By Karishma Mookhey, Co-Founder of the Institute of Information Security (IIS)
According to a report from Times Job, 3 out of 5 employees are unhappy and dissatisfied with their jobs. One of the reasons for this can possibly be attributed to incorrect career decisions and no career guidance as a student. A student will have a lot of career options to choose from including Medicine, Animation, Law, Journalism, Humanities, Management, Fashion, Interior design, Aviation, Banking, IT, Hotel Management, Chartered Accountant or other professional courses. However, most of the students don’t know how to go about selecting the right career option for themselves. The question that comes to mind is – What is the process of students making a career choice and how they go about selecting a course? Most students choose subjects according to the score they obtain and what their family, friends, peers are thinking right for them, and not according to their owns. And this is a major concern!
Every student wants to excel in life and choose a career that will take them to great heights in life. Therefore this is the time to build a career guidance movement to conduct counselling in all high schools for the students and parents. Career guidance and planning right from school times will encourage the students to pursue what they like and not what everybody else likes. There is a growing trend in students showing interest in exploring the internet and its hacks, computer programming, Cyber/web world etc. There are many students, who want to be Cybersecurity experts but have no guidance to pursue the same. They need to be made aware that Cybersecurity as a career is a very high paying and rewarding career with many other benefits.
Importance of Cybersecurity
We all live in a world that is networked together, we all use smartphones and transact online for our day to day needs. Internet banking is increasing manifold so is the government infrastructure that is making Digital India dream a reality. With the use of the internet, the bad guys of the internet are not far behind. Every day, we hear about internet frauds, data leakage happenings…and it’s not going to stop or reduce anytime soon. With the growth of cyber-attacks, demand for safe and secure data, and other concerns mean that companies need professionals to keep their information safe. Given the current scenario of widespread attacks, data breaches and the ever-growing need for security, there’s no doubt that we will need a cyber-army in the future. Not just for an organization, but for the whole country as well.
Careers in Cybersecurity
If you’re an enthusiast looking for a career in Cybersecurity, I believe that you should start by research on the basic uses and applications of Cybersecurity, follow it up with the function, purpose, and perspectives it has in today’s generation. The Cybersecurity growth started just as we were moving to the 21st century and since then it has grown and expanded phenomenally. You can enroll in a recognized institute and study the course which is most suitable or which is predicted to be very high in demand in the future. However, the skill set is rather vast and demanding for advanced technologies like Cybersecurity and, to become an expert in this field, you will need to master technical skills like Networking, Computer programming, Computer Forensics, Certifications like CEH, CISSP and of course adequate soft skills such as verbal communication, written communication and presentation skills to expose your work effectively.
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There are a multitude of certifications based on the category or field of security such as Web Application Security, Network Security, Ethical Hacking, Cloud Security, Secure Coding, Vulnerability Management, Security Monitoring, Incident Response, Digital Forensics, Web Application Security and many more ranging from modules for Beginners, Developers, Advanced learners and Forensics aspirants, to Certification and Technology Training. Once you’re done with acquiring a specific skill set in the field, you will have many opportunities in the field of cybersecurity.
Perks of choosing a career in Cybersecurity
The future of engineers graduating in Cybersecurity is bright as a rising threat to businesses is resulting in a huge demand for such students. Currently, 2,000-3,000 engineering students, who study Cybersecurity either as a core course or as an optional course, graduate in the city every year. Along with the big and small ones, even start-ups are recruiting Cybersecurity professionals. The demand for data security is being raised even by clients, apart from the companies’ own concern to protect critical data.
Thus, the demand for Cybersecurity engineers is growing exponentially. Despite poor overall recruitments in the IT sector, the need to protect the vulnerable cyberspace is landing students ‘highly lucrative offers’. The average starting salary even for freshers who take Cybersecurity as a subject range from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. For engineering graduates in most other fields, it ranges from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3.6 lakh.
To conclude, choosing a career in the Cybersecurity profession is interesting, thrilling, highly in-demand and is also highly paid. Even those who are not driven only by money can get a sense of fulfillment of doing something to protect the world from the bad guys of the internet.