5 Reasons Why You Should Consider a Cyber Security Career Path in APAC

Our lives are becoming increasingly reliant on being connected to an online world. Whether we realise it consciously or not, we are always either being asked for our personal information or giving it away in return for goods or services.

As we forge a new way of living in 2021, in a new COVID-normal, we are engaged in the online exchange of information more than ever, through an increase in online shopping, studying, working, news engagement, or staying connected to friends, family and the world around us through social media.

This exposes us to the increased risk of cybercriminals accessing our Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Payment Card Information (PCI) and other sensitive data through a myriad of online vectors. Romeo Farinacci mentions, in his TED talk, Why Cybersecurity is Important! that, “If the bad people get hold of this information, they can actually pervert what we are doing and who we are, and actually change our image. Change what we are trying to represent. Modify the truth.” Cyber security experts are being called upon to help stop the exploitation of customers’ online information and to prevent sensitive information from falling into the hands of cyber threat actors.

The Check Point Software Technologies Cyber Attack Trends Mid Year Report 2021 highlights the 29% increase in cyber-attacks against organisations globally, just in the first half of this year. Across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, there has been a 13% increase in cyber-attacks since the beginning of the year, which is 1338 weekly attacks per organisation. As governments and industries respond to these increasing cyber threats, there has never been a greater demand for starting a cyber security career path in APAC.

Let’s have a look at 5 compelling reasons that you should look into a cyber security career path in APAC:

1. Cyber security career paths offer competitive salaries

Cyber security needs to support the business’ goals. As organisations face significant risk in cost impact, compounded with the reputational impact of cyber-attacks they are increasingly dependant on cyber security professionals to work on preventing, detecting, and responding to cyber security issues, cyber events, and cyber incidents. This has resulted in companies seeking the best talent in the cyber security jobs space, amidst a shortage of qualified cyber security candidates. With a quickly evolving and diverse range of skills required by cyber professionals, the cyber jobs sector is offering very attractive salaries and benefits.

In their Australian Cyber Security Salary Guide 2021 The Decipher Bureau stated they believe, “We will likely see a continued fight for talent and a further increase in salaries until the challenge of migration is addressed and the training and development of local talent are developed to meet the ever-increasing requirements.”

Cyber security has secured a place in the top ten best paying jobs in the Australian tech industry. As the proliferation of cyber-attacks continues, salaries for cyber security specialists continue to deliver strong growth and highs with the current average base pay in Australia at $140,000 per year, and entry level jobs starting from $70,000 per year, according to Glassdoor statistics as at August 2021.

2. Enjoy job security with a cyber security career path

There are no surprises that the job outlook for cyber security professionals will be bright for a very long time. Studies show that currently, in 2021, the cyber security industry globally has over 4 million open, unfilled positions. The study by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) additionally recognises that the industry will triple in size year on year through 2022. Companies are constantly on the lookout for talented cyber security professionals to help provide a secure digital environment for all their stakeholders and to have clear visibility into organisational risks. Joining the cyber community at this time is a smart move, where job longevity, security and a very long list of opportunities and pathways exists.

With the cyber security jobs industry growth also comes the need for more professionals with a broad range of soft skills and other less cyber-technical qualifications to support the booming industry. There are many jobs within cyber security that you may not have thought about.

Entering this space at this time would be a smart move in terms of long-term job stability and security.

3. Upskilling to cyber security career path will open up a multitude of job prospects

By upskilling yourself in cyber security skills you will be exposed to several cyber security career paths in the space, as there are a number of types of organisations to work for and pathways to follow. The cyber security industry’s typical jobs that demand cyber security skills have a range of titles listed on job boards. According to a CompTIA blog on the 10th of June 2021, CyberSeek advises that the top cyber security job titles are: 

• Cyber Security Analyst
• Cyber Security Consultant
• Cyber Security Manager / Administrator
• Software Developer / Engineer
• Systems Engineer
• Network Engineer / Architect
• Vulnerability Analyst / Penetration Tester
• Cyber Security Specialist / Technician
• Incident Analyst / Responder 

Most of these job roles mentioned above demand common skills in cyber security such as cyber security fundamentals, incident handling, response, firewall / IDS / IPS skills, SIEM management, application security development, intrusion detection, analytics and intelligence, advanced malware prevention, cloud computing and so on. Depending on the industry sector or pathway you pursue, and the job role that interests you most of these skills plus additional industry-relevant skills will help you to perform well in the cyber security industry. You can read more on top cyber security jobs here.

4. Perks of upward mobility with a cyber security job

With the right skills in cyber security, the possibilities of growth are endless both in terms of your career path and the opportunities to learn. The current workload in the field of cyber security means that cyber security teams are quickly scaling up. There are abundant opportunities for professionals in the cyber security space to take advantage of. Your desire to work with new technologies and showcase superior skills in the much sought-after soft skills, such as creative problem-solving, can make your journey towards the top in reaching roles like a lead Penetration Tester or a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) easier and quicker. 

The right mindset coupled with strong technical and non-technical skills can lead you to a career path in cyber security that has endless opportunities and rewards worth considering. 

5. Work in a booming Industry

Cyber security has been booming globally over the last decade and will continue to boom into the next decade. There is no slowing down in the number of devices connecting to the internet, and as long as there is connectivity, the risk of cyber-crime remains. The Monster.com article 

The Future of Cybersecurity Jobs, highlights there will be job growth of 37% annually through to 2022, highlighting that working in cyber security is a vocation of the future. Working in this industry will open a number of avenues in terms of higher salaries, learning new technologies, expanding your existing skillset, improving leadership skills and increased opportunities in a variety of industries to work in. 

Here is a list of the top 5 industries looking for cyber security professionals:

• Banking
• Finance
• Information Technology
• Insurance
• Management 

With a zero unemployment rate in the field of cyber security and solid remunerations on offer, cyber security continues to be one of the most in-demand jobs of the century. You will not be bored as every day there will be new puzzles to solve, new challenges to be addressed and a positive impact to create. 

Find out how getting job-ready trained in the Institute of Data Cyber Security Program can help you build a career in the Cyber Security Industry. Click here to schedule a call.