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How competitive is the homeland security industry?

#cyber-security #corrections #guard #police

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Dalton’s Answer

It just really depends on the job within DHS you want to do. For instance it’s a lot more competitive to get on with CBP as apposed to joining the USCG.
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Steven’s Answer

There are many different areas of cybersecurity, so take some time to explore what excites you the most. You have blue team defenders, red team attackers, purple teams, pen testers, software developers, research analysts, and many more. These job roles vary significantly, and while you should know a little bit of everything, you want to identify where you want to specialize. There are many free pieces of training out there to learn from. Any experience you can get outside of school will be helpful, from capturing the flag events to attending cybersecurity conferences (which many have become free as they have become remote).

If you search cybersecurity roadmap, you will get an extensive and overwhelming list of the different areas of cybersecurity and the various certifications available that are out there. I prefer the Paul Jerimy website for this information. I chose the courses that spanned the most subjects, so I had a basic understanding of many cybersecurity topics. While these certifications can be costly, you can still find free training materials online to gain the knowledge that will help you along the way, even if you do not get the certification.
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Edmond’s Answer

Kevin's and Jackson's answers are right on the money. Although the expert levels are competitive, there's always a shortage of cybersecurity analysts. I just saw an article that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Officials Outline Plans To Use $650 Million For Cyber Security In Stimulus Bill. So there's no shortage of budget!
https://www.defensedaily.com/cisa-officials-outline-plans-use-650-million-cyber-security-stimulus-bill/congress

Just an fyi that CISA is a standalone United States federal agency, an operational component under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversight
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Kevin’s Answer

Hi, competitive in what sense? it's a very wide industry and many subsections. Experience and knowledge in many subjects (people, languages, technologies, development, testing) are just some of the key element. Also "alternative" or thinking outside the box with new ideas and approaches is a good thing.

I can talk about the "global" cybersecurity industry... essentially there are not enough people applying,

Essentially the better the grades and experience (specialist or generalist) you have will open more choice you likely have. Typically, training and development programs will be provided to develop your interests and specialist areas (some you will not have even thought of!).

Kevin recommends the following next steps:

Get the best grades you can....in a wide variety of core subjects and well as some other specific areas such as "photography & image processing" or languages. crosswords and puzzles.
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Jackson’s Answer

Taneka: Now is a great time to get into the Cybersecurity field. According to CyberSeek.org, there are total of 300K+ cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. California needs a lot of cybersecurity engineer, analyst, architect, administrator, etc... However, you do need to know your cybersecurity stuff. The really good part is that you don't need a college degree. Many employers are seeking candidates with cybersecurity certificates such as CompTIA Security, Certified Information Privacy Professional, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, etc...

Jackson recommends the following next steps:

Check out CyberSeek.org to learn about the job opportunities, career pathways, and requirements
Think thru if you want to get a college degree in cybersecurity or a certificate.
Study hard, join the work force, and protect our nation against cyber attacks.
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