Every year, cyber threats become more prevalent. Most hackers target businesses and organizations with the intent of stealing personal information for later use in identity theft or fraud.
Naturally, those organizations that play a key role in citizens’ daily lives and serve to protect their clients are becoming more diligent about safeguarding themselves. Organizations, such as banks and healthcare facilities, which hold sensitive information about the general public, require cybersecurity to prevent unexpected data breaches.
Cyber security professionals protect networks and computer systems against cyberattacks that aim to access, modify, or destroy confidential data. From this, we can conclude that cybersecurity is a growing field, and its experts are highly sought after, but what other reasons make getting into the field worthwhile?
How Valuable Is A Degree In Cyber Security?
Since cybersecurity has become a national concern, its value has increased tenfold. Cybersecurity professionals who can manage security systems, develop security strategies, and perform security tests are desperately needed by companies.
Employers seek experts who are trained, educated, and experienced in their field so that they can produce optimal results. A bachelor’s and master’s degree in cyber security can prepare students to obtain these credentials.
Professionals may even pursue a one-year cybersecurity management course as a pathway to career advancement. The program will teach you how to manage cyber security within organizations, including influencing the board’s risk assessment and reconfiguring firewalls during an attack.
Reasons To Study Cyber Security
Even though this degree offers a high chance of employment, there are many other benefits as well. Let’s explore them in detail.
1. High demand for professionals
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 31% growth in demand for cybersecurity professionals from 2019 to 2029.
Despite this, employers are seeking qualified candidates, and there is a cybersecurity talent shortage that meets the demand. A high-level graduate degree, certification, or particular skill can be extremely beneficial for students and help them stand out and qualify for various jobs.
2. Hands-on learning approach
In cybersecurity programs, students learn through hands-on experience so they can help businesses detect and analyze software threats and identify potential violations. It is the responsibility of highly respected professionals in the field to guide and train students on lifelong skills from both a theoretical and practical standpoint.
3. High-paying career
It’s not surprising that employers are willing to invest a significant amount in cybersecurity professionals because of the shortage. An entry-level cybersecurity job, such as an information security analyst, earns an average salary of $82,000, while advanced degrees can earn salaries well into the six figures.
4. A range of career options
A bachelor’s degree and skills are usually required for entry-level positions; however, a master’s degree opens doors to jobs with management and leadership responsibilities. Law enforcement and insurance companies are two fields you can enter with the skills you acquire in your degree program.
5. Applicable to various industries
Cyberattacks are a reality in every industry, and no industry is immune to cyberattacks. Healthcare professionals and banks rely on cybersecurity professionals to protect clients’ and patients’ privacy. A career in this field can offer many opportunities, given its versatility.
6. Potential career advancement
When it comes to job opportunities, experience is just as critical as education and knowledge in this career path. In any career, professional development and career advancement are always possible.
You will always be more valuable to potential employers if you continue to improve your skills.
7. Flexible programs
Flexibility is of paramount significance for working adults. For many cybersecurity professionals, the option of earning a degree online while managing work and family is a career breakthrough.
Colleges and universities today offer both hybrid and 100% online degree programs. Additionally, online learning offers a variety of advantages, allowing students to connect with the finest cybersecurity programs, faculty, and institutions anywhere in the world. This allows students to save money on books and to commute.
8. Networking Opportunities
Any graduate student looking to maximize their graduate program should network extensively. Studying a graduate degree in cybersecurity, for instance, will connect you with professors, peers, and alums who have similar interests. While completing your graduate degree, the connections you build will not only help you gain additional knowledge, insight, and perspective but also be very helpful for launching or advancing your career after graduation.
9. Management skills
Master’s degrees in cybersecurity are a worthwhile way to gain additional management and leadership skills. Undergraduate technology programs generally do not teach these types of business skills.
However, to advance your career and secure a high-ranking position in management, you’ll need to possess the right qualities, including sharp managerial skills.
10. Resolve complex technical problems
Cybersecurity is a good fit for those with a knack for breaking things and stopping them from breaking. Keeping a network secure is like solving a puzzle. You have to think about how you might gain entry into it, as well as how you might prevent it from getting hacked in the first place.
Cybersecurity might be a good fit for you if you enjoy solving problems logically and technically to come up with satisfactory solutions.
11. Learn Ways to Make a Difference
It is common for cybersecurity specialists to use creative methods to attack the systems they are trying to protect to discover vulnerabilities that hackers may exploit.
Increasingly, bug bounty programs are helping white-hat hackers find and fix security weaknesses to disrupt black-hat hackers’ destructive activities. As a cybersecurity executive, you can set up a fake network of computers that acts as a virtual mousetrap for malicious hackers who fall for the trap, revealing their identities, strategies, and motives.
12. Meaningful work
Cybersecurity careers offer both professional and personal satisfaction, as well as the opportunity to protect one’s country.
Businesses across sectors rely on solid cybersecurity defenses to protect themselves from hacker intrusions that can lead to billion-dollar losses. In the near future, the stakes will become more critical for America’s future safety, dependent upon cyber security professionals’ ability to combat high-tech warfare spearheaded by advanced computer technology.
Conclusion
A cybersecurity degree isn’t the end goal — you have to be willing to commit yourself to a continuous learning curve in a fast-paced industry that is constantly changing. However, a degree can transform your career trajectory, increase your earning potential, and contribute positively to society as a whole.
