Cyber Security - Career change

According to the latest report by the British Government, approximately 697,000 businesses (51%)  in the UK are struggling to find the basic skills recommended in the skills advised in the Cyber Essentials scheme. Entry-level skills such as configuring firewalls, storing and transferring personal data, and identifying and removing malware are in short supply. 

Further up the scale, around 451,000 businesses (33%) are unable to find people with advanced skills in critical areas such as penetration testing, forensic analysis, and security architecture. These figures highlight the increasing concern for business leaders and a tremendous opportunity for anyone thinking of changing their career and becoming a professional in cyber security.  
 
 

Thinking of a cyber security career change?

Whether you are entering the world of tech for the first time or an existing IT professional looking for a career change to cybersecurity, gaining the proper certifications will be critical to your career progression. Although building your knowledge and technical skills is essential, improving your communication and soft skills will be equally important. 

The good news is many of the training courses and qualifications available do not have any prerequisites making the tech industry an attractive proposition for everyone, regardless of your skill level. If you are looking to learn more about how to enter a career in cybersecurity or obtain the skills and qualifications that businesses are searching for, Learning People will guide you through every step. 
 

Pursuing a Career in Cyber Security

Cyber security as a profession is a relatively new concept to many, and career paths are still evolving. This makes it the perfect time to join the industry and play a crucial role in protecting businesses in an increasingly digital world. 

No matter what level you are at, there are many cyber security courses to help make your dream job a reality. From IT fundamentals to career-ready training, these industry-leading certifications will equip you with the right skills to land you a cyber security job and is an ideal starting point. 

You can learn the skills required for a cyber security career change as well as gain the certifications you need at your own pace. This means you can work on completing your course alongside your existing employment. But one of the most important people on your journey should be a career consultant who will help you demystify the technology industry and keep you on the right path to success.   

Best Cyber Security Courses for Beginners

1. CompTIA A+

If you are entirely new to IT, the CompTIA A+ course will help you start your journey. This certification is held by more than one million IT professionals around the world. It’s also widely seen as the best way to grasp a more in-depth understanding and demonstrate your ability in your professional career. Best of all, the course has no prerequisites and will ease you in gently by teaching you all the essential aspects of IT in a language that beginners can easily understand. 

2. CompTIA Network+

At the heart of every IT infrastructure is a network. It’s fundamental in ensuring employees can access critical information and applications. Data must flow not only smoothly but also securely, and one of the biggest reasons why the relationship between networking and security is so important.  

The CompTIA Network+ course will arm you with skills to troubleshoot, configure, manage and understand the world of networking. Once you have an understanding of networking and IT, you will be ready to move on to one of the next best cyber security courses for beginners. 

3. CompTIA Security+

The CompTIA Security+ course will provide you with the tools needed to begin your cyber security career change - from the intricacies of access control and identity management to cryptography, threats, and vulnerabilities. However, it is important to remember that the certificate will need to be renewed every three years to ensure that your skills are up to date.  

A CompTIA Security+ certificate is seen as the standard prerequisite by employers as it will demonstrate competence in threat management, security infrastructure implementation, risk identification, and identity management.  

 

Advanced Cyber Security Courses

1. CompTIA CySA+

CompTIA CySA+ is an intermediate certification that will further strengthen your ability to manage high-risk cybersecurity situations. It will enable you to demonstrate your skills in preventing and detecting cyber security threats using behavioural analytics and data analysis. This certification will help you be seen as a specialist in threat mitigation while also instinctively managing network architecture, identifying threats, and reducing vulnerabilities. 

The CompTIA CySA+ certification is highly desirable by employers and will open up a wide range of cyber security opportunities during your career change. You might decide to specialise in a different area of cyber security, but by completing this course you can land job roles such as compliance analyst, threat intelligence analyst, incident responder, or application security analyst, to name but a few.  

2. CompTIA PenTest+

If the idea of penetration testing or vulnerability management roles influenced your decision to make a career change in cyber security, you might be better suited to another intermediate-skills level cybersecurity certification called CompTIA PenTest+.  

The course will not only teach you offensive skills through pen testing and vulnerability assessment, but it will also help you plan, scope, and manage weaknesses - not just exploit them. 

3. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Course

As technology advances and more businesses are storing information online, it is vital that weaknesses and vulnerabilities are understood. Some people may think ethical hacking and penetration testers are the same role, but they are not. It is important to understand the differences between an ethical hacker and a pen tester before enrolling in our CEH course.  

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) course is better suited to those who prefer to defend themselves in the battle against cyber attacks. This advanced ethical hacking course will teach you about the attack technologies commonly used by hackers and how to act in fighting back against these attacks. Ultimately, you will gain the same knowledge and tools as a malicious hacker, but you will use them for the greater good. Lawfully, and legitimately. 

Why Choose Cyber Security as a Career?

Although there are many stories in your newsfeeds warning that computers, automation, and even robots are replacing traditional job roles, this is not necessarily the case, and there are also many new job roles with unfilled vacancies. For example, did you know that the cyber security industry currently has a 0% unemployment rate, making it a very appealing career change? 

Almost every global organisation has suffered a data breach or been the victim of a hack. Another concern for businesses is the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which can impose fines of up to €20 million, or 4% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher. So far, Amazon, WhatsApp, Google, and H&M have collectively paid more than one billion pounds in data protection fines. Additionally, being the victim of a cyber-attack can impact a brand’s reputation for over five years! 

As a result, the demand for cyber security analysts, network security engineers, and certified ethical hackers is outstripping demand. For these reasons alone, it has presented individuals outside of tech looking for a cyber security career change with an easy opportunity to future-proof their career and secure a high salary. 

CWJobs, the leading UK IT job board, reports that the average salary for Cyber Security jobs is currently £62,500. Existing IT professionals who want to specialise in critical areas such as cryptography and penetration testing are also demanding six-figure salaries. So, if you want to begin a career in tech and enjoy a role where you can make a difference (while getting paid handsomely) cyber security could be the career for you. 

We know that the number of cyber threats will continue to increase and grow in sophistication. Every business is challenged with training and equipping people new to IT with the skills and understanding required to tackle these risks. Could that be you?

 

Change Careers into Cyber Security with Learning People

While technical skills can be taught, it’s crucial to remember that communication skills are a  significant prerequisite. You could be the most intelligent and most technical person on the team, but you need to be able to explain the importance of the vulnerability you have just uncovered to people with different levels of knowledge. This is just one of the reasons why the IT industry requires more people with soft skills alongside their technical knowledge. 

Learning People’s range of IT courses will help you develop the core set of IT skills to understand the roles of networks, systems, and administration in the workplace. This knowledge will secure you an entry-level cyber security position. At the same time, you take the next step by working towards the highly sought-after CompTIA Security+ certification to accelerate your path into cybersecurity. 

However, this is just the beginning of your cybersecurity career change, and there will be many options available to you. Every individual is unique, and some will prefer to take a deep dive into specialising in more technical skills. In contrast, others will take the management route and feel more comfortable in security governance and oversight roles and our career services team will be here to guide you every step of the way..  

For example, one of our students, Riekert Jansen Van Rensburg, worked in sales for over ten years and found himself no longer excited about his role. Instead, he wanted to follow his dreams and study for a tech career, and a phone call later, Riekert began building a path to turn his long-standing dream into a reality. 

So, whether your passions are compliance, risk management, cloud security, ethical hacking, project management or identity, and access management, we will work closely with you to determine the best path forward. 

Get in touch with us today or browse our cyber security courses and get ready to change your career.