“The demand for the cyber security workforce is expected to rise to 6 million globally by 2019” and “the growing (cyber security) market is expected to grow from $75 billion (from 2015) to $170 billion (by 2020)”

There are a lot of reasons to pursue a career in a new field, but there are also challenges that should be considered to make the change run smoothly. One of the main hurdles people face is acquiring new skills for the particular job. Yet, with some preparation and planning, a person making a career change can feel secure in the decision that they made the right choice.

It is no surprise then that in today’s drastically digital age, cyber security is the new hot job. Today, the rush towards cyber security is similar to the ‘boom of cloud computing’ a few years ago.

 

Yet, What Really is Cyber Security?

Cyber security (also known as information technology security) are the techniques of protecting computers, networks, programs and data from unauthorized access or attacks that are aimed at exploitation.

 

But what makes cyber security the job of the future?

Industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and retail all hire cyber security professionals to protect valuable information from cyber breaches.

 

1. Data – the ultimate asset

Increasingly common cases of corporate espionage and the growth of cloud computing have led to a need for more security professionals to secure the data. That is because cyber security touches every industry and is critical to an organization’s infrastructure. As a result, companies of all sectors are rushing to improve their security stacks as new platforms, operating systems and devices emerge and need to be integrated into businesses.

2. Growth of the cloud

Experts point to the growth of the Cloud Computing as a determining factor in opening a wide berth for skilled cyber security candidates. In a time when data seamlessly moves from one device to another, companies are finding it increasingly hard to monitor patterns and behaviors and are susceptible to loss of data or invasion from hackers. This makes cyber security one of the most important sectors in tech today.

3. Demand for Talent is at an All-Time High

The growing (cyber security) market is expected to grow from $75 billion (from 2015) to $170 billion (by 2020).

According to last year’s PwC Global Economic Crime Survey, cyber crime has been ranked second most reported economic crime after misappropriation of assets. Falling under cyber attack can be a very costly exercise for an organization. To so curb these risks, companies are scrambling to hire cyber security experts.

 

4. Where’s the Money, Honey?

You may be wondering, “but how much does it really pay?” Well, a lot. Forbes recently reported that salaries for the Chief Information Security Officer’s position in major markets can reach up to $380,000 a year. Other positions, such as the Director of Security and Lead Software Security Engineer have salaries of above $200K a year. Even entry-to mid-level positions like Information Security Analyst and Intelligence Analyst pay almost about $85,000 per year. Clearly, the market for cyber security talent is on fire. 

Even entry-to mid-level positions like Information Security Analyst and Intelligence Analyst pay almost about $85,000 per year.

Regardless to say there couldn’t be a better time than now to launch a career in cyber security. With hacking getting sophisticated by the day and innovation showing no signs of stopping, the need for competent and well trained cyber professionals is the most sought-after job and this does not seem to show any signs of slowing down anytime soon!