How to get a job in cybersecurity
Having an IT background will obviously give you an advantage, but if you don’t have any experience, there’s always the option of getting a degree or certificate in cybersecurity either at TAFE or university. The general requirements, however, is a bachelor degree in computing science, information technology or software engineering. Some universities also offer a Master of Cyber Security if you’d like to stand out from the crowd.
However, you don’t have to go the traditional route to get a job in this field; you can educate yourself using books and the internet, though it’s much easier to get a position through university or TAFE.
There’s a high demand for employees to have a specific type of certification, such as CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), CISSP-ISSEP Information Systems Security Engineering Professional or a CISA (Certified Information Security Auditor). Getting certified in these areas can be as simple as taking a short online course.
After your schooling, there are a few other things you can do to increase your chances of getting into cybersecurity, such as networking with professionals through public meetups, gaining experience in the workplace through an internship and developing your online job profile. In-person conferences are particularly useful; not only will you be putting yourself out there, but you can show potential employers how passionate you are about cybersecurity. Online networking is a viable option as well, though generally speaking, employers prefer in-person meetups.
Skills and qualities for cybersecurity jobs
Soft skills and qualities
- Ability to work as a team
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- A disciplined work ethic
- Excellent analytical skills
- Strong listening skills
Hard skills
- Know how to program
- Ability to identify security threats as soon as they appear (e.g.: an understanding of antivirus software)
- A solid understanding of different operating systems
- A good grasp of programming languages (e.g.: Java, Python, PHP, etc)
Cybersecurity jobs
- Virus technician
- Security engineer
- Penetration tester
- Information Security Analyst
- Security Architect
- Lead Software Security Engineer
- Cyber Policy Analyst
- Technical writer
- Network administrator
- Vulnerability Analyst