career in cybersecurityAsk anyone in the digital realm, and they will tell you that the most valuable asset in the current ear is data. It is the new currency, and the companies that have the most data are, without a doubt, the most influential companies in the world. These digital giants have monopolized the digital world.

Is this a trend? Is this going away anytime soon?

We don’t think so. In fact, the more we progress, the more we will become dependent on this currency. And when there is a valuable currency, the next thing that people think of is protection.

Yup! We are talking about Cybersecurity. It is the process of protecting computers, devices, servers, networks, and data from outside threats. It includes any data that might be on your computers, on the cloud, or anywhere else.

Why is Cyber Security Important?

Literally, thousands of cyber-attacks take place daily. Most of them go unreported, or they do not catch the public eye if they occur. These attacks have shown us that this threat is real and could happen to us at any time.

Yahoo data breach 2017

Remember when Yahoo told everyone that a group of hackers had made away with the data of around 1 billion accounts? That was back in 2013. In October 2017, Yahoo came out with another report that put the estimated number of accounts at 3 billion instead of 1. It was one of the largest data heists in history.

Facebook data breach 2019

In April 2019, the same thing happened to Facebook. More than 540 million records that contained comments, likes, reactions, account names, Facebook IDs, and more were compromised.

You might now understand why going for an online masters in Cybersecurity is the need of the hour. Want to know more? Read on.

Why is Cybersecurity Such a Hot Career?

According to statistics, cybercriminals worldwide caused damage to around 3 trillion US dollars in 2015. The International Data Corporation has reported that the worldwide spending of companies on Cybersecurity could go all the way up to $140 billion by 2022. Cybercrimes are not only increasing with each passing year, but they are also evolving.

It means that Cybersecurity measures have to evolve at the same rapid rate. Government and private organizations around the world are pouring their money to keep their data protected. Now you know why Cybersecurity is one of the most profitable careers right now. A lot of institutes are teaching Cybersecurity in their online bachelors in computer science degrees and more. And money is not the only reason why Cybersecurity is such a hot career path right now. There are numerous other reasons too.

The Future Is Digital

It is a fact that Cybersecurity is becoming more and more critical to industries around the world. Right now, the average cost of a data breach is around US$4 million. It means that companies worldwide are looking for ways to upgrade their security and ensure that no attacks happen. There are government organizations, large private corporations, startups, and small businesses that need protection. You can provide it to them.

Variety

There’s never a dull day in Cybersecurity. Like we mentioned above, cybercrimes are evolving with each passing year. Every few months, you get to hear about an attack that nobody expected. It means that the roles of Cybersecurity personnel are also evolving. As an expert, you will have to continually learn new skills and apply them innovatively and creatively to protect your organization. Also, there are multiple roles that you can choose from, like data scientist, penetration tester, ethical hacker, security analyst, cryptanalyst, Cybersecurity Marketing and more.

Salary

This one is fairly obvious. Since every organization, big or small, wants Cybersecurity, they are willing to pay top dollar for professionals who can successfully protect their systems and data. The bigger the company, the more enticing and lucrative their offers are. Although the salaries of Cybersecurity professionals are outstanding, they sometimes depend on the position you have applied for and the region. According to some studies, the average salary for Cybersecurity related jobs in North America is around US$90,000 a year. And this is pretty basic. As your roles change, so does your income. For example, a penetration tester can easily earn an estimated US$122,000 annually, while software engineers are right behind them with US$117,000 per year.

Job satisfaction

Studies have also found that Cybersecurity professionals are among those who have the highest job satisfaction rate. One study found that in North America, more than 70% of Cybersecurity professionals were very much satisfied with their career prospects. And they should, aren’t they protecting millions of people’s data from falling into the wrong hands? These Cybersecurity experts stand between us, our companies, our data, and those who want to utilize it for their nefarious purposes. Another reason for job satisfaction is what we’ve already discussed in the first point. There is no chance that a Cybersecurity person would come up to you and say that his job is tedious or that he keeps on doing the same mundane thing day in and day out. They have an endless series of challenges to analyze and overcome.

Conclusion

Are you thinking about opting for a career in Cybersecurity?

It is the right time to go for it. The added benefit is that you don’t have to physically go to a university campus to study computer science or Cybersecurity. You can attend classes online, attend webinars and meetups, and follow Cybersecurity experts on different social media platforms to keep you