Source: Unsplash | Taylor Vick
Have you been thinking about a change in your career? This time of year, a lot of people tend to. Many can’t face the idea of going through another long winter in the same old job for the same old pay. They’re looking to expand their horizons and take on a new challenge. If this sounds like you, you’d be interested to know that one of the fastest-growing job industries is in IT security – an industry that is only projected to gain traction and speed.
Wondering how you can get into it yourself?
Check out CompTIA Security+ Training, a training program that is designed to get you the right skills and knowledge so you can kickstart a career in IT Security and get back to enjoying life. Here we go through a bit about the role you can get with such a training program, as well as the costs associated, pros, cons, and more about the course itself.
What Is IT Security?
IT Security is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – security of IT systems. This means that IT security specialists essentially ensure that systems are protected against things like DDOS attacks, cybercrime, hacking, and other potentially devastating issues that can befall an IT system.
IT Security is hugely important to businesses of varying sizes as any downtime caused by breaches in security and various cyberattacks can negatively affect a business’ ability to be operational, thus leading to huge losses of revenue. Coming back after a major security issue can be difficult for smaller and medium businesses, and as a result, IT security specialists are in high demand in a variety of sectors and companies – from small start-ups to multinational corporations.
Why Should I Consider This Career Path?
A career in IT security isn’t just varied, but also rewarding and almost recession-proof. Companies are always going to need IT Security specialists, so there will almost always be jobs available. A career in IT security means that you will be helping man the front lines against nefarious viruses and people who want to cause mayhem by infiltrating an IT system. Not only can you work in the public and private sector with this role, but it’s also entirely possible to work for governments, militaries, and more. The ability to work for prominent companies and organizations makes a career in IT security attractive, to say the least.
Not only this, but IT security specialists can make an average of about $80-90,000US per year, making it a great option for those who want a career with decent pay and great opportunities for advancement.
CompTIA Security+ Training
If you’re considering a career in IT security, one of the best places to start is with a certification by CompTIA Security+. This is one of the best IT Security training courses in the world, focusing on best practices in essential security principles and risk management so that you can handle anything that comes your way in your new career. It’s also vendor-neutral, allowing people from any company or business to take part in order to take back valuable knowledge and skills to their organization.
This particular certification can be done on an individual basis or through your company or business with an option for each being available. Courses for business can be instructor-led, self-paced, or a combination of both. The course will help any security specialist develop industry knowledge to sufficiently install and configure systems with applications, networks, and various devices. as well as effectively run security threat analyses in order to properly mitigate risks before spearheading solution-based actions.
Pros
The pros of taking accreditation with CompTIA Security+ include having lifetime access to the course materials, making it easy for you to quickly reference information in the future when you need it. The pricing for the individual course is relatively low in comparison to the potential earnings you can expect from a career in this particular IT path. With access to live class recordings and 24/7 support, you can’t go wrong when picking an excellent quality course.
Cons
There aren’t many cons to taking this particular qualification, but if you’re strapped for cash, the cost of the course may be a bit high for you. For those who lead busy lives and can’t find the time to do the course in the allotted time frame of 90 days, it can be challenging. These are the only two real issues with this particular course, but don’t let either of these things put you off. The course itself is mainly beneficial and can open many doors for you. Due to the constantly changing landscape in terms of systems and potential threats, you will need to continually (sometimes annually) meet specific requirements with regard to testing to maintain your certification.
A Peek At The Syllabus
The syllabus and course itself is thorough and will teach you everything you need to know in order to become a truly well-trained and knowledgeable security specialist in IT. Some of the specific things you’ll learn about include firewalls, networking, LAN and perimeter security, DNS and wireless security, wireless attacks, encryption, cryptography and authentication codes. These lessons will ensure you develop the necessary knowledge behind IT security, helping you gain an important accredited stepping stone to launching yourself into a meaningful and stable career. Become a beneficial provider of IT security to a number of individuals or businesses by starting this course today.
So if you’ve been thinking about taking on a new challenge, hopefully, this short overview of IT security and the CompTIA Security+ training course will help you make the decision as to whether to not to get into IT security. The amount of information contained within the course will ensure you go into your new career with all the know-how you need to truly make it a fantastic platform from which to launch yourself into a new life. Good luck!