Do you want to be a cyber-crime-fighting superhero? Then a career in cybersecurity is the way to go.
A career in cybersecurity is a top trending career path right now, and by trending we mean it is one of the most sought-after employment opportunities in the current job market because there is no lack of vacancies to be filled and employment is almost guaranteed.
The need to protect software, information and network security systems has never been greater thanks to the full-scale arrival of the digital age assisted by the current COVID-19 crisis which has resulted in most companies’ staff members working from home.
A digital world means increased digital opportunities and thereby an increase in cyber-related crime.
Skilled cybersecurity professionals are in demand and companies are willing to pay top dollar for the essential skills which protect their business.
Cybersecurity falls into the category of information technology and you will need to upskill in this area through a cybersecurity course and IT training or similar before honing in on a specific set of skills like cybersecurity.
You may already have a lot of the qualifications or experience needed to propel you into a career in cybersecurity.
What to Expect from a Career in Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is a specialised field within the field of Information Technology (IT). Cybersecurity professionals protect company software, data, information and networks from cyber-attacks.
“On the job, you can expect to safeguard an organisation’s files and network; install firewalls, create security plans and monitor activity,” says Kim Palmer, CEO and Founder of On the Ball College and WeTrainICT.
“This means you’ll be solving technical puzzles, coding, analysing, monitoring, strategizing, building, installing and managing software, code, applications, networks and information,” says Kim Palmer. “It all depends on which area you are looking to branch into, some of the higher-level roles include the full spectrum of cybersecurity functions.”
5 Reasons to Choose a Career in Cybersecurity
There has never been a better time than now to choose a career in cybersecurity.
#1 Cybersecurity Unlocks Great Job Opportunities
The more online, digital and computerized the world becomes, the more in-demand IT skills, experience and certifications will become. This means that you can be confident of increased Job security as tech takes over the world.
Cyber-crime is ramping up at the same pace of tech growth as hackers and unscrupulous individuals try to profit from holes in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is at the heart of almost every business and impacts every level of IT.
This has created a huge demand for cybersecurity professionals in the job market.
#2 Earn Top Dollars with a Career in Cybersecurity
Organisations cannot compromise on security measures in the digital age. This means they must hire top quality, highly qualified professionals with proven track records and advanced skill levels to protect their business. These types of professionals come at a price. Effective cybersecurity costs. Which is why companies are willing to pay a premium for those with cybersecurity skills.
It takes time to become a top cybersecurity professional, you might need to start at the bottom and work your way up, just as with any role, but the journey will be worth it once you start to add value to the company you work for.
#3 Level up in Cybersecurity
Nothing in the IT industry stands still due to the rate at which technology advances and, within a career in cybersecurity, neither will you. This is a job where there is always room for growth and there will continuously be a need to upskill.
If you are someone who enjoys a challenge and continuous learning while climbing the corporate ladder this could be the perfect career for you.
#4 Cybersecurity: A Job that Matters
It’s nice to have a job that is critical to the health and wellness of the company you work for. Imagine ransomware holding all your data hostage? Imagine a data or security breach causing millions of customer identities to be made available to spammers or hackers?
When you’re talking about cybersecurity, you know that you have a career that is diverse, interesting as well as dynamic (constantly changing) and you have to be one step ahead of the hackers.
Ethical hacking is also a component of cybersecurity that you might find interesting, where you hack company systems and protocols to find holes and work with the company to plug them.
A career in cybersecurity makes you a cyber-crime-fighting-superhero!
#5 Run Your Own Cybersecurity Consultancy
Once you have acquired critical skills, you could always launch your own cybersecurity consultancy, offering skills, advice and guidance to other companies while working for yourself.
Cybersecurity Job Roles
Here are a few job roles to explore when considering a career in cybersecurity:
- Security specialist – Protects company software and network security systems.
- Incident responder – Prevents and responds swiftly to any issues or breaches within a company’s network security or software systems.
- Security administrator – Understands the security system of a company and ensures it is running smoothly all the time.
- Vulnerability assessor – Searches for and analyses any vulnerabilities in systems and finds solutions.
- Cryptographer – Writes the code for the programs that protect the company’s systems.
- Security manager – Manages and delegates security protocols to the team to safeguard the system.
- Security Architect – Designs security systems to protect against cyber-attacks.
- Ethical Hacker – Hacks into company systems to detect vulnerabilities.
- Security consultant – Assesses company’s security risks and prescribes solutions.
Cybersecurity Courses
Get started with a cybersecurity course and make sure you choose a reputable training academy or college that is accredited and licenced through the proper training authorities. Also choose a college that offers a variety of courses in this topic, allowing you to scale up and continue growing in this field.
This cybersecurity course covers network security, compliance and operation security, threats and vulnerabilities, risk management, plus application data and host security. It mirrors two years of IT security experience, thus precedes CompTIA PenTest+ or CompTIA CySA+ which mirrors three to four years.
Comptia Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)
This cybersecurity course focuses on defence and teaches the skills needed to apply behavioural analytics to the IT security environment. It fills the skills gap between Security+ and CASP+.
WeTrainICT, powered by On the Ball College, is an accredited IT and computer training academy. The college was founded in 2006 in Cape Town by Kim Palmer.
This was a natural step forward from the initial business that was born in 2000 when Kim’s entrepreneurial spirit led to the formation of a new business. From humble beginnings, the academy is now a fully accredited Training College and has 3 branches. They are situated in Observatory (Cape Town), Kraaifontein and Johannesburg.
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