Cybersecurity and beyond: Top roles in demand

In small and big ways, whether it be a major news story or something we experience from our daily routine, we’re often reminded of the need for more efficient and powerful cybersecurity. With it comes an increasing demand for cybersecurity jobs.

While some industries are resisting the arrival of automation, cybersecurity professionals are only going to become more crucial to a business plan. Growth from 2012 to 2022 is expected at 37 per cent per year. All those jobs – millions of them – aren’t simply for one all-encompassing position. Cybersecurity has opened up a number of avenues to pursue in the future.

According to professional services firm Aon, cybersecurity is considered only to be the fifth-largest challenge facing Australian businesses today. Yet its “2019 Global Risk Management Survey” found respondents ranked security as a higher priority than their global peers.

Specialist cybersecurity jobs overseas and at home are popping up, and can be hugely rewarding to those select few with the required skills. What are these jobs of the future?

Flourishing cybersecurity job types include:

• Data Scientist: analytical experts with the technical know-how to solve complicated problems through a combination of mathematics, computer science and trend-spotting, cleaning data then extracting meaning.
• Data Security Analyst: responsible for planning and installing security measures and software, such as firewalls, to protect the computer systems of companies and organisations.
• Penetration Tester (or Ethical Hacker): in charge of creating simulated attacks on an organisations computer systems in order to seek out weaknesses and judge the comprehensiveness of the system.
• Computer Forensic Analyst: combining an in-depth knowledge of computing with forensic skills, computer forensic analysts are able to recover information from computers and other devices which may be encrypted. This data is often used as evidence in cases of cyber-crime.
• Software Security Developer: as the name suggests, this role involves working to develop software that can be installed in order to boost the security of a system or device. This can be standalone software, or a strategy that is woven in with the development of a new system.
• Chief Security Officer: the most senior cybersecurity position within an organisation, a chief security officer is responsible for developing strategies and new policies with the aim of minimising risks to a company, through all manner of cybersecurity threats and risks.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s a wealth of cybersecurity jobs in demand in 2019, and this need is only going to rise. Average pay in the industry is some $10,000 above entry level pay for other industries, with enormous potential for earnings.

Currently, schemes are in development to introduce more fresh talent into the industry, especially more women as cybersecurity has previously been a career with a high proportion of males. University degree programmes are increasing as a result, designed to introduce students to the profession at a younger age, and with a more complete knowledge. Currently, many in the industry honed their cybersecurity skills while employed or through self-teaching. Degree options in cybersecurity are still relatively few, however there are now many more available compared to previous years.

Cybersecurity is one of the many ‘megatrend’ jobs of the future that will continue to grow and eventually, whether two years or two months from now, the word’s getting out about this financially lucrative, under-staffed industry. If you’re considering a career in cybersecurity, it’s best to hop on that career ladder sooner rather than later.