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3 Tips to Help You Land a Job in Cybersecurity

Feb. 18, 2019

3 Tips to Help You Land a Job in Cybersecurity

The cybersecurity industry is growing faster than ever before and the need for cybersecurity professionals is at an all-time high. It is estimated that there will be 1.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2021 and the average salary for those jobs will be $120,000 +. This means that there are many jobs available in the cybersecurity field and cybersecurity salaries continue to grow at a steady pace. Organizations are willing to pay for these cybersecurity professionals because they need them to safely protect their networks from a new form of attack: the cyber attack. Cyber attacks are now costing businesses an average of $1.7 million dollars and many hackers target smaller businesses because they know about the lack of cybersecurity within these organizations. Having a team of employees that can safely analyze and prevent threats is needed in 2019 no matter if you have a small or big organization. As the IoT grows and continues to break records the need for cybersecurity becomes even greater.

1. Start by Reading About IT and Cybersecurity topics.

Reading is the best way to start in this industry because there is so much content about cybersecurity on the internet. There are many different topics to read about in the vast cybersecurity industry such as encryption and decryption techniques, penetration testing, checking data integrity, and how to ensure confidentiality while dealing with private information. The main reason why this is the first step is that if you do not find these topics interesting then maybe cybersecurity is not the right field for you.

2. Choose and Study for a Cybersecurity Certification

The cybersecurity industry is very rewarding, but it requires immense effort and knowledge. Certifications are like gold in this industry and they are needed to have a high paying job within the cybersecurity industry. There are many different cybersecurity certifications and there are levels that stretch from beginner to advanced, but choosing the right certification really depends on how much prior knowledge and computing skills that you have. If you do not have any prior experience or knowledge, then a great way to start is by taking beginner courses such as CompTIA’s A+ course which covers all basic skills and functions of computing. These certifications are not easy to earn which is why it is best to take a training boot camp. A training boot camp is taught by a professor and can almost guarantee a passing score on the exam, and here at SecureNinja, we offer training courses on over 100 different training courses with a 97% + pass rate on all of them.

3. Gain IT Experience through Volunteer Work and Internships.

Education goes a long way in this industry, but nothing sticks out more on a resume than proper work experience, and if two similar candidates have the same certifications organizations are more likely to hire the one with more work experience. The cybersecurity industry is in desperate need for workers and it is not difficult at all to find volunteer or internships within the industry. Some places the offer volunteer work regularly would be at local colleges because IT professors are always looking for help and they might even teach you some tips and tricks along the way. You can also investigate corporate internship programs where you shadow real cybersecurity analysts and network engineers so that you can get a hands-on experience watching how cybersecurity professionals work. Most organizations end up hiring their interns, and they may even pay for your cybersecurity certifications; however, if they don’t offer you a position, you can still add the work experience on your resume.  

 Ready to join the cybersecurity industry? Call 703-535-8600 today to qualify for special promotions!

SecureNinja is an award-winning training and certification school, and SecureNinja has a proven track record of assisting Fortune 100, Government, and Military organizations. For more information on how SecureNinja can benefit you or your organization fill out the form to the right of this post or visit secureninja.com/contact.