How Long Does It Take To Learn Cyber Security?
How long does it take to learn cyber security? There isn’t any one specific answer to this question. Depending on your current knowledge and skills it could take a few months to learn the basics with an intensive training program or may take a couple of years of learning in your spare time.
This is partly because there isn’t really an end to your education. With a continual stream of news, new technology, new tools, and new vulnerabilities you’ll never find yourself in a position where you know everything.
How Long Does It Take To Learn Cyber Security To Start A Career?
The more specific question may be, “How long does it take to learn cyber security, to start a career?” or “How much do I need to learn to start a career in cyber security?”
Depending on where your current experience is with Computer Science and Computer Security, you may want to start applying for junior positions immediately or may want to develop a solid foundation of cyber security skills first.
This process can take a couple of months or a couple of years depending on how much time you have available to dedicate to your education, how much you can afford to spend on educational resources, and your ability to understand the material.
The following are a few routes to start your career path, through training, certifications, and entry-level positions and how long it can take to get started with each one.
What Do I Need To Learn For Cyber Security?
Career Paths Within Cyber Security
There are multiple career paths within the cybersecurity industry, and the skills you need for each can vary, particularly with some of the more niche positions.
Cyber security can often be divided up into a few broad categories. There are defensive security careers, where you will learn to secure and defend different systems against cyber security threats.
Offensive security careers, where you will learn cyber security from the perspective of an attacker, identify vulnerabilities, and learn how to exploit these issues, then provide advice and guidance on how to fix these issues.
There is also a cyber security development career path, where you will program and develop the tools that others use for offensive or defensive practices.
For many careers, there will likely be a blend of different tasks and responsibilities that incorporate multiple skills from each of the broad categories and further encourage the need for continuous learning.
Key Subjects To Learn In Cyber Security
While there are multiple careers and routes to learning cyber security, there are typically some fundamentals or core subjects that apply to all careers.
A large part of cyber security is understanding the underlying technology that is in use, how it works, and how to identify potential security issues.
The following post covers the foundational understanding that cyber security requires in more detail, but some of the core topics that can apply to most careers are:
- Network Technical knowledge and Network Security
- Different Operating Systems and Operating System Commands
- Cloud Computing
- Digital Forensics and Data Storage
- Cryptography
- Programming Languages
- Databases
- Web Applications
- Risk And Compliance
To begin learning these types of subjects there are both freely available resources, discussed in more detail here, and also paid for certifications routes, discussed in further detail here.
Studying The Topics Necessary For Your Career
If you have a specific type of career in mind and want to start studying toward this career path, it is worth reviewing job listings for this type of career to understand the qualifications, skills, and experience that are needed to apply.
It is unlikely that you will be able to learn everything there is to know related to cyber security, and most careers don’t require you to know everything.
By tailoring your cyber security education to the skills that are required for your desired career, you can shorten the time you’ll need to study and start applying for junior positions earlier.
Talking with Industry Specialists and Security Experts
There are many cyber security conferences and events which take place throughout the year. If you are able to attend any of these events and are comfortable socializing, there are many people who give talks or attend who already work as a cyber security expert.
Talking with people who are currently working in the industry is a great way to understand the route they took to get started, what type of qualifications or courses they recommend, and any job openings that they are aware of.
Different Options To Learn Cyber Security
Cyber Security Degree
To get started in cyber security, there are multiple ways to enter the industry. Many colleges and universities offer cyber security courses and bachelor’s degree programs where you can study cyber security and the modules necessary to learn the basic security principles you’ll need for your first junior positions in the industry.
With degrees typically taking several years to complete and often coming with a high price tag, this may be worth considering before you enroll.
Cyber Security Bootcamps
There are also cyber security boot camps that have been set up to provide an intensive training course to be delivered over three to six months. If you are able to work quickly, these courses can offer an accelerated program to learn the necessary skills to start your career in cyber security.
Bootcamps can also have a high cost associated with them, and it is recommended to find courses that offer a recognized cyber security certificate as part of the training course. This will ensure you have an industry-known certification at the end of the training program.
Cyber Security Certifications
There are a variety of cyber security certifications available for beginners in the industry. Many certification bodies offer different qualifications that can be picked up regardless of your current knowledge base and experience.
This allows absolute beginners to learn the basics of IT and computer science, and continue on to learn cyber security concepts and more advanced defensive and exploitative skills.
To get started with some IT skills there are courses such as CompTIA A+ which is recommended to take around 9-12 months studying and preparing. Training labs for qualifications such as this are also available.
The overall time will depend upon how quickly each person progresses through the training material and feels confident enough to purchase the exams.
Free Online Training Resources
Multiple training resources have been developed that are freely accessible or have free tiers available as part of a paid-for platform.
