Key education for information security careers: A computer science degree?

The importance of closing the cybersecurity skills gap

Closing the information security and cybersecurity gap is becoming a priority. The cybersecurity skills shortage is projected to lead to 3.5 million unfilled jobs by 2021, according to analyst firm Cybersecurity Ventures. This is why finding new and innovative ways of closing the cyberskills gap is a topic that is central to many of information security’s initiatives for the coming years.

Securing a job in the information security field means having the right education and skills to keep up with the rapid changes in technology. While formal education is important, it is more so for information security professionals. This is because a key part of a successful career in this sector is maintaining the drive to continue learning daily, keeping their knowledge up to date by attending courses and workshops that focus on hands-on practice and by acquiring current certifications in the chosen IT sector. This is true in the entire information technology field but even more so in information security, where professionals need to be always a step ahead of the “bad guys” and master technology as it is developed.

College degree, or vocational training?

Academic degrees are not a requirement for many positions in the field, as many skillsets can’t be taught in a classroom and require real-world experience and specific trainings and certifications to augment one’s cybersecurity training. However, adding a college degree is also a good idea to meet the formal knowledge requirement many positions ask for and to give professionals the general IT preparation that will help them choose their favorite field and jumpstart their career.

More vocational colleges and universities are providing students with the education and skills necessary to compete for jobs in high-demand IT occupations. Educational institutions are creating degree programs (Associate’s, (Read more...)