With the increasing threat of cyberattacks, the demand for top trained IT security experts is rising. This is a good development, as there are significantly more vacancies than applicants, and IT security experts are urgently needed to protect companies, primary care providers or governments from criminal cyberattacks! However, job titles are often fuzzy and don't always clearly delineate one from another. The danger: cybersecurity experts end up in a job that doesn't match their skills and desires. Or employers hire experts who cannot perform what they are needed for.
In the following blog article, you'll learn how the job market for cybersecurity experts is evolving, what cybersecurity jobs are out there, and how to find the right job for your skills.
High demand for cybersecurity experts
According to the Cyber Security Council Germany, there are 300,000 new malware programs every day, and the digital association Bitkom estimates the damage caused by criminal cyber attacks at 223 billion euros per year. It can be assumed that the demand for IT security experts will continue to rise. This is because the increasing digitization of the state, the economy and society is providing criminals with more and more targets for their digital attacks. The crimes target computer systems, networks and data, but also end devices such as computers, tablets, notebooks and smartphones. The cybercriminals are not only trying to paralyze entire systems and companies, they are also blackmailing companies, public authorities and private individuals with their crimes. Banks, the healthcare sector and energy suppliers are particularly at risk. Cybersecurity experts are particularly urgently needed in these sectors.
According to estimates, there is a shortage of around 4 million IT security experts worldwide - in various industries, for specific problems and security issues, with corresponding professions and specializations.
In which areas do cybersecurity experts work?
Basically, cybersecurity jobs can be divided into the following areas:
- Architecture: IT security experts who work as architects manage and design secure systems.
- Engineering: Those who work as IT security engineers primarily program and develop new security systems.
- Analysis: Analysts monitor, analyze and document data.
- Penetration/Testing: Those who work in the field of penetration or testing search for and hack security vulnerabilities.
- Forensics: Forensic experts are the criminologists among IT security experts: They search for digital traces and help solve crimes.
- Consulting: As the name suggests, consulting focuses on security issues.
- Sales: All those who work in sales sell products that improve the IT security of a company, etc.
Test yourself: How well do your skills match your current job? Is your current job exactly what you hoped to do in cybersecurity? If you're looking for a better fit, recruiting experts who specialize in cybersecurity can help. They know the industry and will work with you to find out where the next level is waiting for you.
What cybersecurity jobs suit you and how do you find suitable jobs?
There are only a few protected job titles in the cybersecurity field - this leads to overlaps between the various jobs and makes it difficult to draw clear boundaries. A cybersecurity consultant, like an IT security analyst, must know programming languages. A security architect develops new security systems, which a security engineer also does. Penetration testers are the same as pentesters, often referred to as ethical hackers or white hat hackers - which can be the same thing, but are not always. Just don't confuse them with black hat hackers under any circumstances! And a Data Protection Officer is nothing more than a Data Security Officer - English job titles predominate in the industry, which makes the distinction even more difficult.
Job descriptions or a job profile therefore often say more than the mere job title. If you are looking for a job as a cybersecurity expert or want to change jobs, you must therefore look very carefully through job advertisements and ask specific questions in the interview to ensure that the ideas of both sides actually match.
However, if the employer does not have any IT experts, it is often not that easy. This is often the case with smaller or medium-sized companies that have no or only a small IT department.
Here's how to find the cybersecurity job that's right for you!
Recruiting agencies that specialize in the industry can act as a link to find out in advance how the requirements of the applicant, his skills and expectations of the employer best match. This helps avoid bad hires - both for the company, but especially for you as a cybersecurity expert. After all, you can only realize your full potential if you can actually use your skills.
Conclusion
The threat from cyberattacks is high. The demand for IT security experts is correspondingly high. Although cybersecurity jobs can be categorized into specific professions, there are many overlaps. Job descriptions therefore often say more than the job title itself - especially since smaller or medium-sized employers are usually not experts in this field themselves. Specialized recruiting agencies mediate, advise and can bring both sides together in a perfect fit.
If you want to learn more about cybersecurity jobs and find out where you're most likely to fit in, our Cybersecurity Jobbook will give you a good guide to which job is right for you. Use the checklist to match your skills and find answers to the question of whether you should keep your current job or look around the job market.
