Open your favorite technology news website any given day, and you will probably find a report on some type of cyber crime handled by an IT professional who has completed a cyber security degree program.
Unfortunately, information theft and other cyber intrusions show no signs of slowing down in the foreseeable future, if ever. More importantly, leaving a computing system open to cyber invasions is not an option for responsible business owners.
Organizations need IT professionals who understand the nature of cyber crime and cyber security strategies to keep their clients’ data safe from any type of breach. If you are interested in helping to protect a company’s intellectual property, electronic funds, customer credit card information and more, you may look into pursuing a cyber security degree program.
What Is the Job Outlook for IT Professionals Who Pursue a Cyber Security Degree Program?
With a projected job growth of 18 percent between 2014 and 2024 for information security experts, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this field offers excellent opportunities for graduates in financial institutions, healthcare organizations, IT consulting firms, and many other types of businesses.
Important Traits for Students Who Want to Study Information Security
There are some core skills and basic traits that are necessary to enjoy a successful career in cyber security. A few of the key characteristics that companies look for in information security experts include strong communication skills, a teamwork approach, problem solving skills, the understanding of basic cyber security principles, risk analysis, and an understanding of intruder techniques.
5 Courses Typically Found in a Cyber Security Degree Program
If you are already interested in working in IT, this specific study tract may be perfect for you as you pursue your bachelor’s degree. It may help you to learn more about the specific types of courses you will study, so following are the 5 courses typically found in a cyber security degree program:
Operating Systems
In this core class, students learn about the wide world of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, iOS, Ubuntu and personally crafted operating systems. You will learn the basics about each operating system, including installation, customization, and how to manage files and applications.
Programming in Several Key Languages
Your programming language course will help you narrow down the key languages among the more than 2,000 computer languages in existence. Most courses will focus on the most widely used languages, including Java, C Language, PHP, Python and Ruby.
Computer Systems and Architecture
This courses prepares you to learn the operation of computer hardware, how it works, and how it interfaces with any software on your system. This course will also teach you about compilers, instruction sets and assemblers.
Introduction to Forensics and Cyber Crime
No cyber security degree program would be complete without a forensics course. If your future organization does suffer a data breach, you need to have a solid set of investigatory practices. It is also important that you have a basic template of investigation to apply to the never-ending supply of cyber intrusions that may affect an organization. You will learn to process a cyber crime scene or scenario and recover image files.
Comptia Security
This course offers you detailed insights into information and cyber security and how the study relates to other aspects of information technology. A few of the studies within this course include hardening systems, securing networks and cryptography.
Prepare for an Exciting Future in Cyber Security
Additional courses you may take to fortify your cyber security degree program include Fundamentals of Networking, Installing and Configuring Windows Server, Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Analysis and much more.
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