How to get started in Cyber Security

Whether you’ve decided to help battle the most significant global skills shortage in information technology, or you’re just flirting with the idea of having one of the most bulletproof careers of the decade, cyber security can tick all of the boxes… 

But how do you get started in cyber security? What are the official pathways? And what skills and knowledge do you need to succeed in a cyber security role? 

First, let’s take a look at how cybersecurity professionals have become increasingly in-demand over the last few years. 

The Cyber security skills gap

In 2017, The Independent published results from a global study confirming that the UK’s cyber security skills gap was the second largest in the world. Professionals seeking cybersecurity roles in Britain met only 31.6% demand for jobs posted. They stated that ‘the problem was fast approaching a crisis point.’ 

So, what’s caused this demand for cybersecurity professionals? 

According to Forbes, ‘Behind every new hack or data breach, there’s a company scrambling to put out the fire. That’s good news for job seekers with cyber security skills. Employers can’t hire them fast enough. 

According to Statista, there are approximately 15.14 billion devices connected to the internet as of 2023  and we simply don’t have enough trained professionals working preventatively to ensure target systems are secure. 

So, with no single governing force to ensure our safety and security online, who are the good guys planning for a more secure web? 

• EC Council: making waves since 2006, the EC Council is dedicated to the mitigation and remediation of the cyber plague that is menacing the world today. 
• ISC2: the international, not-for-profit membership association for information security leaders – providing some of the most in-demand enterprise certifications that cyber security has to offer. 
• CompTIA: considered the go-to for IT certifications. Since 1982, CompTIA has provided training made ‘for the industry, by the industry,‘ and is constantly developing new certs to combat the ever-changing world of data threats and breaches. Their CSA+ training focuses almost entirely on behavioural analytics to validate critical knowledge and skills to prevent, detect and combat cyber security threats. 

How to break into cyber security - what are the steps?

Opening the door to IT security:

The starting point for all severe IT pros comes directly from the aforementioned CompTIA with their A+ technician certification. Held by over 1 million IT professionals worldwide – the vendor-neutral computing giant caters for numerous techies in today’s ever-changing IT world. 

No less than eight skills are mastered with this industry-standard certification, from security to networking, hardware to OS and troubleshooting. A+ is viewed by those who know it as ‘the start of your success story in IT‘. 

When any organisation has more than one machine, it’s safe to assume they’re linked by a network – making it operationally crucial that functionality is secure and effective. The N+ validates the essential knowledge and skills needed to confidently design, configure, manage and troubleshoot any wired and wireless networks. 

See also: 8 things we’ve learnt about cyber security this year

 

Next stop – cyber security 

With the bases covered for hardware, software and networks, IT security is the next available step. The now global benchmark certification is CompTIA’s Security+ ensuring best practices for IT security, and is held by IT security pros in 147 countries. 

With these under your belt, the EC Council Certified Ethical Hacker is accessible (even to those without the prerequisite of two years of professional IT experience). The CEH holds its own in the world of cyber security, and with good reason – it covers all bases for aspiring penetration testing and ethical hackers and teaches you to think like a hacker.   

 

Earning while learning 

Bug bounty platforms are one of the fastest-growing sub–industries within cyber security. They provide earning and learning opportunities for both the master and student alike to try their hand at uncovering flaws, vulnerabilities and bugs in target systems that may provide access for malicious intent. Find a flaw, verify it with a vulnerability report – get paid! And all whilst studying for your cyber security qualifications. 

With bug sites such as Hackerone generating bounty payments of over £13,692,378 to date by working with the likes of Airbnb, UBER, Spotify, Nintendo and WordPress – the evidence and earnings are there for those with the skills and drive to serve and protect. 

Moreover, GDPR now applies to the UK and will penalise organisations financially that suffer data breaches due to cyber threats, making business interruption and lack of confidence just another tip of the hacking iceberg. 

IT Jobs Watch is an amazingly accurate resource for pinning down the precise need for IT security certifications and can be filtered by skills, roles, location + permanent/full-time and contracting roles. 

Are you ready to discover your potential and break into cyber security? See our Cyber Security courses and get in touch so we can assess, advise and confirm all you need to take those first steps towards your new career.