Top 5 Reasons Why Cyber Security Might Be Your Dream Career

With cyber security attacks becoming an almost daily occurrence, impacting the lives of hundreds, sometimes millions of people, careers in cyber security are more important than ever. Below are five reasons why cyber security might be your dream job.

Living in a digital age increases the IT security threat level for everyone with an online presence. Although not good for the average consumer, these continually developing threats are excellent news for cyber security professionals.

The career market in this sector has never been more diverse, with job titles including:

Previously, threats were focused on governments or bodies with large data collections, but the rise of social media means that millions of peoples’ private data are being stored online. Facebook declared they have almost 2.5 billion monthly active users as of the end of 2019; that’s 2.5 billion people whose private data and details are at risk. Information security has never been more important.

Cyber security specialists are never short of new job opportunities in the digital age, especially in cities like London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds or Bristol where cyber security threats are often focused.

Due to the increasing demand discussed above, it’s no wonder cyber security jobs have one of the fastest-growing salaries globally.

It is important to note that the location and company you work for will ultimately decide the size of your salary, with those working in London likely to earn substantially more than those working for a small tech start-up. 

Your qualification and experience level will also determine your salary, with senior cyber security professionals earning substantially more. This said, the ability to work part-time and freelance, is also an enticing option for those looking to get started in cyber security. 

The potential income is also impressive, with rates starting at £250 and rising to £1,500 per day for more experienced cyber security consultants.

Many cyber security experts are self-taught. With hundreds of part-time online cyber security courses on offer, getting started in a cyber security career is easier than ever. The more certified you become, the more attractive you’ll become to recruiters, and the easier it will be to work your way through the ranks, pushing towards those higher salaries.

However, as the market expands universities are beginning to offer courses in cyber security, with a quick UCAS search showing 126 full-time courses from 63 providers in the United Kingdom.

The world of cyber security isn’t just for technology experts, those who specialise in law, business, or recruitment are also sought after. All in all, anyone with an interest in cyber security has the possibility to make a career out of it.

Cyber security threats can seriously impact peoples’ lives. Deepfake technology uses a form of artificial intelligence called deep learning to make images of fake events; in other words, you can put someone’s face on another’s body. This information technology in the wrong hands has the potential to damage a lot of peoples’ reputations. Cyber security specialists are developing software to detect deepfakes, aiding those in need.

As well as the above, in 2017 there was a wide-scale recall of pacemakers in the USA due to an information security incident impacting 145 million people.

Cyber security experts are able to help people both digitally and in the physical world, making their jobs one of the most significant in modern times.

As new technology continues to emerge, cyber security threats become more frequent. Security specialists and security engineers are needed more than ever for fast incident response, rapidly developing updated security solutions.

The type of puzzle-solving you’ll be completing depends on entirely on the route into cyber security you choose to take, your level of cyber security skill, as well as the job type given to you. For example, a cyber security analyst will work to find threats and analyse ways they can be combated, and a cyber security engineer or security architect will focus on developing the cyber security software. Each threat is unique, and so those who thrive under pressure will be at home in a security team. 

There are numerous reasons to begin a career in cyber security. There are plenty of options and avenues you can specialise in within the industry, with the potential for a sky-high salary also a benefit. You could help thousands, if not millions of people by fighting cyber security risks, with plenty of room for puzzle-solving security operations as you work.

If any of the above reasons resonate with you, why not check out our cyber security courses and get started ASAP?