The job market is encountering significant changes. Besides industry-specific particularities, there are also macro shifts in the modern talent economy, and it applies to cyber security as well. In fact, cyber security has become an important field of job growth in the last several years. New job positions become available each passing month with few qualified applicants. Given that, we’re excited to share our next cyber security infographic, which will give you 3 cyber security career advice no one tells you.

Pursuing a career in cyber security

One of the industries that grows steadily is cyber security. The global cybersecurity market is worth about 154 billion EUR in 2020, and it’s predicted to increase to 240 billion EURO by 2026. So, if you’ve been thinking about pursuing a career in cyber security, you’re on the right path.

It’s no secret that the internet has become increasingly essential to the states’ economic competitiveness. The internet has been continuing to evolve in all aspects of our lives. However, there is a parallel increase in and emergence of sophisticated cyber security threats. It appears that the demand to fill cyber security positions is booming, and this demand is not likely to decline in the near future.

What skills do you need for cyber security?

Those who are already in cyber security have to keep their skill set relevant, and this is a real challenge in 2020. The reason for that is the fact that cyber threats are changing, making this field difficult to keep up with. That being said, there is a solution to remain competitive. You guessed it right – continuous learning is the solution. In this competitive environment, employees have to invest in learning new skills.

Cyber security is a technology oriented field. Thus, it is usually viewed from a technical perspective. Although technical knowledge is important, those who don’t pay attention to soft skills can’t make it work. In that respect, having good communication skills, a positive attitude, and a high degree of adaptability is paramount.

Additionally, we believe that working in cyber security requires an alignment towards people. This means that an understanding of human behaviours, biases, as well as limitations, is critical. Simply put, being people-oriented will help you to be successful in cyber security.

Working in cyber security demands cooperation as well as trust between colleagues, because your teammates or colleagues are striving towards the same security goals.In fact, cyber security capability gap is a critical issue and a future concern as well. Make sure to check our TOP cyber security skills infographic, which would be a good source to learn more about what skills do you need for cyber security.

3 pieces of cyber security career advice

Are you looking for some career advice to excel in your position in cyber security? If yes, then we have got something that might propel your career to the next level. So, here are three advice by Swiss Cyber Institute:

1. Make yourself stand out at work

It’s completely reasonable that in your work environment you would want to be noticed for what you do. Thus, you may naturally wonder how you can make yourself stand out at work. Apart from obtaining certifications, you need to dedicate yourself to continuous learning and researching. Employees want to be paid more. They think that their income prospects are defined by their directors. But the truth is that we determine our own income by how we contribute and what we do.

Cyber security is not a single concept, so you never know what kind of problem you’ll be dealing with. Because the future has an unpredictable nature, a cyber security career is not going to be static. Given that, think about making yourself a more versatile employee by learning a new set of skills.

Interestingly, the willingness to master new skills is one of the most crucial qualities companies look for when hiring new employees. Your growth potential is a very important quality, so show your dedication to growth.

2. Have a wonderful sense of curiosity

Never stop questioning. Seriously. Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, Blaise Pascal, Marie Curie, they were all curious characters. Why is curiosity so important? Curious people understand the fact that we all learn about life through questions, so they always search for answers in their minds.

Having a healthy sense of curiosity is important in cyber security. Security is always changing and adjusting based on newly discovered threats and exploits. Thus, anyone who becomes comfortable in fighting off threats, in the same manner, will immediately be outmoded. New attackers, as well as new motives to attack, are generated on a day-to-day basis. If you really want to succeed you must be curious, and you must seek out security flaws.

What we have been seeing is that attacks get more sophisticated, they don’t get worse. We believe that having a wonderful sense of curiosity will make you see new possibilities which are usually not apparent. Briefly, keep an open mind and don’t take things for granted, instead dig deeper.

3. Maintain a skeptical attitude

A healthy dose of professional scepticism is also important in cyber security. In the most basic sense, scepticism is the everyday attitude of doubting but not necessarily denying the truth of generally held beliefs.

Those who are already in cyber security must know that most of what is delivered on the world wide web cannot be trusted. Trying to come up with an answer is not wrong. Being blinded, however, by the need for an immediate solution may be the problem. In other words, don’t take anything for granted, instead validate the truth. In cyber security, you have to remain diligent and show consciousness.

This is an ever-changing occupation, so there will always be something different lurking. Bad actors are always searching for new ways to infiltrate your networks or information. Therefore, maintaining a sceptical attitude would lead to better problem-solving and creativity. Creativity in cyber security is vital to respond to the increasing threat of cybercrime. Finally, look towards new alternatives, change your mind, and you’ll notice that being sceptical helps you see life at work more sharply.

How to boost your cyber security career?

Continuous learning is important in cyber security. You have to constantly refresh yourself. There are many opportunities available that you can use to increase your skillset. Our Cyber Security Specialist with Swiss Federal Diploma will expose you to real-world cyber security challenges from industry experts. In addition to that, we’ll conduct a pre-hire screening with the intention to assist you with your professional career in finding a new job.