Why Women Should Consider Pursuing a Career in Cybersecurity Engineering? At times, it can be challenging to identify the real-life superheroes in our midst, such as intelligence analysts, forensic scientists, and cybersecurity professionals. Yes, cybersecurity professionals! While we may not don capes or wield extraordinary abilities, our responsibility, particularly within the LinkedIn community. Remains vital in protecting our members, clients, and workforce from the constant danger of cyber assaults. In this post, let’s delve into the world of cybersecurity professionals, explore the cybersecurity job market, and highlight why women should seriously consider pursuing a career in cybersecurity engineering.
The Role of Cybersecurity Professionals
In an ever more interconnected world, cybersecurity professionals assume a crucial role in safeguarding digital infrastructures Web Development Unveiled: Behind the Scenes of a Digital World and platforms. These platforms are relied upon by people to enhance productivity, access necessary knowledge for their jobs, and effectively connect with opportunities. From preventing data breaches to thwarting sophisticated hacking attempts. Our work ensures the confidentiality of sensitive information and the uninterrupted operation of critical systems. Additionally, we help evaluate risks, striking a balance between security and business outcomes.
Insights into LinkedIn’s Cybersecurity Market
LinkedIn’s Economic Graph team offers some intriguing insights. The demand for cybersecurity professionals is soaring. With 2.3% of all jobs (September 2022) and 11% of hires in 2021 being for cybersecurity roles. The number of job postings has experienced a 39% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the same period. To bridge this talent shortage, organizations should adopt a skills-first hiring approach and focus on closing the current gender gap.
By embracing a skills-first mindset and removing degree requirements, organizations can significantly expand the pool of available talent. Consider this: while the active cybersecurity workforce represents only 1.16% of the US workforce. Individuals with at least one cybersecurity skill or a relevant certification constitute 6.7% (nearly six times more) of the overall workforce. Hiring based on relevant skills can increase the talent pool by up to 9.4 times globally.
Although closing the gender gap in the cybersecurity workforce requires active intervention, it would add 270,000 people to the candidate pool. Currently, women make up 19.1% of the cybersecurity workforce globally, with men accounting for 80.9%. This represents an increase from the 16.5% recorded five years ago. At the current rate of increase, it would take 30 years to achieve gender parity in the global cybersecurity workforce.
Opportunities for Women in Cybersecurity
While I may not possess the power to accelerate this timeline alone, I’ve been determined to make a difference by driving change within my team at LinkedIn. I’ve built a diverse team consisting of individuals from non-traditional backgrounds, early-career professionals, and nearly half of them are women. This diversity of thought has brought valuable skills such as curiosity, creativity, and communication to our team.
Curiosity fuels the longing to comprehend the inner workings of systems, unveil vulnerabilities, and devise inventive solutions. Meanwhile, creativity empowers the formulation of fresh strategies to fortify defences against constantly evolving threats. Effective communication helps articulate risks, business impact, and mitigation strategies, securing leadership support, resources, and prioritization. As the GRC team is responsible for developing security policies and standards. These skills are essential for ensuring that the security requirements outlined in policies are clear, concise, and understood by all employees.
An Opportunity for You
In honour of the 10th anniversary of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). LinkedIn is offering three free introductory cybersecurity engineering courses for the next 30 days. These courses are designed to equip you with the necessary information to determine if a cybersecurity career is right for you:
- Cybersecurity Foundations: Establishes a sturdy groundwork for you to acquire fundamental knowledge in the field of cybersecurity.
- Cybersecurity Careers and Certifications: Provides comprehensive guidance on initiating and cultivating a thriving professional journey in cybersecurity. Irrespective of your background or existing level of expertise.
- Insights from a Cybersecurity Professional: Provides a personal account of the appeal and responsibilities of working in cybersecurity. Delving into entry-level positions, how to break into the field, and more.
While cybersecurity professionals may not possess superhuman capabilities, our work is equally heroic and significant. While most of it may go unnoticed by our members and customers. I encourage you to seize this opportunity to explore if a career in cybersecurity might be the right path for you. Who knows, you might just be ready to become a cybersecurity superhero in your own right.