talent for this field.
Numerous cybersecurity courses and training programs are available online, but not all of them are made the same. It is important to select one that:
- Gives clear and interactive teaching that can ensure a comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity both theoretically and practically, and develop the necessary hard and soft skills for the job.
- Allows flexibility to fit your studying preference and availability, especially if you prefer a self-paced eLearning that can be accessible anytime.
- Possesses a legitimate accreditation to certification examinations by cybersecurity associations. For example Certified Ethical Hacker Certification by EC-Council, CCSP® by (ISC)2, CISM® by ISACA, and many more.
- Provides a wide range of courses as the cybersecurity field consists of various tracks that you can specialize in, or an all-in-one Master Program so you can learn every aspect of cybersecurity from the beginner until the advanced level.
- Offers the opportunity to take certification examinations because acquiring certification is vital to demonstrate expertise and enhance credentials. It is also widely the main qualification for any cybersecurity job. For example, to be a professional ethical hacker, you’ll need to have Certified Ethical Hacker Certification by finishing the course and taking an official exam.
Fortunately at Adding Value Consulting, all of the qualities above are assured, and obtaining a globally recognized cybersecurity certification is uncomplicated. Our eLearning courses are designed to accommodate individuals at any level to master cybersecurity, with the flexibility to study and practice the material anytime and anywhere.
Our Cybersecurity Expert Master’s Program offers a holistic defense strategy against dynamic cyber threats. It is designed to prepare individuals for CEH® Certification which emphasizes ethical hacking methodologies, CompTIA Security+ which focuses on foundational security concepts, CISSP® certifications and CISM® certification which develops your expertise in designing and maintaining a secured IT architecture with a business management perspective.
Conclusion
As the IT industry continues to evolve, cybersecurity will always be adjoining and crucial. This situation opens up countless promising potentials in the job market. Hopefully, every detail and information in this blog is informative and helpful as guidance for you who are interested in switching or starting a career in cybersecurity.
If you’re interested in more professional certification insights in IT, Agile, Project Management and updates, please don’t hesitate to read more of our blogs.
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