Originally Posted on INCYBERDEFENSE: Cybersecurity has become one of the hottest jobs over the past few years, exhibiting high wage and employment growth. However, recent research from Emsi has found that the U.S. has less than half the cybersecurity candidates that it needs to handle increasing demand.
The cybersecurity skills gap is a problem for not only organizations that cannot find the proper talent, but also the country as a whole. As the digital economy expands, safe and secure digital infrastructure is integral for maintaining economic growth and human flourishing. Malicious cyber attacks lead to stolen revenues, uncertainty, public mistrust, and a vulnerable economic and national security base.
Filling The Talent Pipeline
The U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission was created in 2019 to “develop a consensus on a strategic approach to defending the United States cyberspace against cyber attacks of significant consequences.” In their July report, they argued that chronic shortages for cybersecurity talent are driven “by a need for personnel that have specific cybersecurity skills and experience, but they are complicated by government hiring, training, and development pathways that are not well-suited to recruit and retain those personnel.”
Fortunately, thanks to a recent executive order by the White House in June, the federal government will begin prioritizing hires based on skills, rather than degrees. Particularly in the cybersecurity landscape where the technology is evolving so rapidly, traditional computer science and related degree programs are expensive and time intensive.
That’s where EdTech companies have cropped up to provide invaluable educational services at low cost and high flexibility. Datacamp, for example, provides arguably the best experience for learning programming languages. With an especially low price of roughly $150/year due to an unparalleled discount, you can access personalized learning resources and a digital community.
But, not everyone is going to become a cybersecurity expert. So, what can we do to promote best practices within the cyber community?
