The Hottest Career on the Block

By Nick Galov

Our world is changing fast. Thirty years ago, you left school, choose a potential career path, and worked towards earning the appropriate qualification. You’d then find work and advance along a somewhat linear career path.

Today’s school-leavers don’t have quite such a clear-cut path open to them. With technological advances changing every aspect of our lives and several traditional industries being completely disrupted, you have to choose a career path carefully or find yourself obsolete.

Advances in artificial intelligence are making automation a much more affordable solution for many businesses. It’s a great step forward for businesses, but it also means that the work environment is changing significantly.

Cybersecurity Could be the Answer

With our ever-increasing reliance on tech and AI, one career path shows particular promise. As long as there are cybercriminals out there, there will be skilled people to guard against their attacks.

Cybercrime is a growth industry at the moment. According to TechJury, losses attributed to cybercrime have almost doubled between 2013 and 2017. In 2017 alone, there were 301,580 attacks reported. We shudder to think of how many went unnoticed or unreported.

Thanks to these attacks, the demand for experts in the cybersecurity field has never been higher. In fact, there is a global shortage of skilled cybersecurity experts in all levels of the industry. That’s a shortage that’s not going away any time soon.

According to the United States Department of Labor Statistics, this field is projected to grow by 28% by 2026.

That’s a lot faster than most other industries and shows that there is real scope for advancement in this area.

What Positions are We Looking At?

The range of positions within the industry is pretty diverse. What it boils down to, though, is a matter of both training and experience. You’ll have to start learning how to protect systems against attacks. The Certified Information Systems Security Professional qualification is the best place to start.

Once you’ve got the basics under your belt, you can decide what area you’d like to specialize in. The jobs range from an entry-level analyst to engineer or systems architect. Companies require a blend of qualifications and experience. This is not an area where companies are keen on letting employees learn on the job.

That means that getting that first job may be tough. Most companies want at least a year’s experience in the industry. Do anything to get your foot in the door, and you’re set. Once you start racking up some serious experience and show that you have a talent in this area, you’ll be able to write your own ticket.

How Much Scope is there for Advancement?

That’s going to be determined by how good you are. If you’ve got a keen eye for detail and are strong with strategic thinking, then there are a lot of options for you.

You could, for example, follow a more traditional career path, progressing up the ladder as your skills advance. Alternatively, you could start your own security consulting firm and provide advice to companies on improving their systems and security.

Alternatively, you could opt to train the new generation of cybersecurity experts. There are a lot of different options in this field, so it’s one that allows for constant growth.

Final Notes

Cybersecurity is one of the hottest fields right now. It’s also one that allows you to make a real difference in the world – cybercrime can have devastating consequences for people, and you could help to keep them and their businesses safe.

It’s an interesting career as every day is likely to produce new challenges. If you’re looking for a career that is interesting and has plenty of scope for advancement, then this is the hottest option right now.

Author the Author
Nick Galov, Hosting Expert and Content Manager. Nick is on a mission to improve the world of web hosting for some time now. When he got the chance to contribute to the betterment of all kinds of software, he simply couldn’t say no. When not geeking it out, he enjoys lager and football.