One of the main reasons for choosing a career in cybersecurity is the high demand for these jobs. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that there will be 3.5 million unfilled jobs in the cybersecurity industry by 2025. It is one of the fastest growing and in-demand areas of IT, with low to no unemployment.
Demand for cybersecurity jobs
The demand for cybersecurity jobs is driven by the increase in cyber-attacks and the increasing sophistication of these attacks. According to a study, businesses have seen cyber-attacks increase for the third consecutive year. Fifty-three percent of organisations experienced cyber-attacks in the last 12 months, up from forty-eight percent in 2022. Therefore, companies want to hire cybersecurity professionals to educate employees and protect against cyber-attacks.
High Salaries
Jobs in cybersecurity have some of the highest salaries in the IT industry. The reason for this is the high demand and the limited supply of these employees, meaning that companies need to compete on salary to attract them.
Degrees Not Essential
You do not necessarily need a degree to work in cybersecurity. For most companies, having experience in other areas of IT and obtaining certifications (for example CompTIA Security+, CEH, CCNA/CCNP and CISSP) is more important.
Challenging Work / Learning
When new technology is created, new risks are also created and therefore the potential for cyber-attacks increases. Cybersecurity professionals need to be one step ahead to prevent these attacks from occurring, making the work carried out challenging and interesting.
It also means that these professionals need to be constantly learning in the ever-evolving technology industry. The security that was used yesterday may not be sufficient to protect against tomorrow’s threats.
Variety of Jobs
In the cybersecurity industry, there is a wide variety of jobs available to suit everyone. For example, individuals interested in finding and fixing weaknesses in networks & systems would be best suited to becoming a Penetration Tester. On the other hand, people who are more interested in moving towards the policy/legal side might be more inclined to look for jobs in Governance, Risk & Compliance or Data Protection.
Job Satisfaction
The consequences of cyber-attacks and data breaches can be huge for companies. People who work to prevent these attacks from occurring report a high level of job satisfaction. In a report by the 2023 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, seventy six per cent of women in cybersecurity reported being satisfied with their jobs compared to 70% of men. These figures are some of the highest in the IT industry.
If this blog post has convinced you to choose a career in cybersecurity or if you happen to be searching 'cybersecurity jobs near me', we have a number of jobs available!
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Written by Michelle Corry