Pros & Cons of a Cybersecurity Career Path in 2022?

It is essential to understand the industry and how it works before starting your career. Many people also want to know the pros and cons of different job types. Cyber security is a broad career field that includes many job titles and works in various industries.

What are some pros and cons of cybersecurity? Cybersecurity jobs have many benefits, including good salaries, lots of career options, exciting work, and the possibility to move up. Cons include learning requirements, overtime or on-call hours, and the pressure to defend against ever-evolving and more sophisticated attacks.

Let’s examine some of the pros and cons of the cybersecurity career path.

Pros of a Cybersecurity Career

1) High Salary

Cybersecurity is in high demand. There are many opportunities for cybersecurity professionals. These include banks, government agencies, telecommunications businesses, investment firms, and health care companies. Companies that have online data are likely to be looking for experts who can protect it.

The US is also facing a shortage of cybersecurity skills and a sharp rise in new jobs. Top recruitment firms predict that our economy will need 18,000 additional workers by 2027 in order to keep pace with growing cybersecurity roles.

High-demand jobs have high salaries. According to reports, employers are offering more attractive salaries. Security managers earn an average salary between $131,250 and $198,750.

Payscale provides the median annual earnings for a cybersecurity analyst. The lower bracket earns approximately $108,000.

2) High Demand

The cybersecurity field is a highly sought-after profession that offers job security and solid work opportunities.

United States security needs have outstripped the current pool of experts. According to reports, the number of roles has increased by 57% in the past year. Statistics show that only 7% of cybersecurity skills are available in the US. We have less than 5,000 Information and Communication Technology graduates each year.

There is less concern about unemployment in the cybersecurity industry, with skills that can be used across many industries. Professionals can leave their current job and quickly find work in a field requiring expertise.

As society becomes more dependent on technology and hackers find new and advanced ways to breach digital systems and devices, the demand for security skills will not decrease.

3) Career Advancement Opportunities

The field of cybersecurity has a lot of growth potential.

Beginning in entry-level positions, professionals can look forward to more specialized positions as their careers progress. Individuals start with the titles of security analyst, IT technician, and junior penetration tester. They then progress to cybersecurity manager, cybersecurity architect, and chief information security officer.

They are in very high demand and can move from smaller companies to larger ones.

Their salary potential increases with experience.

Payscale reports indicate that a career in cybersecurity starts with an average of $75796 per annum. As one grows their experience and builds upon their profile, it can go up to $108,090 each year.

4) Self Employment Opportunities

We spoke to many IT and cybersecurity professionals who chose to work for themselves. There are many opportunities to be a self-employed professional in cyber security and IT because technology is often outsourced. Consulting is also commonplace.

5) Constant Learning opportunities

Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field with new technologies, trends, and threats constantly emerging. The industry’s global spending is expected to rise by 88% and reach $270 billion US dollars in 2026.

The profession is constantly evolving, and new discoveries are being made. This means that workers will never be bored or unchallenged in their work. There are many online resources that individuals can use to stay in touch with the industry and also numerous training opportunities to improve their skills.

Cons of a Cybersecurity Career

1) Demanding hours and Stress

Cybersecurity experts are often under pressure because of their high levels of responsibility. They also have to work long hours. Cybercrime is a growing threat to businesses’ reputation, finances, productivity, and financial health.

Because they can occur at any hour, many workers must be available to help manage and mitigate them as they happen. They can be reached during the weekends, evenings, and even on vacation.

These pressures add to the high level of satisfaction and excitement of working in a dynamic, fast-paced industry. Employees are continually challenged and encouraged to improve their skills.

2) Lack of Resources

While most managers understand that cyber security is essential, it is quite common for management to not fully appreciate what you do or the importance of your work. Cyber security jobs require constant communication with management and advocacy on your behalf. Although this may not be true everywhere, some cyber security professionals have mentioned it negatively. This is often the case in larger organizations, even those not involved in cyber security.

3) It Can sometimes get repetitive

Unfortunately, cybersecurity careers don’t come without their fair share of absurdities.

Experts point out that Hollywood’s image of white-hatted hackers in hoods fighting espionage cases is ill-conceived. The reality of the job requires more analysis, methodology, patience, and discipline.

Cybersecurity specialists will often spend their time repeating tests, applying repeated processes, and analyzing data to identify and mitigate potential threats.

AI and machine learning are being integrated into the field to reduce repetition and allow workers to focus on more important, innovative security initiatives.

4) Pressure to constantly keep up

It can be challenging to keep up with such an ever-changing landscape.

You need to keep up with technological advancements and the latest attack methods and malicious threats.

There’s also constant development of acronyms, new terms, and technical jargon.

It’s an endless treadmill of knowledge and an intellectual arms race. But for the right person, such challenges only add excitement to a rewarding, dynamic security career.

5) Constant Pressure

Data breaches can cost as much as $3 million per incident or $160 per data unit. This profession requires the ability to handle pressure.

Precision is essential for cybersecurity professionals.

It is essential to be creative and perceptive in order to succeed in this industry. These qualities not only help you to be aware of potential vulnerabilities but also increase your ability to see the problem from all angles (from your employer’s perspective, your colleagues’ and hackers’ perspectives). They also allow you to express your concerns (in a non-technical way) when necessary.

Conclusion

Every job has its pros and cons. They vary depending on the job and the person doing it. There are many ways to see the pros and cons of cyber security work. You can get a good idea of what a career as a cyber security professional looks like by going online to interview and shadowing potential job candidates.