Do You Need A Degree For Cyber Security Careers?

The short answer is No. You can get into cybersecurity without a degree and don’t need one to get started with a career as a cyber security professional.

A degree in cyber security can be useful in providing an education on the fundamental topics that are needed for a career as a cybersecurity professional but it isn’t essential.

A degree can be useful as a starting point in your educational path, but it isn’t the only path you can take. There are many qualifications, boot camps, training courses, and online resources that can teach you the core skillsets you need to start your career.

If interested in a cybersecurity career the following information may be useful, and this post on how to start your cyber security career may also provide some useful information to get started.

What Employers Are Often Looking For In Cyber Security

Many employers will not be searching for a specific degree in cyber security but will rather be looking for relevant knowledge and skills.

While certifications and experience in industry will be required for more senior positions, for junior roles the necessary skills and information are available for everyone with a little time and patience to put towards independent learning.

The types of relevant skillsets that an employer will be looking for, and you can update your resume for, are:

• Demonstrate the desire to work in cyber security. This can be through actively learning on your own, attending cyber security conferences, or reading books on the subject.
• Demonstrate your existing knowledge in cyber security. There are freely available resources to begin learning the fundamentals of IT and CyberSecurity. Take some time to work through this material and then list all the topics you have covered with these courses.
• If you already work in IT or can show some core IT knowledge and skillsets this is a great foundation of knowledge to then build on for cyber security roles.
• Good Soft Skills. Communication, Report Writing, Working in a Team, and Working with Clients, are all useful skills that can help when applying for most jobs, and Cyber Security is no exception.

Experience and Skills vs Qualifications

While a bachelor’s degree can be listed on certain job advertisements, it is not the only route to begin your career path and, after your first couple of years in the industry, your experience and skills will become your primary selling point when applying for other roles in the cybersecurity field.

Some of the ways to start learning the cybersecurity industry without looking for bachelor’s degrees include:

Learn Through Free Online Resources

There are lots of free online resources to learn the necessary skillsets outside of a college degree. The following information on free online resources can help develop your initial knowledge.

Obtain Cyber Security Qualifications

Many job advertisements list specific cyber security qualifications as a requirement for the role rather than a degree.

These types of cybersecurity qualifications can be achieved through online courses and can be completed part-time or learned at your own pace.

A list of useful qualifications for cyber security career paths is detailed here, and you should also review the certifications that are listed for jobs you may want to apply for to make sure you pursue the right types of qualifications for you.

Enrol in CyberSecurity BootCamps

A Cyber Security BootCamp may also be useful to learn the fundamental skills required for a career in cybersecurity, although the following post on whether this type of course is right for you is recommended to review.

Gain Experience with Tools and Technical skills

Other job listings only require experience with different tools, and technologies, or an understanding of cybersecurity principles, such as familiarity with compliance standards like Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001.

Using some of the free online resources and free versions of common cybersecurity tools can help to develop your knowledge in these areas.

Apply For Junior Cyber Security Roles

Some junior roles in cyber security often only require some general skills with information technology and computer systems, with some soft skills such as report writing, and the goal that you will learn the necessary cyber security information while working.

Once you have been working in a junior role for a couple of years, you will be in a better position to apply for more senior roles and will likely have acquired further qualifications and additional skills while working to help with your career progression.

Other organizations offer apprenticeship opportunities to begin training in cyber security from an early age. These options can be a great way to learn the industry while earning a salary. More information on apprenticeships is provided here.

What Skills To Learn To Start Your Cyber Security Career?

The number of topics for cybersecurity specialists can be quite broad and there are many niches related to individual job requirements.

There is also a wide range of tools to be familiar with, variations in skills based on roles in development, defensive security or offensive security, and varying knowledge to acquire based upon your individual career goals.

Your career in cyber security should consist of continuous learning and personal development, and it will be inevitable that you won’t learn everything.

Multiple topics can be covered by most who want to work in cyber security, which provides a strong foundation of knowledge to begin applying for initial job roles in your chosen area. These topics are discussed in more detail here.

Some of the topics worth noting for any aspiring professionals within cybersecurity can include:

Network Fundamentals and Network Security

Network technology and how devices communicate with each other is one of the foundational topics for all roles in cyber security.

There are other resources available to develop your skills for this topic and there are also free educational materials and technical resources to cover the basics, such as the Cisco Networking Academy.

Operating Systems

A key part of securing a company’s devices, managing and maintaining them over time, responding to security incidents, and testing devices for vulnerabilities relies on being able to understand the command line interface (CLI) for different operating systems.

Windows, Linux, and macOS each have their command line variations, configuration interfaces, and options to secure user accounts. How to work with each of these devices should be understood for roles in both defensive and offensive security roles.

Web Application Security

Understanding how web technologies work, and how vulnerabilities can be introduced can be vitally important for those working as developers, working to secure a company, or working on penetration testing.

Courses are also available to develop your knowledge in this area, and Portswigger has developed a free Web Security Academy to understand and test vulnerabilities in web applications.

Cryptography

The topic of cryptography incorporates a wide range of technologies including encryption algorithms, hashing, digital signatures, symmetric keys, and asymmetric keys.

Securing data while it is stored and while it is transferred is integral to cyber security. Many different methods have been used over time to secure information and weaknesses and vulnerabilities have been identified within these technologies.

Newer methods of securing data continue to be developed to combat these issues and it is important to understand the core concepts of how these technologies are applied in cyber security.

Databases

There are a variety of iterations for databases and how they are used across a vast array of technologies.

Understanding how data is stored in a structured format, how this data is queried, how different technologies interact with databases, and how security vulnerabilities can occur is important to understand for many roles in cyber security.

