Demand for Cybersecurity Experts is Growing Faster than Supply
Computer hackers are getting better. Their ability to unleash harmful viruses or expose personally identifiable information has created a need for an entirely new job sector: cybersecurity experts.1 But the supply of trained cybersecurity professionals doesn’t even come close to meeting the demand—and the divide is getting wider every day.1
A recent study commissioned by the National Cyber Security Alliance and Raytheon says, “A record 79 percent of U.S. businesses reported a cybersecurity incident in the last year, and the 238,158 job postings for cybersecurity-related jobs in 2014 is an increase of 91 percent from 2010.1” That’s an impressive jump.
Many Organizations are Working to Help Fill the Employment Gap
To help fill these open positions, government agencies, private companies, and educational institutions are working together and independently to create awareness and training options for those interested in a cybersecurity career. For example, the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation are partnering to help create cybersecurity education programs that “focus on the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines to provide a pipeline of skilled workers for the private sector and government.” Meanwhile, many colleges are starting to address the need by offering cybersecurity courses and programs. In fact, CTU was recognized in 2015 by the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense.
Did You Know that Cybersecurity is Part of the Criminal Justice System?
Most people are aware that a cybersecurity career requires analytical and technical skills, but many don’t realize that knowledge of the criminal justice system is just as important. That’s why it’s imperative for cybersecurity programs to include criminal justice courses, like CTU’s Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security.
Additionally, CTU’s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice-Cyber Security offers courses in law enforcement operations and criminal law, but also computer forensics and critical infrastructures, so that you graduate with a well-rounded degree with knowledge in areas such as criminal justice, but also cybersecurity.
Overall, a cybersecurity program should go beyond a layman’s understanding of hacking, spam, worms, malwares and computer viruses. And because cybersecurity crimes are prosecuted in our criminal justice system, it’s essential for students to understand criminal procedure, laws of evidence, terrorism, organized crime, network security, security risk management, understanding critical infrastructures and more.
A Cybersecurity Career Offers Diverse Choices
There is no doubt, based on the above numbers, that the demand for trained cybersecurity experts is high. It’s also important to note there are many unique career paths within the cybersecurity field that use a range of skill sets. StaySafeOnline.org says that a cybersecurity career may be right for you if you’re creative, analytical, or technical. Unique career tracks include2:
- Cyber Behavioral Scientist: Creativity is needed to study people and their behavior
- Penetration Testing/Vulnerability Researcher: Analytical skills are important to find weaknesses in equipment or software
- Information Assurance Engineer: Technical skills are used to keep hardware secure from attacks
The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS), a division of the Department of Homeland Security, confirms the diversity of career choices with their list of 31 common areas within the profession, including:4
- Chief Information Security Officer
- Computer Crime Investigator
- Cryptographer
- Disaster Recovery Analyst
- Forensics Expert
- Incident Responder
- Information Assurance Analyst
- Intrusion Detection Specialist
- Network Security Engineer
- Security Analyst
- Security Engineer
- Security Systems Administrator
- Security Software Developer
- Source Code Auditor
- Virus Technician
- Vulnerability Assessor
- Web Penetration Tester
Because of the high demand for competent cybersecurity experts, and the wide range of available careers, investigating a cybersecurity degree program may be a smart career choice for college students of all ages and skill sets. And students who switch to cybersecurity from other careers will have plenty of opportunities to put their hard-earned knowledge and education to work with a degree in cybersecurity from CTU.
Learn more about CTU’s cybersecurity degree programs, including: Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security-Computer Systems Security Concentration, Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security-Information Assurance Concentration, a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy and more.
1Source: http://www.raytheoncyber.com/rtnwcm/groups/cyber/documents/content/rtn_278208.pdf
2Source: https://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam/resources/cyber-career-paths-infographic
3Source: https://niccs.us-cert.gov/careers/cybersecurity-careers
4Source: https://niccs.us-cert.gov/training/tc/framework/specialty-areas
5Source: http://csrc.nist.gov/nice/education.html
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