The Beginners’ Guide to a Career in Cyber Security

For many companies, a strong cyber security program can make or break their business. Most can’t risk a password breach or the PR nightmare of a cyber attack. And even fewer companies have the support needed to fully protect themselves against the various issues in the cyberworld.

That’s why cyber security is one of the top-demanded sectors. 

But what does a cyber security specialist do? What skills are required to become one? And is it worth the effort to get into the industry? Keep reading to learn more about the field and how to begin a career in cyber security.

What is cyber security?

Сybersecurity is a combination of measures used to protect systems, networks, and programs from attacks, data breaches, and phishing. These security protocols are used by every web and mobile application, even the simplest ones. If a system is facing the internet, it's vulnerable to attacks and requires cyber protection.

As technology evolves, so does cyber security, protecting companies from breaches and unintentional critical security errors. Cyber security specialists build programs to ensure that intruders don’t gain access to sensitive and private information. Nearly every industry relies on cyber security, but financial, medical, governmental, and law enforcement entities are the most familiar.

Even technology for private use, like smart homes, needs a high level of protection. There are known cases when smoke detectors connected to IoT become an instrument for ransomware attacks, basically locking out access from users to their files and demanding payment to unlock them.

The U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics predicts an above-average 32% growth in demand for cyber security specialists by 2031.

What do cyber security specialists do?

Cyber security professionals defend systems against cyber security risks, attacks, and vulnerabilities. Just like an all-seeing guard, a cyber security specialist is responsible for ensuring all parts of the software, networks, and system are encrypted and well-protected.

You might find various roles within cyber security. Here are just a few:

• Cyber security Engineers are specialists who develop secure programs, test them, and “fix” security issues.
• Network Security Specialists have a background in system and network administration and work on measures to protect local, private, and public networks.
• Information Security Analysts keep track of how the company’s information and employees are protected from cyberattacks.
• Penetration Testers act as software testers and even hackers, trying to breach the existing security to reveal flaws and threats.

Looking at these jobs, you can see that any area of cyber security deals with protection and proactive communication. Some common responsibilities of a cyber security specialist include:

• Development, testing, audit, and implementation of security systems.
• Detecting vulnerable points in networks and systems and preventing threats.
• Responding to security events and safeguarding against them in the future.
• Reproducing or mimicking security breaches to identify weak points.
• Generating reports and evaluations of the security system.

What should I study to get a job in cyber security?

If those responsibilities sound interesting to you, you’re on the right track for a role in cyber security. Let’s look into a typical job posting for a cyber security specialist and identify the requirements and skills needed to become one.

As you see, the most important requirement for a cyber security engineer is to have a technical background. 

Software engineering is the first step to becoming a skillful security specialist. You'll have to know the basics of web and application development and be fluent in at least one programming language. You should also know how databases and the backend work. But not to worry! Mastering all this in less than 10 months is possible at our Software Engineering Bootcamp.

Next, familiarize yourself with the best information security practices. By the time you graduate from a Software Engineering Bootcamp, you’ll know all about secure authentication and protocols (SSH, OAuth, and the like). Your next step will be obtaining a cyber security certification, such as CompTIA Security+ (ISC)², Security Certified Practitioner, and Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH).

Secure your next role

Want to get the best out of a technical career and build a secure future? Start your journey with TripleTen's Cyber Security Bootcamp to open the many doors to progress and promotion.