Billions of people worldwide do business online every day, so the threat landscape is enormous and growing by the year. This global threat must be addressed with the proper investment and resources so that individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations and the public are protected from bad actors intent on the theft of personal and private information, financial assets, medical data, intellectual property and trade secrets.
There is much work to be done on this front. According to ISACA’s State of Cybersecurity 2023 research, 59 percent of cybersecurity leaders say their teams are understaffed, and according to CyberSeek, in the United States alone there were 572,392 openings in 2023 that requested cybersecurity-related skills, and employers are struggling to find workers who possess them. On average, cybersecurity roles take 21% longer than other IT jobs to fill. So, how do we address this challenge?
Hard and Soft Skills Needed to Combat Cybercrime
We need to begin preparing people for these lucrative career opportunities as early as elementary school. For the long term, it is crucial we teach young people how to interact safely online and educate them about the known dangers of social media and the importance of proper online etiquette so they can become global internet advocates for the betterment of our society and well-informed future STEM professionals. The skills crisis, however, is urgent, and we need solutions now.
In the near term, we can help to fill the global cybersecurity skills gap by upskilling current workers and college students by teaching them the necessary hard and soft skills required for these new jobs. I have learned with my coaching and advising clients that most individuals and organizations have previous related education and work experience that can be directly transferrable to IT jobs, even from other industries. Below is a list of hard skills and soft skills that will help anyone looking to join the cybersecurity industry.
Hard Skills
- Proficiency in a foreign language
- College degree or certificate
- Machine operation expertise
- Computer programming
Soft Skills
- Communication
- Motivation
- Flexibility
- Persuasion
- Leadership
- Strong work ethic
- Teamwork
- Positive attitude
- Time management
- Patience
- Problem-solving abilities
Hard skills can be taught in school or through on-the-job training, so employers are not so much fixated on whether you have an overwhelming knowledge of these skills because they can be learned. Soft skills, on the other hand, are the most sought-after skills by employers because they are interpersonal skills that are harder to master if you do not already possess them. The bottom line is that we need more people entering the STEM career fields, including cybersecurity, and it is possible even for people currently outside the industry to acquire the necessary skills, education and experience for these roles.
Do a self-audit of your work history, education, life experiences, training, volunteer projects, seminars, conferences, and other learnings and reach out to me today and see how your experiences may be transferrable. You also can reach out to me to determine how your skills align with a role in IT and how you can transition to the cybersecurity career field.
You will be surprised by the parallels in many career fields, and besides, most workplaces use technology in their businesses, so a new job opportunity may be closer than you think if you do the work and leverage the skills you already possess.
About the author: Sakinah Tanzil is a cybersecurity professional passionate about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). She holds a Bachelor of Information Technology and Security, a Master of Science in Information Assurance (MSIA), a Master of Science in Software Management (MSCIS), and many professional certifications, including Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Network + Certified, and Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3).
Over my 20-year cybersecurity career I’ve had the privilege to become industry leader. My varied career has given me an in-depth knowledge of the industry, from my work as an IT technician to my current role as CEO of STEM Coaching, LLC, which offers career coaching and advisory services to professionals entering the STEM field. My first book, Breaking the Cyber Code, was prompted by the growing opportunities in this exciting career field. In 2012, while in graduate school at the University of Detroit Mercy, I was asked to work on the newly created National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (N.I.C.E) Workforce Framework. I mapped 52 Information Technology Work Roles to the appropriate functional tasks, skills, abilities, and knowledge (TSAK) desired for these newly defined jobs in cybersecurity. The resulting work [2] became the official publication reference document for describing the interdisciplinary nature of cybersecurity work (and workforce), and rest is history.
References
Tanzil, Sakinah (2020), Breaking the Cyber Code: A Game Changer That Prepares Our Workforce and Secures the Future, Sakinah Tanzil Executive Management Coaching.
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (n.d.), N.I.C.E Framework. https://niccs.cisa.gov/workforce-development/nice-framework
Morgan, Steve (2023, April 14),Cybersecurity Jobs Report: 3.5 Million Unfilled Positions In 2025, Cybercrime Magazine. https://cybersecurityventures.com/jobs/
Cyber Seek, Hack the Gap:Close the Cybersecurity Talent Gap with Interactive Tools and Data. https://cyberseek.org
Doyle, Alison (2021, November 5), Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What's the Difference?, The Balance. https://www.thebalancemoney.com/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills-2063780