Cybersecurity specialists must remain up to date with changes in the field by researching emerging threats and fixes. One of the primary responsibilities of a cybersecurity specialist is to keep tabs on the systems employed by their organization and report any issues to management. They are also responsible for anticipating future threats and advising on how to deal with them. We recommend that you align these goals with your personality, interests, and values, as this will ensure your career choice will be rewarding and fulfilling. If you have any uncertainties about the education, experience, knowledge, or skills you need for a security specialist role, be sure to get in touch with the recruiter directly.

• Many businesses gather information from their customers, so customers need to feel that their data is in safe hands.
• Networking can also help professionals advance their skills and roles in the industry.
• She should always conduct her research in this field and be up to dated.
• A Cybersecurity Analyst enacts cybersecurity measures designed to protect and secure IT infrastructure including networks, hardware, and software from threats, attacks, and malicious actors.

Your responsibility will require you to have a variety of skills, such as vulnerability assessments and excellent communication. You should earn this one after working in cybersecurity for at least five years. Security trainers educate employees on the best practices in cybersecurity and ways to avoid compromising the organization’s safety. Applying for a CISA certificate requires five years of experience in IS or IT audit, assurance, security, or control. In contrast, a four-year degree takes the place of two years of experience.

Learn the Skills You Need to Become a IT Security Specialist

If you’d like to train to become a cyber security specialist, you should obtain a 4-year bachelor’s degree in computer programming, computer science, information science or computer engineering. Bureau of Labor Statistics , relevant work experience combined with certification may be sufficient for employment (). Learn about education and certification requirements, job duties and salary to find out if this is the career for you.

• SQL injections into an application’s database that give criminal actors access to sensitive data.
• Combine this upward growth in the industry with thezero percent unemployment rate, and the result is a white-hot job market that featuressix-figure salaries.
• This role also involves reporting to more senior members of the IT team and presenting any findings and recommendations.
• Today, mobile security is a vast field, as people now rely more on mobile devices than ever.
• Cybercrimes have seen an unprecedented increase over the last couple of years.
• Software that can assist you in this task includes Kali Linux, nmap, Metasploit, Wireshark, and John the Ripper.

Questions can vary depending on the position and what the specific company is looking for, Pollard said. As you move how to become a security specialist up the ranks, the questions may become more about leadership, running a program, conflict resolution, and budgeting.

How Do I Become a Security Specialist?

As a new cybersecurity graduate and employee, you probably already know that your knowledge and skills are in extremely high demand. The career outlook for people in your profession is predicted to grow 31% between 2019 and 2029; this is much higher than the growth rates for all other occupations. The actual employment of information cybersecurity professionals is expected to grow by 56% during the same time period. With more and more companies turning to the cloud to store data, cyber thieves will try to attack these accounts. During a cybersecurity internship, you won’t just be filing paperwork or answering phones; you will actually be training in the roles which you’ve been learning so much about in your classes. This, along with any part-time jobs in IT or systems security, will give you the experience you need for your first cybersecurity position once you graduate from school.