Encourage students to explore career opportunities in the cybersecurity field by sharing these free resources available on the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) website.
Cybersecurity jobs are not just about coding and hacking, they are also about communicating, managing, and being creative. Currently, more than 300,000 cybersecurity positions are available in the United States, and cybersecurity continues to be one of the top 20 fastest growing fields in the country.1 Individuals with cybersecurity skills are needed at all levels of every organization and in all industries—from finance to healthcare to entertainment.
To help inspire students and provide a better understanding of future career options, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provides free cybersecurity career awareness resources through the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) website. The new NICCS page for students includes cybersecurity career profiles, downloadable guides, tip cards, posters, brochures, and much more to help students think about cybersecurity as a lucrative career option.2
The NICCS website also provides students with information about pursuing cybersecurity at the collegiate level through academic programs that have achieved the National Centers of Academic Excellence in cyber defense (CAE-CD) designation, as well as information about the CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. Top colleges and universities across the United States are offering scholarships up to $25,000 annually for undergraduate students and up to $34,000 annually for graduate students.
Campus faculty, staff, and students can take advantage of the NICCS website to get a better understanding of cybersecurity concepts, academic opportunities, local events, and cybersecurity career options. Faculty and staff should talk to students on their campuses about college majors and career options in cybersecurity, as well as the steps to take to become a cybersecurity professional. Help motivate the next generation of cybersecurity professionals using these fun, informative resources. There's no better time to do this than during National Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week, November 11–16, 2019!
The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) connects government employees, students, educators, and industry with cybersecurity training providers throughout the United States.
For more information about information security governance, compliance, data protection, and privacy programs, please visit the EDUCAUSE Review Security Matters blog as well as the Cybersecurity Program page. Access additional professional development and leadership resources through the Career and Workforce Development chapter in the Information Security Guide.
Notes
- "Cybersecurity Supply/Demand Heat Map," Cyber Seek (website), n.d., accessed October 21, 2019; "Fastest Growing Occupation: Occupational Outlook Handbook," U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor, September 4, 2019. ↩
- "Students, Launch Your Cybersecurity Careers," National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (website), October 16, 2019. ↩
Valerie M. Vogel is Senior Manager of the Cybersecurity Program at EDUCAUSE.
© Valerie M. Vogel. The text of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.