Programming Languages

While many jobs within cybersecurity may not directly relate to programming, understanding some fundamentals and being able to quickly script a solution, can be incredibly beneficial for many jobs in cybersecurity.

Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability

CIA represents a foundation in information security for how security measures should be implemented and is a core concept for all job roles in security to understand.

• Confidentiality represents how data access can be limited and protected against unauthorized access.
• Integrity ensures the accuracy and validity of data, ensuring that it is not subject to unauthorized change while stored or transmitted.
• Availability maintains the consistent ability for users to access the data they need when they need it.

Soft Skills

A large part of any role for cyber security professionals is communication skills. This can be through calls, meetings, presentations, and reports.

Although understanding information related to cybersecurity is critical, being able to effectively communicate this information to the teams you work with is also an important part of each job role.

How Can I Learn Cyber Security Skills Without A Degree?

There are lots of free online resources that allow you to learn the key technical information needed for a career in IT and cyber security if you have a non-technical background.

You can look at the post on “Free Cyber Security Courses” to review available options and training material which is available to begin learning the necessary technical skills for the industry.

If you have the time and resources available, there are also paid-for certifications that you can invest in to learn industry-relevant subjects and begin applying for cyber security roles.

How Long Will It Take To Learn Cyber Security Skills?

The time to learn will often depend on a few things, including how much time you have to dedicate to learning. How long it can take to learn, based on several different educational routes, is discussed in more detail here.

For introductory courses, such as the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), there is a 5-day training and certification option available.

Some cyber security bootcamps are available if you have the available time and funds. These bootcamps can give you an introduction to many relevant topics within 3 months, getting you prepared for junior security roles.

For many free online courses, the material you learn is self-paced so the more time you have to dedicate to learning, the faster you should be able to get through the courses.

If you are looking to invest in some other certifications the recommended time for learning is often around 6 to 12 months of relevant experience for some of the more introductory certifications, scaling up to several years for some of the more specialized certifications.

With many subjects in IT and Cyber Security, there can be quite a few technical details and specifics to pick up, so be sure to take your time working through the material and ensure a thorough understanding of the course content.

Other Ways To Learn CyberSecurity Skills

In addition to free and paid courses, there are several free-to-use training labs that allow you to gain practical knowledge and experience in penetration testing as an ethical hacker, such as Hack The Box and Try Hack Me, covered in more detail here.

These platforms have some limitations for free-to-use accounts but can allow you to further develop your problem-solving skills and gain experience with the practical skills often needed to work in cyber security.

Is There Any Demand For CyberSecurity Jobs?

Cybersecurity is still a growing industry and there is also a shortage of digital skills and experienced cybersecurity professionals.

There is also an increasing awareness of the need for companies to comply with security best practices and conduct more cybersecurity testing.

As the rising number of potential threats from cyber attacks continues, businesses will continue to invest further in experienced cybersecurity professionals with the relevant practical skills to help them maintain their security.

Getting started with entry-level positions in cybersecurity can lead to a promising career, which is in high demand, can be well paying, and brings a level of job security.

What Type Of Jobs Are Available Without a Degree?

This will largely depend upon your current knowledge, skills, and any relevant job experience you may already have.

Where you are a beginner in the industry, you can begin searching for junior cyber security positions, as there are advertisements where the requirements are for good soft skills, general knowledge of IT, and an interest in cybersecurity.

Positions such as Apprentice or Junior CyberSecurity Analysts or Consultants can often be found without the requirement for a bachelor’s degree or certifications.

If you have an interest in cybersecurity it is always recommended to begin learning on your own to become familiar with some of the core concepts and also to demonstrate your interest to potential employers.

If you need to begin learning the fundamentals, there are a range of free courses and educational materials available.

There are also paid-for certifications that will cover introductory topics as well as more advanced skills and technical information.

Applying for Cyber Security Jobs Without A Degree

There are lots of templates available when searching for “Cyber Security CV Templates” and this can help you to update your current CV to match the skills that are listed for job advertisements.

Reviewing an online template can also help guide your online education if there are any areas you need to fill in for additional skills, or certifications.

When initially applying for junior cyber security jobs without a degree or prior experience in the industry, you can tailor your resume to the individual roles you are applying for to demonstrate you are a match for their listed requirements.

For a summary about yourself, you should emphasize your desire to work in cyber security, why you have an interest in this subject, and highlight how you are already learning relevant material on your own.

Your work history can be customized to demonstrate the role, responsibilities, and skills you learned, ensuring they match qualities that relate to the advertised job.

This can also be where you promote your soft skills, general IT knowledge, working as part of a team, communication skills with colleagues and clients, and other related skills that are listed as part of the advertisement.

You can use the Skills and Further Knowledge/Education section of your application to highlight the subjects, tools, and knowledge you have begun to learn independently through online resources or certifications.

Conclusion

For anyone who wants to get into cyber security and has been hesitating, thinking “do you need a degree for cyber security”, there are lots of alternative options available to begin your training and work in an industry that still has a huge demand.

Although a degree can help when applying for some initial junior positions, it isn’t the only route to begin your career path. Knowledge, industry-related certifications, and experience are more valued within the cybersecurity industry than a degree alone.

You can begin obtaining the knowledge for free if you can dedicate some time to learning from available online resources.

If you can afford to make an investment in certifications for yourself and have the time and resources available to dedicate to them, this can also be a great starting point for your career.

For many areas, relevant experience can be obtained through any job role, not just those directly involved in cybersecurity, and once you start your first junior role in security, your industry-related experience will continue to grow.