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Cybersecurity jobs are in high demand. Grab one while you can!

Published on | December 1, 2021
Have you ever considered getting a job in cybersecurity? If you answered yes to this question, then we have good news for you: You made a sound choice!According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), cybersecurity jobs are among the fastest-growing careers in the United States.The BLS predicts cybersecurity jobs will grow 31% through 2029, over seven times faster than the national average job growth of 4%. In other good news, there are about 465,000 open positions in cybersecurity in the U.S. as of May 2021, according to Cyber Seek and the trade group CompTIA.The Hindu Business Line reported that India alone is expected to have more than 1.5 million job vacancies in cybersecurity by 2025.Meanwhile, a 2019 cybersecurity workforce study found a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals of about 2.9 million in 2018. As a result, there is deficient unemployment among cybersecurity professionals. In the U.S. alone, it was about 500,000. 

What exactly is cybersecurity, and why is it in high demand?

According to Synopsys, cybersecurity can be described as the collective methods, technologies, and processes to help protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of computer systems, networks, and data, against cyber-attacks or unauthorized access.The demand for cybersecurity professionals spiked after recent cyberattacks hit organizations."Hackers executed more than 70 ransomware attacks in the first half of 2019, most of which were targeted at local governments," reported CBS. 

Salary and job satisfaction

According to various studies, those in the cybersecurity field are happy with their career choice.Up to 71% of respondents in North America said they were satisfied in an ISC2 study, with 36% saying they were very satisfied.A similar survey from PayScale found that the average cyber security engineer gave a job satisfaction of 3.83 out of 5. This is about 10% over the average of 51% among U.S. workers. Jan 27, 2021Due to such high demand and a low supply of qualified labor, cybersecurity has reasonable salary ranges. The average salary in North America for cybersecurity-related jobs is 90,000 compared to the average salary wage of 40,000.Recognizing the gap in the cybersecurity jobs market, big tech companies are stepping in to provide a solution. Microsoft recently started a national initiative to help 250,000 individuals find jobs in cybersecurity by 2025. Meanwhile, Google ran a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal that said it was training 100,000 Americans for jobs in data privacy and security. 

What are the current cybersecurity jobs out there?

According to Cyberseek, here are the top five security jobs:
  • Cybersecurity Analyst.
  • Cybersecurity Consultant.
  • Cyber Security Manager.
  • Software Developer.
Cybersecurity Analysts are the most sought-after job in the field. Their responsibilities include monitoring network traffic for security problems, generating detailed incident reaction reports, deploying firewalls and encryption software, and advocating information security best practices. 

Education and certification requirements

Most cybersecurity jobs need a university degree. A total of 66% of cybersecurity engineer postings need a bachelor's degree, and 23% need a graduate degree. Also, in most cybersecurity jobs, certifications are required. Among these certifications are:
  • The CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway.
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
  • Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).
Besides education and certification, cybersecurity professionals need the following skills:
  • Knowledge of Linux.
  • Project Management.
  • Knowledge of Information Systems.
  • Critical thinking.
  • Communications skills.
  • Attention to detail.