With technology becoming evermore intertwined with our day-to-day lives, cyber security has become increasingly important to businesses around the world. However, in spite of the growing need for cyber security and cyber professionals there still remains various misconceptions and myths around it and what is required for a role in the sector. For example, most people think cyber security jobs are very technical and require advanced IT skills and qualifications but this is not always the case. It is worth remembering that your military security training and experience are highly transferable to information security.
These are the top three cyber myths that you should know about:
MYTH 1: “YOU NEED TO BE ‘TECHIE’ AND HAVE A DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE TO GET INTO CYBERSECURITY.”
There is a widespread misperception that cyber is for techies, which is why many ex-military people immediately rule themselves out of applying for cyber roles. In fact, your military security training, knowledge and experience translate very well to the cyber sphere. While a degree in computer science is not necessary for a career in cyber, enrolling on a course and learning a few skills wouldn’t go amiss to enhance your competitiveness for the job. If you’re interested in acquiring some cyber skills it would be worth taking a look at our list of the top 7 cyber security courses and programmes for ex-military candidates.
MYTH 2: “CYBERSECURITY IS A JOB FOR THE BOYS.”
Recent studies have shown there is a dramatic shortage of female workers in cyber security. Though considerably more men work in cyber it does not validate the misconception that it is a ‘men-only’ profession. Women have been making their mark in cyber security for years and there are many ongoing initiatives and women’s cyber associations out there to help encourage more women into the industry. Ex-military women are particularly sought-after – just like their male counterparts – by the cyber sector due to their security mindset, skills and experience.
MYTH 3. “CYBERSECURITY IS JUST AN IT ISSUE.”
Many companies believe that all they need in order to protect themselves against cyber attacks is a well-trained IT team - wrong! Though IT teams can deal with low level threats, they cannot protect every employee and department. It is worth remembering that cyber hackers are clever and can penetrate any device, your personal emails, a small business or a large corporation, so cyber security measures need to be implemented at every level and should be regularly monitored by professionals.
If the cyber security industry is of interest to you, then you should check out our handy ‘get into cyber’ article which details a step-by-step plan to help military veterans get into the cyber security industry.