4 Ways To Prepare For A Cybersecurity Career Outside The Classroom
Cybersecurity is an essential field in this new technology-driven era. Yet employers often struggle to fill cybersecurity roles with qualified professionals. In fact, every year, around 40,000 jobs go unfilled. You deserve one of these roles, but you do need to be qualified and prepared to earn the position. Education and training are essential, but they are only the beginning for genuine success. Learn what you can do outside the classroom to make yourself a more competitive candidate.
1. Follow the News
The news is an excellent source of information. In fact, news coverage is often a great place to learn about new ideas and concepts, including those that involve cybersecurity. Grab a copy of your local newspaper and follow the technology section. Scan over the paper from time to time to learn about any security bust or new technology that has been introduced to the industry.
2. Play Some Games
You probably never thought that playing games could help you gain greater success in your career, but games can actually help. Log onto your computer and look for capture-the-flag games, or CTG. Capture-the-flag games are all about resolution in that they start off with the end result of a problem, and it's up to you to figure out what happened, how it occurred, and who played a role. These games are great for putting your skills about computer forensics and cryptography to the test.
3. Read About Psychology
Cyber-attacks always involve one thing — motivation. The person behind the attack always has a reason why they've chosen to engage in this activity. Psychology is helpful because it helps you understand a lot about human reasoning and their subsequent actions. If you can get to the motive of the attacker, you may be able to thwart a largescale attack and better protect your clients from an attack in the future.
4. Improve Your Communication Skills
A career in cybersecurity can take you anywhere from a large corporation to a hospital. However, no matter the environment, you need to be able to communicate with your clients about what you're doing to protect them and about any attacks you've discovered in a way that is easier for them to understand. Work to improve both your verbal and nonverbal communication skills to ensure you're up for the task.
Whatever you do – get moving. There is no shortage of cybersecurity positions. You just have to prepare yourself and apply.
