Is Cyber Security a Good Career Option in 2024? Our Magnifying Glass View Will Help You
By Suman Samanta
29 October, 2024
Job & Career
The online world is highly vulnerable because of cyber criminals. Some fraudulent actors are always ready to pounce on your network and create havoc. They may steal important data from you and ask for ransom money.
This piece of data will take you aback:
Around 3.35 million US citizens were affected by cyber crimes. Cybercrime has become a phenomenon now, but in a negative sense.
But there is great news on the opposite side of the coin.
The exigency has created a demand for cyber security jobs and has opened new avenues to aspiring youth. We know cybersecurity is now the point of interest of thousands like YOU!
Are you thinking deeply about the question: is cyber security a promising career? Can’t you decide whether to select cybersecurity as a prospect or not?
Yes, you have come to the right place as we discuss the prospects surrounding the circle of jobs in depth. So, without further ado, let’s get started with the discussion.
Is Cyber Security A Good Career: Global Cybercrime Statistics Will Tell You
If you are a cybercrime enthusiast, you must understand the depth and reach of cybercrime globally. We will take refuge in statistical data to understand the situation.
Cybercrime in the United Kingdom has wreaked havoc by costing the country an average of 4200 Euros.
The same situation persists globally. However, a study says cyber attacks globally have increased by 125%. Let’s put it country by country. The five countries with the highest scores in the National Cyber Security Index are:
- Poland (90.83).
- Estonia (85.83%).
- Ukraine (80.83%).
- Latvia (78.199%).
- United Kingdom (75%).
In the year gone by (2023), the world saw a massive 72% increase in data breaches since 2021. The companies that were targeted for the phishing scams included Microsoft ( 57%), Apple (10%), and Linkedin(7%).
Looking at the alarming conditions, you can easily sense the burgeoning opportunities in cybercrime jobs. You can consider it an indirect answer to, why is cyber security a good career?
Types Of Cybersecurity Jobs In 2024
There are different types Of cybersecurity jobs, and they are making a trend in the year 2024. However, to stay ahead, you need to take the right approach while training. What you need is the right research. However, let’s discuss some of the different types of cybersecurity jobs that are trending this year.
1. Digital Forensic Analyst
These tech-based detectives recover some of the most critical evidence from digital devices, such as legal cases.
2. Information Security Specialist
Data security is an important objective. This particular job role denotes keeping unwanted intruders at bay and also standing at the peak of security trends.
3. Penetration Tester
Another name for this job role is the ethical hacker. Easily put, they ethically hack into your systems to find out weaknesses before the malicious element does.
4. Cybersecurity Engineer
The particular job role is all about building a fortress with firewalls. Also, these engineers design computer systems to protect your data.
5. Cryptography Engineer
The job role is like the captain of the cyber ship. It leads the team and ensures compliance with the security policies.
6. API Security Specialist
You may be aware that the API attack is on the rise. These specialists are in high demand. They are the ones who secure your APIs from the digital sprawl.
Is Cyber Security A Good Career? Pros And Cons Of Cyber Security Jobs?
There are challenges galore with cyber security jobs. However, where there are risks, there are opportunities for high gains associated with the cyber security career.
We have already drawn a picture using facts, figures, and statistics above. In this section, we try to understand the pros and cons of cybersecurity jobs. It will provide you with an idea and an answer to the question, “Is cyber security a good career?”
Pros Of Cyber Security Jobs
First, let’s look at the pros of cybersecurity jobs.
Availability Of Cyber Security Jobs
A study says that information security jobs will grow massively by 32% between 2022 and 2032.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reflects similar elements. It predicts that information security roles will see a massive 32% growth of jobs between the years 2022 and 2032.
Hence, it is clear that there is a shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the United States. Increasing vacancies in such posts creates demand for such sophisticated job posts.
You may ask, is cyber security hard nut to crack? Yes, it is difficult, but there are exciting avenues to explore.
Variety Of Carer Paths
You will find many jobs that fall under the umbrella of a cybersecurity career. As a result, you can play various roles within the industry.
What you need is to master the skills and attain in-depth knowledge of the domain.
The National Initiative For Cybersecurity Careers and Stand Studies provides career pathways tool to explore the diverse roles within the periphery.
Evolving Technology And Challenges
The constant with cyber security jobs is that they are laden with challenges and opportunities.
