The world we live in is quickly changing, and so are our needs for security. In the digital age, banks need fewer and fewer vaults, businesses have a need for fewer guards, and governments need less top-secret files delivered by fedora-wearing agents lurking in the shadows. What all of these entities need instead is greater cybersecurity.
More specifically, they need educated professionals with master’s degrees who know how to provide it. With an unemployment rate of negative two percent, there is an unprecedented demand for Cybersecurity professionals. Earning an MBA in Cybersecurity will make you indispensable to one of the many career paths this industry offers. While there are hundreds of reasons that you might want to work in this growing field, here are our top three.
You are in high-demand
The Cybersecurity Industry is booming and is in need of a larger workforce. The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) estimated a shortfall of over two million cybersecurity professionals in 2019, and that number is growing! This includes information security analysts, risk management professionals, and cybersecurity managers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has projected a 37 percent increase in information security jobs by the end of 2020. This places professionals who are entering the job market in a very favorable position as the companies hiring for information and cybersecurity just can’t hire enough.
These companies understand the value of high-quality security and are willing to pay for it. BLS reports that the entry-level annual salary for 2018 was $88,000 with many employees being able to triple that amount with three-to-five years of experience. The mean annual salary was reported to be $102,470 for the same year. With estimated job openings at six million and counting, it’s easy to see why so many people are seeking a job in the security field.
You do important work
Global spending on information security is currently at $81.6 billion and growing. Why? Because companies around the world all understand the importance of protecting their data and the cost of what happens if they don’t. The estimated global cost of cyberattacks is currently $21 trillion and growing while the average global cost of data breaches is at $3.8 million. Beyond these colossal numbers lies something else, though: the livelihood of everyday people. Whether the hackers behind these cyberattacks are going after money, trade secrets, or private information, these costs pose real dangers to people. This makes the role of information security (and the people behind it) incredibly important.
While these numbers are staggering, it’s important to remember that for every successful cyberattack or hack there were a million others that were stopped by the cybersecurity industry. Companies understand this and for that reason they are doubling down on their investments in creating secure networks, creating a lush job market for security professionals.
Your options are almost limitless
Choosing to work in this field can open a gateway to almost any industry, and that’s because of the fact that it’s something that every single industry has a need for. The cybersecurity market is expected to grow to $170 billion by the end of 2020, and with that growth comes a plethora of roles that need to be filled. And this means so much more than just coding. Working in the security industry can take many forms depending on your individual skillset and specialization. With everything from PR to HR, marketing to quality control, this industry has a wide range of needs to be filled and is hungry to find people to fill them.
The most direct path to a career in cybersecurity is through education, and completing an MBA program in Cybersecurity could get you there.
