Cybersecurity refers to the body of technologies, processes, and practices designed to protect networks, devices, programs, and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. In simple words, Cyber Security means protecting your digital identity.
The use of computers, smartphones, and the internet has grown considerably over the past few decades. The percentage of households using the internet has also increased over time.
The above statement is evident by the report of the U.S. Census Bureau published in April 2021, which examines the trend in usage of computers and the internet by U.S. people in 2018. Among all households in 2018, 92% had at least one type of computer, and 85% had a broadband internet subscription compared to 89% and 81%, respectively, in 2016.
Why should high school students go for online cybersecurity courses?
With the increasing number of computer and internet users, the possibility of theft from cyber-attacks also rises, which will lead to greater demand for cyber experts in the industry.
Seeing this as an opportunity, the number of U.S. students subscribing to online cybersecurity courses is increasing rapidly.
Types of online cybersecurity courses available
Below mentioned are the few certificate courses one can take up:
● Certified Ethical Hacker Certification - The CEH qualification certifies persons in the precise network security regulation of Ethical Hacking from a vendor-neutral viewpoint. It will provide you the knowledge of assessing the security of computer systems by looking for weaknesses and vulnerabilities in target systems, using the same knowledge and tools as a malicious hacker, but lawfully and legitimately to assess the security posture of a target system.
● Certified Incident Handler Certification - Incident handler is a term used to describe the activities of an organization to identify, analyze, and correct hazards to prevent a future recurrence. The ECIH certification will provide professionals with greater industry acceptance as seasoned incident handlers.
● Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator Certification - Computer hacking forensic investigation is the process of detecting hacking attacks and properly extracting evidence to report the crime and conduct audits to prevent future attacks. A CHFI certification opens doors for a professional in the field of computer forensics.
● Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst Certification - Cyber intelligence analysts are security professionals that monitor and analyze external data threats and make actionable intelligence. CTIA is a method-driven program that uses a holistic approach, covering concepts from Planning the threat intelligence project to building a report to disseminating threat intelligence.
● Security Operations Center Analyst Certification - A SOC Analyst continuously monitors and detects potential threats, assesses the alerts, and remedies or escalates them appropriately. Without a SOC analyst, organizations may be negatively impacted by organizations' constantly changing cybersecurity threats today.
Wrap Up
These are just a few courses mentioned above. There are many other courses which one can take up depending upon their area of interest. You will be glad to know that jobs for cybersecurity roles are as strong as ever. As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the expected employment growth rate for the cybersecurity sector is 31% between 2019-2029.
So Cyber Security can be the next best career choice.