When considering a new career, it’s important to look for the future and where the industry is heading. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than going through time finding a new career, spending years on training it, only to find out it no longer exists.
And with automation and fast pace technology, we’re seeing a shift in career orientation, ranging from travel agent to bank teller.
Consequently, if you’re considering the future of cybersecurity, and how it will look like, let’s say in the next 5-10 years, then you’re at the right place. If you’re learning code or networking, then you’ll be happy to know that cybersecurity is a lucrative career.
Meaning that there’s always space for new talent. According to Labor Statistics, the rate of growth in Information security is projected at 37% – A much faster rate than any other occupation.
The current state of cybersecurity
With the need to fill the dire, more colleges are now offering bachelor’s and master’s programs in cybersecurity. The impact of jobless recoveries via automation is what deepens this trend.
Cybersecurity is an area where there has been a global labor shortage for many years. It is because the pandemic has given rise to automation, there’s now more risk of data loss and cyber-attacks.
Appropriate levels of visibility and tighter security protocols across different security layers are an important part of today’s market standard. This is where the robust need for a cybersecurity system arises to ensure that your infrastructure is secure, protected, and free of any resilience.
To counter-attack this type of warfare, cyber professionals are in high demand.
The Cybersecurity Job Market in 2022
As per the recent survey, the cybersecurity market is valued at $179 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to $370 billion by 2028. And we’re already seeing the trend. Many businesses today understand the need for security.
As cybercrime is on the rise, they are heavily investing in an improved infrastructure that is safe for both the customers and the system. Hence, driving the market growth to whole new potential.
Other factors that drive the growth of this industry include:
- Growth of Ransomware
- Digital Transformation of data
- Increase number of data breaches and cybercrime
- Discovering vulnerabilities and security threats
- Increased business growth and employee headcount
- Compliance regulation and protection
- Increasing global demand for security
- The disruptive use of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In 2021, Cybercrime increased over 600% because of the pandemic. The average cost of a single data breach was recorded at a whopping $4.24 Million. Since we’ve already entered 2022, the global cybersecurity market is even more hosting and unstable. Many businesses are struggling to keep up with this fast pace of digital transformation as these attacks are reflecting them.
Why Cybersecurity Career is a good choice forward?
- Exponential growth
As the world of automation grows, so does the need for experienced security professionals. A cybersecurity specialist earns an average of $85,000/year. Professionals can also negotiate salaries based on their experience and growth certifications.
Due to the lack of skilled professionals, the demand for experts is at an all-time high. Hence the rate of unemployment is minimal.
- Variety in roles
There are a lot of fields in cybersecurity you can choose from including Network security engineer, chief information security officer (CISO), penetration testing, network analyzer, forensics expert, and more. Additional roles of vulnerability checker, security architect, and managers are on the rise.
And there’s always a chance for growth. If you’ve started your career as an entry-level system administrator, you can always acquire technical skills by completing different certifications.
- Always in demand
Cybersecurity career growth is expected to double in the future. Moreover, security specialists are in-demand for their active decision-making, analytic mindset, effective communication, and problem-solving techniques. These individuals can choose to move on to almost any other field.
For example, a cybersecurity expert can easily secure a senior-level network administration job, Cloud security, and systems administration. Some other people can enhance their skills and learn information assurance, information defense, ethical hacking, defense engineering, risk managers, social engineer, and network protection. Also, there’s a significant job profile rate in the freelancing industry.
Is cybersecurity right for you?
This is something you’ll discover along the way. There are different types of cybersecurity jobs available that demand different skills and experience. As far as the market goes, better security inspires more threats, which requires more solutions, which in turn innovate more attacks.
It also comes down to your personal preference and if you have any soft skills like decision-making, communication, leadership, etc., or not. Because cybersecurity is a tough job that requires precise decision-making and analytics, as the company’s data depends on you. If you have an aptitude for breaking down complex systems into smaller pieces, it might be the best option.
Cybersecurity is also team-based, so your leadership and communication skills also matter. Senior-level experts are often required to work closely with company-level executives to ensure compliance, educate, find vulnerabilities, and implement solutions.
Finally, having a career in cybersecurity doesn’t mean you have to work long hours, as the job is flexible. However, when there’s a vulnerability located or you’re ongoing any cyberattack, then you’ll be called to deal with that problem, and that means long hours.
Bottom Line
Cybersecurity is a fascinating, exciting, and rewarding career path that showcases a lot of potential in the future. Starting by researching different kinds of jobs, skills, knowledge, and certification, you can easily decide where you want to approach your education.
Informal education, along with field experience is compulsory in this field. Once you get a clear understanding of what is happening, you can always do more certification and progress your career. As companies continue to evolve, so does the demand for talented individuals in the cyber security space.