With organizations moving their businesses online, protection against online threats becomes all the more critical. Cyber Security Professionals help protect, detect, and respond to threats. This field is rapidly growing, and with consistent job creation, it can be a safe and promising career choice. Cyber security courses can help simplify this complex field and create a career roadmap from beginner to job-ready. This process does involve other methods of learning beyond courses, and this guide aims to clarify this journey.
Reasons to Consider a Career in Cyber Security
Currently, there is a high demand and low supply of Cyber Security Professionals, which results in job availability across the world. Regardless of the automation denial that AI offers, there is still great need for humans in this field. The automation can be viewed as a double-edged sword for cyber security. The threat level is unchanged, and still need trained professionals to analyze the threat. The Jenkins school of security research states that in the first year of being a Cyber Analysist in the United States, you can make around 60,000 and still be entry-level, to more than 120,000 with more years of experience.
Exploring Cyber Security Specializations
Cyber security has an array of specializations. There is a focus on defensive security and privileged systems. Defense means restricting login attempts to decrease the risk of data breaches and incidents. There is also offensive security, which is slightly more dangerous. This means trying to breach the walls and bypass the locked doors of the system and report the system to the administrator. There is cloud-native security, which is protecting the risks of cloud-native architectures. Applications of security deal with unsafe coding practices and discovering software faults. There is also the option of specializing in digital forensics as a more advanced practitioner.
Understanding the big picture is essential. While specializing, remember the basics are crucial.
Basic Skills for Beginners
Don’t launch in without a good educational plane and the building blocks of cloud-native architectures and coding practices.
Learning these skills can be a little painful, but can be incredibly useful on the job and rewarding personally. Don’t be a passive learner, but instead create a lab of your own using VirtualBox or VMware. Create a lab on your own.
Top Online Cyber Security Classes
One of the fastest ways to get started in the cyber security field is to get enrolled in a cyber security class. One of the most recognized certifications with beginner friendly core classes in the subject of cyber security is the *CompTIA Security +*, which consists of the subject matters of network security, cryptography, vulnerability and threat managment, identity and access management, and secure design and architecture. Another option is Google’s Cybersecurity Certificate through Coursera, which provides the foundation for detection and response skills. *IBM’s Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate* covers SIEM tools and threat intelligence. Each of the these classes has video lessons, and hands on laboratory examples. After the completion of these certifications, students are then able to add the certifications to their resumes while working on more advanced certifications.
These advanced executive program in cybersecurity are created for already established professionals in the cybersecurity field who are interested in leadership. They combine cybersecurity skills with knowledge of business and risk management. Although these programs are not a beginner’s first step, they are offered for more advanced practitioners.
Best Beginner Certifications
Throughout the industry, *CompTIA Security +* is considered to be the most beginner friendly certification, and is heavily encouraged for newcomers in the cybersecurity industry. It’s a vendor-neutral certification offered for a complete robust curriculum and is a requirement for many entry-level job postings. After the completion of Security +, the CompTIA CySA + is a valued certification that focuses on that the Cybersecurity Analyst certification develops analytical skills and defensive skills as they relate to detection of threats. For individuals who have interest in directed security and risk management, the recognized mid-level designation is the EC-Council CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) which is a certification that requires fundamental security domain experience.
Building a Portfolio
In the world of Cyber Security, certifications are neither final nor sufficient. Employers want proof of your practical work. TryHackMe, Hack The Box, and PicoCTF are practical work platforms where you can build your portfolio. They create challenges for you that help you learn. You can take the challenges you completed and create a blog or a write-up on GitHub. They are publicly available, so hiring managers can see your skills.
Patience and commitment are required, but Cyber Security is one of the most rewarding jobs. The long and challenging journey is worth all the compounding value you earn.
