Is Cybersecurity Hard to Learn? 5 Tips for Success

Before starting this article, we must emphasize that cybersecurity is one of the most changing security areas.

The nature of cybersecurity issues makes cybersecurity essential for modern systems. But that doesn’t answer the question. So, is cyber security hard to learn?

The answer is a firm YES. Few areas in IT and security combine the learning difficulties of modern cybersecurity practices and the technical skills necessary to stop threats.

Becoming a cybersecurity professional takes hard work and years of experience. Calling yourself a cybersecurity expert also requires cybersecurity certifications. So, we’ll give you our five tips to succeed as a cybersecurity professional. Let’s start.

Get A Cybersecurity Certificate

A college education isn’t necessarily essential to becoming a cybersecurity professional. Like other IT spheres, you can be an expert without a degree. But what most in the cybersecurity community have is a certificate.

These range from beginner to advanced certificates, and each one specifically gives you the requirements.

For example, some cyber security certifications require you to have five years of working experience in the field. On the other hand, some certificates teach you the basics of the industry.

Generally speaking, a degree in computer science will greatly aid your path to becoming a cyber security professional. But these certificates can guarantee employment and salary raises. Here is a guide on the best cybersecurity certificates to boost your salary.

Stay Up To Date With Industry Experts

One of the best methods for learning cyber security is to follow the experts. While an expert can be anyone with enough influence over their audience, there are enough experts out there that provide valuable information for anyone who wants to learn cyber security.

In addition, following these people is essential to stay up to date with the industry. They provide essential knowledge on recent dealings, emerging cyber security threats, technologies, and cyber security concepts, and can even recommend a cyber security course.

Join the Wider Cybersecurity Community

Much like any IT community, the cybersecurity community is the bread and butter for learning cyber security. It can also be a great starting point in your career.

You can connect with all kinds of experts and professionals if you join the right circle. There are both networking opportunities and job opportunities if you find the right people.

While you won’t be instantly eager to work in the field with no prior knowledge, the same logic applies as the previous point — these groups can recommend courses and certifications to begin your cyber security career.

Never Stop Learning

What makes cyber security hard to learn is that it never stops developing and improving. Threat actors never sleep and work tirelessly to uncover new ways to compromise systems. That means cyber security professionals must also dedicate an equal amount of time to stop these threats.

That’s why working in cybersecurity requires not only technical knowledge but devotion and eagerness to never stop learning. Simply said, you learn something new every day by following the right channels and people.

Learn How Hackers Think

There’s a concept in cybersecurity called “Ethical Hacking.” Ethical hacking might sound illegal, but it’s actually not. Independent security researchers call it a learning concept where cybersecurity threats get uncovered by changing the way experts think.

Essentially, ethical hacking means thinking like a hacker and detecting vulnerabilities in a system or organization’s infrastructure to stop emerging threats.

After all, hackers constantly look for exploits to compromise systems and networks. What better way to stop that than to look for these same vulnerabilities yourself?

Then, you can initiate the process of patching the vulnerabilities and close the door to potential threats. Remember that the cyber security industry never sleeps.

So make sure to use the right cybersecurity tools and methods to stop emerging threats. You can practice ethical hacking as one of many methods to stop threat actors.

What Are the Highest-Paying Security Jobs?

If you’re thinking about learning cyber security, being aware of the top-paying jobs will help you narrow your options and better prepare. So, here are the best and highest-paying jobs.

Information security analyst

Information security analysts make anywhere between $60,000 and $170,000 annually. Of course, the more experienced you get and the more soft skills you acquire, the easier to reach the salary mark.

Security engineer

Easily the most popular job in cybersecurity is a security engineer. Security engineers are technically skilled individuals with expert cyber security skills to design and create security systems. The salary for security engineers averages between $80,000 and $150,000.

Security architect

One of the best-paying jobs in cybersecurity is a security architect/designer. These people are tasked with designing, testing, and implementing security issues. Therefore, expect a salary between $120,000 and $160,000.

Conclusion

That concludes this guide on cybersecurity and whether it’s hard to learn it. In addition, we’ve given you five tips to help you learn cybersecurity and outlined some of the industry’s most popular and highest-paying jobs.

We hope this guide was useful and encourages you to try cybersecurity.