Why you should consider Cybersecurity as your career destination
Why you should consider Cyber-security as your career destination
Awareness about Cyber-security as a career
You must have heard of IT people who sit all day on computer screens writing weird code and getting paid generously at the end of every month. Some of them are Web developers others are mobile developers etc, and overall, we call them Software Engineers. Many people who are interested in computers and technology choose it as their career. Most of the beginners prefer Software Engineering as a career destination and tend to ignore other significant fields such as “Cybersecurity.” In recent years it is in the spotlight, but I think there is still a void in there that needs to be filled; either people don’t completely understand this field, or this doesn’t seem appealing to them. In this article, I will try to clear all of your doubts.
What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is the domain of Computer Science which deals with the security of softwares, networks, and tech infrastructures. The security of any Internet of Thing (IoT) falls in this category. This term can be used in a variety of contexts, including business to mobile computing or networking.
Choosing it as your career:
During the last decade, incidents of data breaches flooded the news. There is always a new incident where user privacy is compromised, or data from a tech giant is leaked, which leads to the question: what do we do about it? Big corporations have poured hundreds and millions of dollars during the recent years to ensure their security in this ocean of data. The recent Twitter hack is one of the famous examples where hackers used official twitter accounts of celebrities to pull a bitcoin scam. These increasing cyber-attacks on organizations led to many jobs and career opportunities for Cybersecurity professionals all over the world. In this era of 5th Generation warfare, even governments are building huge groups of cybersecurity professionals to protect their country’s tech infrastructure. Considering these facts, choosing it as your career is a really good idea!
Subdomains or Fields in Cybersecurity:
Many of the people who don’t really have a vast knowledge of this field consider it to be only limited to ethical hacking or pen testing, which is not the case. Cybersecurity is not a small career with a limited domain. It contains dozens of subdomains or fields, so it is normal for a beginner to get confused while choosing a career in Cybersecurity.
Here are some of the careers which fall in the Cybersecurity domain:
Systems engineer: The job of a Systems engineer is to watch and monitor the systems installed within an organization. Installing configuring and maintaining the systems is a responsibility.
Systems administrator: Systems Administrator control the entire network connected to them and ensures all users are working within the rules, and organizational policies are being implemented. They also watch over the entire network.
Web developer: Web development is actually a domain of software engineering, but since it involves website security so it may be considered as a Cybersecurity related profession as well. They have the job to develop Websites and manage them and to make changes to them in the future if needed.
Networks engineer: Network Engineer has the job to design the entire network.
Penetration tester: They have the most exciting job (at least, in my opinion) to test and find vulnerabilities in the organization’s systems before someone from outside finds out and takes advantage. They are the White Hat hackers.
Based on your personal interest and natural abilities, you can choose to thrive in any of the fields listed above. If you are a quick learner, then you can specialize in more than one field and improve your skillset as they are inter-related to each other.
Is it worth it?
So, the question pops up in mind: is it worth it? Totally! According to a recent report, “Cybersecurity” is one the most demanded domain by the industry as there is a shortage of Cybersecurity professionals, and by 2021, their need would grow to 145%! Your annual salary could be as high as 99000 $, and if you continue to work in the field for many years, you can go up to 150,000 $.
How to do it?
Most people will tell you to get a degree in Cybersecurity and, after that, apply for a job. Well, I have a different point of view: In the upcoming years, degrees aren’t really going to matter, especially in Computer Science fields as long as you have all the relevant skills. Apart from a few old school kind of companies, the approach to hiring a person is changed. Companies now focus more on your skills than a degree. One of the main examples is Tesla inc. Elon Musk says he doesn’t care even if you didn’t go to a high school. Apart from that, why would anyone like to get into a 30,000 $ or more debt by getting a college degree when they can learn the same thing from the internet for free! I am not saying that you must not get a degree. If you have enough money or resources to get a degree, you should. But this is not the case with most people, so I advise them to take a different approach and learn from the internet for free! Companies just don’t care if they have a degree or not as long as you have the required skills!
And After learning online for free, you can take a credible certification exam and boom! You are a Cybersecurity Professional!
The Tesla billionaire Elon Musk thinks people “don’t need college to learn stuff” and says jobs at his companies should not require a degree. “Did Shakespeare go to college?” he asked. “Probably not.”
