Are you considering becoming one of the over 1 million cybersecurity workers in the United States?
It’s understandable that you’re not sure whether cybersecurity is the right career for you. After all, this is a young occupation that only became mainstream in the early 2000s.
Obviously, you’re passionate about the internet and computer technology. Perhaps you’re unsettled by the ever-increasing number of cyberattacks and want to help do something about it.
Noble reasons, but are they enough to make you want a career in cybersecurity?
You’ll be pleased to learn that there are solid reasons to become a cybersecurity professional. Keep reading!
1. Great Job Demand
From 2013 to 2021, the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs grew a whopping 350 percent. As of 2021, there were about 3.5 million open positions across the globe.
The U.S. has the biggest cybersecurity industry, meaning a larger share of those unfilled positions is right here at home.
Looking into the future, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is going to keep going up. As more organizations digitize their operations and new cyber threats emerge, more cybersecurity pros will be needed.
So, if one of your worries was whether you’ll find a job soon after getting the required training, you now have a satisfactory answer.
2. Diverse Cybersecurity Career Paths
When you decide to work in cybersecurity, you open up yourself to a number of cybersecurity jobs.
From entry-level jobs like incident response analyst and risk analyst to mid-level jobs like penetration tester to senior-level jobs like a chief information security officer, you have plenty of options to choose from.
A lot will depend on your level of training. For example, there are short-term cybersecurity training courses that will prepare you for an entry-level position, especially if you already have an IT background.
From there, you can advance your career by pursuing advanced cybersecurity courses.
3. Competitive Salary
After spending your time keeping hackers away, you want to be compensated handsomely.
Here comes the good news. The average annual salary for a cybersecurity professional is $96,000 – far more than the average American income.
If you start out as an entry-level cybersecurity professional, your salary will be lower than the average.
However, you can quickly increase your income by pursuing additional cybersecurity certification or specializing in specific fields, such as penetration testing.
4. A Seemingly Future-Proof Career
As technology advances and becomes more intelligent, automation is becoming the order of the day. Human jobs are being replaced by robots and software. As a worker, you’re certainly concerned about your job security.
While it’s difficult to predict the future of technology, we can say with confidence that cybersecurity professionals aren’t going anywhere.
Hackers are always inventing new ways to penetrate and compromise systems. It’s going to take fellow humans to find ways to stay several steps ahead of the bad guys.
So, if you’re looking for a future-proof career, cybersecurity is your home.
A Career in Cybersecurity Awaits!
A career in cybersecurity is as rewarding as its challenging. These jobs have great demand, the pay is strong, and there’s little to no risk of AI taking over.
Every day, though, there will be new cyber threats to fight.
Are you ready for the challenge?
Explore our blog for more tips and advice on IT careers.