A further 11% growth is expected for the global cybersecurity market size in 2023, reaching close to $224 billion, while cyberattacks have been growing by almost 40% last year, making cybersec one of the eight fastest career paths worldwide.
But how hard is it to learn the required skills, what qualifications are needed, and how long does it take to start a career in cybersecurity as a beginner with no previous experience?
All legit questions that Gregory Tomasik will answer in this interview with Roberto Popolizio and SafetyDetectives, sharing his expertise and the data gathered as the founder of several job boards focused on dev jobs, among which DevITjobs.uk deserves an honorable mention.
You will be quite surprised to learn that cybersecurity is a more beginner-friendly career than you think, and with Greg’s tips your chances to get your first job in cybersecurity will definitely get higher.
Greg, from your data, how quickly is the demand for cybersecurity professionals growing and what are the most in-demand positions?
We haven’t collected data regarding YoY popularity growth, but currently around 15% of all jobs on our platforms mention cybersecurity in the description.
The demand for specialists shows up also in salary statistics (because each job must have salary brackets) and security is one of the Top 3 best paid categories with an average salary of: 121’500 CHF in Switzerland, 81’000 EUR in Germany, 65’500 £ in the UK and 141’000 $ in the US.
This is just the average salary, while the top 10% can earn up to 2x the amount.
What tools, certifications and skills are essential to a cybersecurity professional?
The cybersecurity industry is quite broad when it comes to tooling, skills and certifications. Similarly, in Software Engineering you also don’t have one tool that fits all, but different solutions for different niches.
In cybersecurity you have different areas like: cloud security, pentesting, security consulting, data security, among others – and each of them requires a different skill set and tools.
A good recommendation is to check what the companies require in the job advertisements.
So would you say that even a non IT person with zero coding skills can learn cybersecurity and pursue a career?
It is definitely possible and doable. Coding experience can help in transitioning to cybersecurity, but you can also manage without it.
The most important requirement is a passion for learning and approaching problems from an analytical perspective. To keep up with new things, you need to be living and breathing the industry. It’s not something that you can do lighthearted.
Can one learn cyber security on his own?
Yes, many cybersecurity experts learned the ropes by themselves. I cannot speak from my own experience, because I come from a Software Engineering background, but you actually have to start on your own to learn about how computers, networks and different systems work.
In your experience, what are the best entry-level cyber security jobs?
As mentioned, there is no one-size-fits-all job in cybersecurity, it all depends on what sparks your interest.
And which countries are best for cybersecurity experts looking for jobs?
We are currently present on the Swiss, German, UK, Romanian, Dutch and US markets and each country has some interesting opportunities. It’s good to consider the whole picture: family & friends, culture, public services & taxes, environment.
My personal recommendation is Switzerland which has a nice mix of being a stable and developed country with amazing nature (lakes, mountains) and nice salaries & taxes.
Lastly, do you think AI will replace cybersecurity people?
Similarly, like in Software Engineering, I believe that AI will serve as a tool for cybersecurity specialists and enable them to reach 10x productivity. It might replace some repetitive roles but unless AI reaches consciousness, we should be safe 🙂