Please keep in mind that technology evolves rapidly. On one end, the malicious elements are adopting new ways to pierce the security network.
This is the reason phishing and other attacks keep happening all the time. It also means you will face deep challenges in the coming come.
Also, you can shift from one industry to another to gain deeper knowledge about your core challenges. Ultimately, it will increase your knowledge base on cybersecurity as a whole.
Robust Compensation Package
As we mentioned, cybersecurity is in high demand, creating plenty of opportunities across industries. These include banks, telecommunications, businesses, healthcare, and investment firms.
How much do cyber security jobs pay? This is the most common question people ask to find a reliable answer. We will count on a few positions and mention the job opportunities you are going to get in these positions.
First on our list is the Cyber security engineer. They earn a salary range between $1.7k-$148k. The average salary for this post is around $101,533.
The salary structure for the post of security engineer ranges between $69k -148k. It is considered quite a good salary and guarantees you a good lifestyle.
Moving on, next on our list is the information security manager. Their salary range floats something between $89k-$163k. Also, the average salary for this important job post is $128,559.
However, you can also opt for the cyber security audio post, and the salary range of this post lies somewhere between $111,000 and $159,000.
This is considered quite a handsome package against the post, attached with responsibilities and challenges.
Other than this, other posts within the cyber security realm provide high opportunities for you to get a handsome salary package.
They include IT auditors, Cybersecurity Consultants, Information Security specialists, Cybersecurity managers, and others. You have an opportunity to earn handsomely not only in the USA but also in other countries around Europe and Asia.
Cons Of A Cybersecurity Career
There is darkness under the light of a lamp and everything that’s glittering and opportunistic.
It must find a place in the discussion: is cyber security a promising career in the future? Yes, in this section, we will inform you of some of the cons associated with cybersecurity jobs.
Continual Changes
The roles of cybersecurity professionals are so dynamic that you may have to perform different roles within your company. The scenario is attributed to the rapid evolution of Technology.
Along with the negative of new challenges, there are opportunities for new learning. Yes, reaching levels where you enjoy new opportunities can take time. All that you need is to learn continuously.
The Element Of Unpredictability
You may spend plenty of time overseeing the threats and vulnerabilities. This way, you are expected to know about the threats and take constructive action against them.
But reality is always far from imagination. You are unlikely to get advance notice of the cyber attack on your network. The cybersecurity career requires adapting to problems instantly.
Unrealistic Expectation
Yes, you may have shaped your imagination of a career in cybersecurity by watching Hollywood movies. It’s quite true that you remain highly excited about the career prospects with this job role. But in reality, cybersecurity jobs can be utterly repetitive and routine-bound. You will get challenging job roles later in your career. That is the crude reality of these job roles.
However, notwithstanding these cons, one must say that the pros overshadow the former. You have to showcase your patience and remain ready for any opportunity.
Hence, for many who are apprehensive about finding the answer to the question, “Is cyber security a good career?” this juxtaposition might help.
The Challenges in Cybersecurity Job
Is cyber security a good career? Definitely, as you have understood from the waves of opportunities and attractive salary packages. But there are challenges galore. Being a cybersecurity professional, you are faced with many challenges.
Human Error
Human error is a common challenge that you will have to face daily . It can be your errors or that of your team members.
Lack of Security Awareness
Around 53.35% of the USA citizens were affected by cybercrimes way back in 2022. However, around 65% of them remained unaware of this fact. It will be challenging to offer cybersecurity training to your employees. Yes, it is one of the vital career challenges you are bound to face in your organization.
Other than this, there are other challenges like Third-party risks, shortage of skilled professionals, and high stress associated with these demanding roles.
Also, repetitive tasks and keeping up with the flow of knowledge may pose deep challenges to you. Hence, you have to be highly aware of the challenges.
The skill That You Need To Master In Cybersecurity Career
Cybersecurity is an ever-challenging career prospect until you keep mastering a new knowledge set.
Your technical prowess and readiness to tackle new challenges will offer you a new knowledge. However, to launch your cybersecurity career, you need to have the following skills:
- Disk Managment.
- Comprehending Antivirus and malware protection.
- Digital forensics.
- Web application and cloud security.
- Software and hardware installation and regular maintenance are performed in the organization.
Cybersecurity Framework of Knowledge.
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