The Demand for Qualified Cyber Security Specialists

Are you interested in a career in cyber security?

There has never been a better time to join the cyber security industry, as demand is far outpacing the current size of the global workforce.

The cyber security workforce and skills gap

According to the recent ISC2 Workforce Study 2023 and the UK government’s recent research: cyber skills in the UK labour market 2023 : 

• 4 million workers needed in cyber security worldwide 
• 50% of businesses in the UK face a basic cyber security skills gap 
• 33% of UK businesses face an advanced cyber security skills gap 
• 92% of cyber security professionals report a skills gap in their organisation 
• 12.6% year on year increase in gap between workforce needed and workforce available 

The demand for skilled cyber security staff creates a huge opportunity for new professionals to begin a career in an industry that consistently reports high levels of job satisfaction.

Make a real-world impact

Cyber security matters. The impact of cybercrime extends beyond the digital world and into the physical one.

As a qualified cyber security professional, you could be the difference in the fight against cybercrime.

Any business can fall victim to cybercriminals; from small businesses to global corporations, if any element of an organisation is computerised, cyber security experts are essential to prevent cybercrime.

The only thing that differentiates some organisations from others is the impact a cyberattack could have. For example, organisations in charge of military assets, national security interests, financial data, or medical devices have a greater need for a higher level of cyber security to prevent serious damage to real people.

There have been some major cyber security breaches in the UK in recent years, such as the WannaCry cyber attack on the NHS and the ransomware attack on Gloucester City Council, and each new incident highlights the need for more effective cyber security. However, organisations need more qualified cyber security professionals to do this.

If you’re looking for a career where the work you do makes a real-world impact, cyber security could be the perfect match.

Want to be the difference in the fight against cybercrime? 

Learn how a Masters degree in Cyber Security could help.

Why choose a career in cyber security?

Job security

With more cyber security measures required to keep users, employees, data, and assets safe, the cyber security industry offers job security to rival that of many others. Just like skilled tradespeople will always be needed to maintain our homes and infrastructure, cyber security professionals will always be needed to help keep our data and systems safe.

Earning potential

Salaries in the UK cyber security industry range from £20,000-£25,000 for entry-level roles to over £130,000+ for senior level positions, and the average salary for a skilled cyber security professional is between £55,000 to £65,000.

According to IT JobsWatch, the starting salary for a Graduate Cyber Security Analyst is £28,000 and the average salary for a Chief Security Officer is £165,000.

Learn more about the roles and potential salaries available.

A varied and engaging career

There is a huge range of cyber security roles to choose from. Whether you want to work in cryptography, as a penetration tester or ethical hacker, or would like to design IT networks or develop software, the choice is broad, covering a range of disciplines and skillsets. The chances of you finding a role or niche that interests you is high.  

You could also have opportunities to work with exciting new technology and even gain access to tech before it’s released to the general population.  

Due to the nature of cyber security, you’ll need to have developed a strong level of problem solving and critical thinking to adapt to the evolving cybercrime landscape. Whether you’re testing software and systems to protect them from new forms of hacking or developing security measures to keep up with technology, you’ll be tested with new puzzles and problems to solve.  

Being bored is not often a complaint made by cyber security professionals.

Start your cyber security career with Northumbria University London

At Northumbria University London, we don’t just teach the theory behind cyber security. 

Our cyber security degrees are specifically designed to equip you with the knowledge and specialist skills needed to enter the industry and help fill the skills gap, meeting the demands of the cyber security sector. As such, we’ve received official certification from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and have been recognised as a Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACEs-CSR). 

Learn more about our courses and how they could help you be the difference in the fight against cybercrime:  

I want to be the difference 

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