The freely available resources cover each of the core topics involved in understanding cyber security but can be spread out over different platforms making free options a little more dispersed.
However, if your funds are limited and you can spare some additional time to learn the necessary topics, it is possible to learn on a budget.
Depending on your current level of knowledge and the time you have available, consistently learning on your own for short periods each week may take around 12-24 months to cover the information to a sufficient understanding.
Cyber Security Practical Training
If you have already learned many of the core topics involved with cyber security but want to gain some practical experience testing vulnerabilities and using different tools before applying for your first junior position in cyber security there are training platforms developed for this purpose.
These platforms have free tiers available for limited use but also have paid-for options to access more of the training labs.
Depending on your level of experience and how much time you can dedicate to these platforms on a regular basis, learning practical skills on these platforms for a few months while still applying for junior positions can be useful.
Bug Bounty Programs
If you are looking for more practical experience in cyber security beyond training labs, Bug bounty programs might be a solution for some real-world experience.
With a Bug Bounty, companies have registered their assets onto the platform which they want to have security testing conducted against. If vulnerabilities are identified in the asset, and the information is reported to the company they will pay out a bounty for the information.
There are caveats with this type of testing. First of all, make sure not to stray outside of the defined scope for what is permitted to be tested.
There will also be many other people working on finding vulnerabilities in Bug Bounties, so you can find yourself testing for a long period of time and not finding anything.
Working on new bounty programs, with few reported issues, and small or no cash payments for the findings can decrease the competition, but it still isn’t a guarantee.
Ideally, you will gain some experience testing and writing a report of your findings, and even if you don’t find anything unique, getting into the habit of using tools, keeping detailed notes, and writing up your findings can still be useful.
Similar to practical training labs, you can focus on this type of practical training alongside applying for positions and it will help demonstrate your interest in cyber security, and may result in vulnerabilities you have identified and reported which you can discuss.
Different Career Paths To Start In Cyber Security
If you have already started to learn cyber security and the different skills that this incorporates you may be in a position to apply for different roles and positions in the industry.
Apprentice Cyber Security Programs
Many companies and organizations offer apprentice programs, where you can work in the industry and also have dedicated time to learn cyber security.
Apprentice programs often have some requirements for the applicants to meet, but can be a way for many to enter the industry and learn cybersecurity while being paid.
Depending on the specific apprentice program, these can often take several years to complete, but it also means you have several years of industry work experience and education at the end of the program.
Cyber Security Internships
If you are looking to get started with learning from industry experts, there are internship and trainee programs available for many organizations.
While these programs are largely unpaid, they do offer the opportunity to learn hands-on experience and have the opportunity for paid positions at the end of the internship.
These types of positions can be difficult as they will often involve unpaid work for an extended period of time, potentially 6-12 months depending on the internship, and so will inevitably not be a good fit for everyone.
Junior Cyber Security Positions
Many companies advertise for Junior Cyber Security roles, which will only have minimal requirements in comparison to more senior positions.
If you have already begun to learn computer science and cyber security concepts through online courses or free online resources you are likely in a position to apply for these roles already.
It is always a good idea to review the type of roles you are interested in to identify the qualifications and education they are looking for, so you can tailor your education around these requirements if you don’t already meet them.
If you have no prior knowledge or experience learning some of the required information or obtaining some of the introductory qualifications may take up to a year or two, depending on how much time you have available to study.
Paid Training Programs
If you are already in full-time employment and working within IT, it can sometimes be possible to arrange for paid training within your existing company.
This will involve your current employer providing funds and time for a training course, you can complete to learn the skills necessary for cyber security.
The following post provides more in-depth information about this process from Investopedia. When arranging a paid training program, there are a couple of things to consider:
- You need to sell the idea to your current employer by making your education beneficial to your existing company. This will involve what you can accomplish for the company after the training, and how that will save money, time, or resources in the long run.
- You need to consider how long you want to work in your current position. Most companies will expect an agreement to be signed which requires you to continue working in your current company for a period of time after the training course, as they won’t want to pay for training and then have you immediately leave.
Depending on the training course you arrange, this may take several months or up to a year if you are working on it part-time around your existing employment.
Conclusion
Cyber Security is a process of continuous learning with many ongoing challenges to build a successful career.
If you are a complete beginner with no background in computer science, entering the cyber security industry may take a few years to learn all the fundamentals and the technical skills necessary.
If you already work in an IT career and are looking to develop your career, learning cyber security may take around six months to develop your cyber security knowledge through a part-time BootCamp or cyber security certifications.
With both of these routes, you will likely be aiming for junior or entry-level positions within cyber security.
However, once you have started your career path, you may find that progression comes quickly and with a few years of experience in the industry you could be in a senior position and considered an industry expert.
