Cybersecurity as a Career Path: All You Need to Know

Posted by Tanya Sharma on September 20th, 2021

The ongoing pandemic changed life as we know it. From businesses going completely online to schools, colleges, and offices choosing to operate out of homes, nothing is the same as before. While organizations adapted very well to these changes, almost immediately, they faced one challenge that posed a considerable threat to operations – cyberthreat.

In a recent study by ISC, it has been found that even with COVID-19 slowing down businesses, companies are set on hiring highly skilled professionals in various job roles in the cybersecurity segment. So, if you are keen to encash this golden opportunity, you can take up the career path of cybersecurity and unlock various opportunities that the niche has to offer. And on that note, we, at JobsAcademy, a highly trusted ethical hacking training institute, have brought forth for you today a detailed insight into everything you need to know about the cybersecurity industry and how to kickstart a career as a cybersecurity professional. Read on.

Understanding Cybersecurity

While everyone talks about cybersecurity these days, not all of them understand the basics of the profession. So, in this section, we will define what is cybersecurity and outline some of the reasons why it is such a rage in today\\'s world.

Simply put, cybersecurity practices and tools help organizations safeguard their networks and work processes against cyberattacks like ransomware, malware, phishing, Advanced Persistent Threats (APT), Zero-day exploits, etc. These threats affect businesses and organizations across the vertical, including government set-ups, finance, hospital, and even small businesses and individuals. To identify potential threats and in order to thwart them, businesses need skilled professionals like engineers, pen and security testers, analysts, etc., to help form a threat-mitigation team.

Why Do Companies Need a Robust Cybersecurity Framework?

• Work-from-home setups compromise security: As we mentioned before, the biggest concern for companies is the lack of robust security checks at their employees’ homes. And cybercrooks are very good at misusing this opportunity. As per a study, 32% of companies are worried that home-based devices can’t hold strong against malware attacks.

• Simple firewalls aren’t enough: It is no longer enough to install antivirus software or put up a firewall. As more and more people turn to secure ways of working online, cybercrooks are also advancing their game. Advanced threats and emails that don\\'t look like phishing emails are very common these days and compromise your system the moment you click on them.

Bottom line: Cyber threat is looming over all of us. The only way to safeguard businesses is by building a strong team of cybersecurity professionals. At JobsAcademy, we offer the best-in-the-industry certification course in ethical hacking and cybersecurity, i.e., Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), to help you reskill and upskill yourself in the latest technology and skillset that the top companies are looking for in their cybersecurity specialists.

Top Skills for a Cybersecurity Professional

Let’s divide the skills into two broad categories – A) the core technical skills and B) the complementary soft skills.

1. Core Technical Skills for a Cybersecurity Professional

• Knowledge of Networking: The most important skill to have as a professional working in this segment is networking. You should stay up-to-date with the latest networking concepts, OSI models, etc. These skills are helpful for a range of job roles, including network engineers, penetration testers, etc.

• System Administration Knowledge: Since cybersecurity professionals have to work on various kinds of systems, it is important to understand and master system administration. How to retrieve files from a malware-affected computer without logging in, what happens when a virus infects, etc., are some of the common situations that you need to handle as a cybersecurity professional.

• Working Knowledge of Linux OS: The most commonly used OS on security and network devices is Linux because of the range of benefits it offers. So, it is important to familiarise yourself with the OS and learn how to collect and process security data on Linux-based systems.

• Knowledge of Hacking: While it sounds counter-intuitive to the whole purpose of a cybersecurity professional\\'s job role, it is very important to think like a hacker to predict their moves and put a mitigation plan in place before the attack even happens. Sign up for our Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) course at JobsAcademy, and learn how to be an ethical hacker to stay on top of things in the event of a cyberattack.
• Knowledge of Building Virtual Machines: Running malware identification and analysis software is a typical part of a cybersecurity analyst\\'s job role. So, it is important to learn how to set up and work on virtual platforms.

• Working Knowledge of Programming: While it’s not important to be a proficient coder, it helps if you know the basics of programming as it enables you to approach a security issue with a programmer’s mindset.

1. Soft Skills for a Cybersecurity Professional

• The Knack to Upskill Often: As technology in this industry changes quite often, what was relevant even a few years back is not necessarily going to make a cut in the near future. So, cybersecurity professionals must consistently upgrade themselves to understand the latest technologies and software tools.

• Strong Communication Skills: As a cybersecurity professional, you\\'ll be spending a lot of time educating end-users on safe practices, software installations, troubleshooting manuals, etc. It will thus help you a lot if you have good written and verbal communication skills. Keep in mind that most of the people you interact with on your job will not understand technical jargon. It will thus help if you pick up on conversational English to help them easily understand even the most complex of technical details.

• Problem-Solving Abilities: It goes without saying that cybersecurity analysts and experts need to troubleshoot issues on a regular basis. It would hence be a great advantage if you have an analytical brain and a knack for solution-based thinking.

Top Cybersecurity Job Roles (Entry-Level to Senior-Level)

Due to an increase in the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals, most companies offer salaries between ,000 and ,000 per annum, even for entry-level jobs. Senior profiles can draw up to 0,000 per annum.

And here are the top 3 cybersecurity job roles to watch out for:

• Cybersecurity Analyst: Also known as security operations center (SOC) analyst, it is an entry-level role that focuses on threat identification at the frontline. Top skills include Malware Analysis, Wireshark, Programming, Log Analysis, etc. The main job is to monitor networks and alert them on any unnatural activities.

• Penetration Tester: Also known as ethical hackers/cyber operators, penetration testing is the most popular job role in the segment. It is a mid-level to senior-level job that covers a broad range of functions like identifying and troubleshooting vulnerabilities and threats.
• Chief Information Security Officer: It is an executive-level position and entails overseeing the overall security framework, policy changes, and execution. To be a successful CISO, you need to have a very strong base in operations as well as managerial skills.

Summing Up

While enterprise-grade anti-attack software and security frameworks offer a good defense against vulnerabilities and cyberattacks, this first line of defense is compromised to a great extent in light of the new work-from-home model. As a result, there is a huge demand for skilled cybersecurity and threat analysis professionals who can help businesses prevent unforeseen situations.

At JobsAcademy, an initiative by the reputed 2COMS Group, we bring to you the best opportunity to build and scale up your ethical hacking and cybersecurity skills. Sign up for our industry-relevant and professional courses on Ethical Hacking and say yes to a secured work opportunity in the advancing domain of cybersecurity.