Page 53 - Cyber Warnings

Cybersecurity Offers New Career Path for Veterans

By Sarah Brown

Veterans looking for the next step on their career path may find the perfect job match in the field
of cybersecurity. With or without cybersecurity experience, nearly all veterans have skills that
meet the basic requirements of the booming cybersecurity industry — and new programs are
going after those skills to help fill thousands of open positions nationwide.

Explosive Growth in the Cybersecurity Industry

Cybersecurity, a relatively new field, deals with information protection in the virtual realm. It is
also behind operating system and other updates for software and mobile devices.

Cybersecurity threats are growing and cybersecurity professionals create fixes to keep data for
both companies and individuals safe.

According to Burning Glass Technologies, a Boston firm that develops technology to help match
people with jobs, cybersecurity jobs are growing three times faster than other IT jobs. In 2014,
there were more than 238,000 jobs posted in cybersecurity, accounting for 11 percent of all IT
openings.

The Peninsula Press at Stanford University conducted a more recent analysis of cybersecurity
job listings and found over 200,000 jobs left unfilled as of March 2015.

This trend shows no signs of slowing down. “The demand for the [cybersecurity] workforce is
expected to rise to six million (globally) by 2019, with a projected shortfall of 1.5 million,”
according to estimates by Symantec, a leader in software security.

Driving the demand is the increased incidence of major security breaches and evolving
technology.

Cyber-attacks like the Ashley Madison hack, which exposed usernames, passwords, email
addresses, credit card and PayPal account information, and details of more than 9.6 million
transactions, have created a new urgency around information security.

With so much at stake, it’s no wonder that demand for cybersecurity personnel is high. It also
makes sense that companies are looking to capitalize on the skills and training of former military
servicemen and women.

53 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – May 2016 Edition
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