Introducing the Cyber Security Skills Career Guide
Entering the world of cyber security can be daunting. I don’t mean this in a “the weight of the world is on my shoulders” way, but more of a “where the hell do I even start?” way.
A lot of the talk around addressing the ‘cyber skills gap’ has focused on only one piece of the puzzle — quantity. What has been missing from the discussion is what should our next generation of security professionals study once they decide to pursue an occupation in the field. There are so many different courses, qualifications and certifications in the industry that finding the right course for a desired career path can feel like finding that one line of buggy code in an app that won’t stop crashing.
That’s why we’ve developed this Cyber Security Skills Guide. You can download it for free by creating an account at https://portal.securitycolony.com.
It’s designed to be a Rosetta Stone of sorts, translating the myriad education options and highlighting which are most suited for particular positions.
For example, if you want to be a Penetration Tester, OSCP is better than CISSP. Hopefully we all know that by now. Others are a bit fuzzier.
It is important, however, to understand that all skills, degrees, courses, and certifications are not set in stone. This document contains our suggestions, backed by an analytical methodology, and based on our own experience and the input of external industry experts.
You will disagree with some of our views. Hell, we disagree with some of our views. But we hadto start somewhere. Let us know what you think and if it makes sense, we’ll adapt.
This document is designed to be a ‘living’ document and its aim is to help the next generation further their careers in cyber security and grow the entire industry.
As well as provide guidance for students just embarking on their journey, this guide also includes suggestions for lateral career transition pathways. The idea is to encourage professionals with general information technology experience, or those occupying non-security related technical roles, to make the shift to cyber.
To this end, only relevant industry recognised cyber security courses — determined through canvassing industry and professional association websites, reviewing certification and qualification literature, researching job boards, and input from industry experts — have been included. The existence of alternative transition pathways is certainly acknowledged, and while none are discouraged, we simply provide one approach that is likely to be effective in consideration of time, effort and money.
In the years and decades to come, more experts will be needed to monitor and secure the emerging hyper-connected society. Hopefully this guide will bring more clarity to those who wish to join our ranks. Please take the time to review it and share it with anyone considering a career in cyber and, of course, let us know if you think we’ve got it wrong (or right).
