With a projected talent gap expected to reach 2 million by 2019, industry experts and analysts are scrambling to fill key cybersecurity positions amid advances in cyberattacks. According to Stephen Zafarino, senior director of recruiting at Mondo, “It definitely can be a challenge—demand is extremely high, and supply is very low, so it’s a candidate’s market”. Companies are willing to pay top dollar to invest in the best talent with the right skillset. The top three requested positions employers are most anxious in filling this year include CISO’s, penetration testers, and cybersecurity engineers.
CISO
Chief Information Security Officer is an executive management position responsible for the protection of all data leaving and entering the organization. Keenly focused on directing operations, budget, and strategy of enterprise wide security systems along with the development and enforcement of information security policies and procedures. Most CISOs have a master’s degree in a related Cybersecurity field, much like the MS in Computer Science from Lewis University. Requiring more than technical knowledge and skills, a good CISO must possess a strong background and experience in IT strategy and a thorough understanding of systems wide security along with effective communication and interpersonal skills necessary to consult with internal and external third party and governmental agents.
Penetration Testers
IT experts uniquely trained to exploit enterprise wide security weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Also known as “ethical hackers” once threats have been identified, they often provide strategies to correct the issue or provide detailed reports of their discoveries for cybersecurity engineers to fix in order to ensure no external penetration can occur.
Cybersecurity Engineers
This is a highly sought-after IT professional with expertise on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data systems and the data within the system. An intermediate level position most often handling technical problems are also tasked with building robust security solutions. Many positions require a master’s degree in an IT field such as the MS in Information Assurance from Regis University. Although they make nearly 3 times the national median income for full-time wage earners, other considerations suggest that “It is about the hottest technology, deployed by honorable organizations, for a purpose that is inherently important,” states Jim Duffy, Secretary of Technology at the office of the governor of Virginia.
In an industry that maintains a zero percent unemployment rate and with cyber threats on the rise and damages predicted to cost 6 trillion annually, almost anyone with Cybersecurity experience can and will find employment. To learn more about educational opportunities in cyber, click here.
