Page 4 - El Tejano January 2018

El Tejano Magazine
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Five Reasons To Pursue A Cybersecurity Career In 2018

(NAPSI)—Cybersecurity, as an industry, is one of the high- no further than cybersecurity.
est-paying, fastest-growing and most in demand in the U.S.,
yet there are not enough skilled professionals in the pipeline to 4. Near Top in Compensation
fi ll open positions, leading to a sizable skills gap. The Bureau
of Labor Statistics (BLS) fi nds that the demand for informa- For many Americans, a good salary is vital for job satisfaction.
tion security analysts who can prevent data breaches is expect- Glassdoor found that nearly 70 percent of people say that com-
ed to be very high over the next decade. From 2016−2026, pensation is among their top considerations when pursuing a
BLS projects employment to grow 28 percent, with 28,400 job6. High salaries is another reason to pursue these careers,
additional jobs added by 20261. according to Gibson. BLS reports the median annual wage of
an information security analyst is $92,6007. Salaries can even
Despite the growing need, a University of Phoenix College of exceed six fi gures in top markets as companies compete for
Information Systems and Technology survey found that only skilled professionals8.
18 percent of the 2,016 U.S. adults surveyed were interested in
pursuing a cybersecurity education or profession. Cybersecuri- 5. Skill Set Is Transferable to a Number of Industries
ty can be a rewarding career, especially for those who want to
help organizations or be part of a dynamic industry. With a defi cit of skilled cybersecurity professionals in today’s
workforce, IT employees may be expected to help manage
Maurice Gibson, assistant dean at University of Phoenix, system security and infrastructure. For this reason, Gibson
shares fi ve reasons to pursue a cybersecu- suggests that having cybersecurity expe-
rity career in 2018. rience can help when changing careers.
He says many of the IT skill sets that
1. Cybersecurity Careers Are Here to cybersecurity professionals possess—
Stay such as coding, systems administration
and data analytics—can be useful résumé
With the rise of technology comes in- additions for just about any job in the
creases in cybercrime, according to data tech industry.
from Cybersecurity Ventures2. Gibson
believes technology has converged with “Cybersecurity, as an industry, is one of
nearly all industries, meaning more Cybersecurity is a growing-and the highest-paying, fastest-growing and
companies will need trained professionals well-paid-fi eld for those with proper most in demand in the U.S., yet there are
to combat hackers in the future. In fact, training. not enough skilled professionals in the
LinkedIn listed network information pipeline to fi ll open positions, leading to
security as the sixth most in-demand skill for today’s digitally a sizable skills gap.”
advanced working world3. Cybersecurity spending is expected
to exceed $1 trillion between 2017 and 2021, fi nds Cybersecu- 1) https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-tech-
rity Ventures, driving the need for more qualifi ed profession- nology/information-security-analysts.htm#tab-6
als.
2) https://www.csoonline.com/article/3153707/security/
2. Job Opportunities Across Nearly All Industries top-5-cybersecurity-facts-fi gures-and-statistics-for-2017.html

As technology converges with business, Gibson says nearly 3) https://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/20/the-top-10-skills-that-
all companies will soon become tech companies, providing will-get-you-hired.html
cybersecurity professionals with myriad job opportunities
across numerous industries4. Cybersecurity jobs are no longer 4) https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/5-indus
shoehorned into only the government, fi nance or technology tries-for-it-security-job-seekers
industries. From retail and health care to media and start-ups,
cybersecurity professionals may have the option to choose an 5) https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-tech-
industry they most want to work in. nology/information-security-analysts.htm#tab-6

3. Competition for Jobs Remains Low 6) https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/glassdoors-5-job-trends-
watch-2016/
With more open jobs than people to fi ll them, competition
continues to remain low in the cybersecurity workforce. The 7) https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-tech-
BLS projects employment of information security analysts nology/information-security-analysts.htm#tab-5
to grow 28 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the
average for all occupations5. Gibson says individuals seeking 8) https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/cyber-security-sala-
a growing career with plenty of job opportunities should look ry-SRCH_KO0,14.htm
2 www.eltejanomagazine.com