Degree vs. certification: Mid-level IT Auditor

Introduction

The middle of a career is often perceived to be a sort of “journey is the destination” kind of goal. It is expected to demand an ever-growing skill set and increased responsibility, and it arguably sees some of the most challenging work presented to a professional — not to mention a more solid sense of comfort than previous career phases. The role of IT auditor is no different. 

So, for those who want to know how best to get to this position in the IT auditor career path, is it better to focus on a degree or a certification? This article will detail the degree and certification landscapes for the mid-level IT auditor and will offer a solid recommendation for how you should proceed if this question is hanging in your mind.

What is an IT auditor?

IT auditors are cybersecurity professionals tasked with auditing risk and internal controls within an organization’s network and information security environment. The role of IT auditor does not solve security issues within an organization; rather, they focus on finding and documenting these issues. 

On-the-job work that this role can expect includes identifying security flaws in an organization’s information security, creating action plans to fix said flaws and writing reports to communicate their findings to executives and other decision makers. This role is directly mapped to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education’s (NICE) CyberSeek model and is available to entry-level candidates. 

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Without further ado, let’s examine the degree path and certification path to the mid-level IT auditor role.

IT auditor degree requirement

There is one steep requirement for organizations hiring IT auditors — and that is the degree requirement. Nearly 100% of organizations hiring for this role require a degree of some kind. The statistics break down thusly: 76% require a (Read more...)