Companies are in desperate need of cybersecurity talent—and are willing to pay up for it. For those looking to stand out in this competitive field, earning a master’s degree in cybersecurity can be a valuable step.
To help up-and-coming cybersecurity talent land jobs in the industry, cybersecurity and digital skills training companies ThriveDX and NightDragon announced in late July the launch of the world’s first job search and career platform solely focused on cybersecurity jobs, the Cyber Talent Hub.
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Cybersecurity salaries typically range from $85,000 to $130,000 per year, according to the New England Institute of Technology, but research done by tech and digital recruiting firm Mondo shows that many of these jobs pay well into the $200,000s and up.
“We often see that cybersecurity skills carry a significant salary premium in some cases on the order of $10,000, $15,000, or more” than other technical roles, Will Markow, vice president of applied research–talent at Emsi Burning Glass, previously told Fortune.
Globally there are 3.5 million unfilled jobs, according to Cybersecurity Ventures. And in the U.S. alone, there are about 1 million cybersecurity workers, but there were around 715,000 jobs yet to be filled as of November 2021, according to a report by Lightcast, a market research company.
“It takes a village to address an immense industrywide challenge such as the cybersecurity skills gap,” Dave DeWalt, founder and managing director of investment firm NightDragon, said in a statement.
The Cyber Talent Hub, which has a goal to “attract, retain, foster, and continuously develop cyber talent,” is hosted by corporate and educational sponsors, including Carahsoft, Exclusive Networks, Ingram Micro, Jacobs, Kyndryl, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Mandiant, Marsh, and educators:
“Solving the most critical cybersecurity challenges starts with attracting, developing, and retaining the right people and providing them with the best-in-class training and technology to do their jobs best,” Brian O’Donnell, Carahsoft vice president of cybersecurity solutions, said in a statement. “With the threat landscape continuing to expand both in sophistication and frequency, the time has never been better for us to join forces with other industry leaders to shape this first-of-its-kind talent hub and increase our pipeline of exceptional tech talent that is ready and able to tackle the challenges ahead.”
How the hub works
The platform is mutually beneficial: Cybersecurity professionals will have access to job postings, and companies will have access to a pool of qualified applicants—some of whom will come directly from participating university programs. The Cyber Talent Hub will host people who are trained and interested in cybersecurity careers and then match them with employer partners who are looking to hire.
Learn more:How to become a cybersecurity specialist
“There is a growing global urgency to present new routes that enable access to employment opportunities and skill-building avenues,” Barbara Massa, executive vice president and chief of business operations at cybersecurity firm Mandiant, said in a statement. “Tackling the cybersecurity skills gap as a collective group of industry leaders, employers, and educational institutions opens up a whole new diverse talent pool.”
The Cyber Talent Hub also includes access to cybersecurity upskilling training by ThriveDX. In February, the company announced it had secured a $100 million growth-funding round to expand its cybersecurity training and upskilling offerings.
“With this, we’ll make a significant impact in closing the cybersecurity skills gap and opening up the opportunity of entering the digital industry to learners from all backgrounds,” Dan Vigdor, founder and co-CEO of ThriveDX, said in a statement.
Still interested in a job in cybersecurity? Here are the highest-paying jobs in the field.
Hawai‘i Pacific University MS in Cybersecurity
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The online MS in Cybersecurity program from Hawai‘i Pacific University prepares students to defend their organization from data breaches, strengthen their résumé by taking key certification exams, and advance their career as responsible leaders in cybersecurity.
