Technology is expanding its reach over our daily lives and
is becoming increasingly necessary in modern society. While change can be
daunting, it brings new opportunities that did not exist when we were much
younger, or even just a few years ago. This opens the door for new and exciting
(not to mention realistic) careers we can chase, like cybersecurity.
Twenty years ago, society and the media focused on the Y2K
bug and ensuring computers would survive the transition from 12/31/1999 to
1/1/2000. Currently, technology headlines are dominated by breaches and
ransomware attacks, directly impacting people everywhere. It is evident that
the cybersecurity field needs capable professionals now more than ever.
You may be interested in becoming one of those people, or
know a student or colleague that may have interest in this area. Let’s explore
transitioning into the cybersecurity field, what skills are needed, and what
career pathways are available.
Consider the skills and talents you use every day. Aside
from technical abilities, many skills that transfer into the field of
cybersecurity may surprise you. Communication and writing skills lend to
effectively conveying the risk to all levels of an organization. The ability to
analyze data gives an advantage when defining metrics. Attention to detail
helps when analyzing legislation or conducting digital forensics.
As the field of cybersecurity continues to explode, more and
more positions and pathways are created. It is important to note that
cybersecurity can be broken into two distinct focus areas: security management
and security operations. Management focuses on policies, procedures, education
initiatives, and the governance around all elements of a security program.
Operations on the other hand, focuses more on the technical side of security
such as device management, penetration testing, event monitoring, etc. While
considering your path, think about which option appeals to you more.
Although cybersecurity was not as common or distinct of a
career path in the distant past, we are seeing it more prominently represented
as an option in education. The need to introduce children to cybersecurity at a
young age becomes critical to help fill the skills gap in the field. At the
college level, Bureau of Information & Telecommunications (BIT) has
partnered with Dakota State University (DSU) to introduce its first Cyber
Residency Program. The goal of this program is to create an educational path to
promote cybersecurity and recruit students to compete in the cyber world. Read
more about this program here.
If you are interested in becoming a cyber professional, now
is the time to do it! BIT is looking to fill positions throughout the organization,
and we’d love to have you on our team. Check out our job opportunities today.
Providing RESOURCES. Creating COMMUNICATION. Sharing SUCCESS.