A recent article in the online magazine The Next Web describes how a student who has been studying cyber security at a top U.S. university could end up working for a company or a government agency, like a cybersecurity expert.
But that’s not necessarily the case, according to a blog post by the U.K.-based IT specialist and author, Johnathan Lees, in which he explains the difference between cybersecurity and cybersecurity training.
Lees says that cybersecurity training is designed for a career in cybersecurity.
But cybersecurity professionals also work in other fields like information technology, finance, marketing and public relations, which are all areas that require a college degree.
He says he has found that the cyber security training that he and his colleagues are receiving at the University of Southern California is not in line with those professions.
“I’m not really looking for a cybersecurity degree,” he told Business Insider in an interview.
“I’m looking for an understanding of cybersecurity.
I’ve seen a lot of articles where they say that they teach you the basics of cybersecurity, but the training is not really focused on that.”
He adds that while there is some cybersecurity training that may be useful, it is not tailored for a specific career path, and many cybersecurity professionals have been in jobs outside the field of cybersecurity for years.
“There are some cybersecurity jobs out there that require very little experience,” he said.
“They can be pretty high-risk, but not as high-paying as those jobs that require more experience.
But the vast majority of cybersecurity jobs are low-risk and do require a certain level of experience.”
He points out that many cybersecurity jobs have no specific cybersecurity requirements, so it is possible for someone to be an information security professional and not actually be a cybersecurity professional.
“You can have a very high-level position that doesn’t require a cybersecurity certification, but if you want to become a cybersecurity manager or a cybersecurity analyst, then that’s probably the kind of job that you should be doing,” he explained.
Leans says that while many cybersecurity workers are not interested in working in cybersecurity jobs, he has seen some cybersecurity workers take jobs in the field because they are interested in being a cybersecurity employee, but they do not have the skills necessary to work in cybersecurity positions.
“It’s a good thing for people to have a degree in cybersecurity, and it’s a bad thing to have no cybersecurity training,” he added.
“You can always go into a job that is technically sound, but you can’t do the work that is actually relevant to cybersecurity.”
He says that if a student wants to be a cyber security professional, it’s important to study cybersecurity skills, including basic information security, how to protect against malicious software, and the security of websites.
But it is important to note that the education is not necessarily a prerequisite for a job, according the blog post.
“If you do want to be in a cybersecurity job, the first thing to consider is what the skills you want are and what you need are,” he explains.
“The job that your degree will provide is not the only job that needs that skill set.
The skills you need in order to do the job, and even if you’re an IT specialist or a security analyst, the job may require more of those skills.
The job may need to be more difficult and more technically demanding.”
In addition to cybersecurity training, Lees points out there are also cybersecurity jobs that are a good fit for someone who does not have a cybersecurity background, like computer security and security administration.
“People often say that there are jobs that you can do that are just as useful and just as lucrative as those in cybersecurity,” he notes.
“It depends on your personality and what kind of career you want, but I think that most cybersecurity jobs will be more interesting than the jobs in cybersecurity.”
In a statement to Business Insider, the University said that it was pleased to see the interest in cyber-security education among students.
“We are pleased to welcome cyber-sophisticated students to the University,” the statement said.
“Cybersecurity education is a great way to gain knowledge and to enhance our student-to-student learning, as well as our campus-to‑campus, career-to-career learning, by providing hands-on learning opportunities.”
The university also pointed out that its campus security and safety program offers cyber security certifications to current students.