As the cybersecurity industry struggles to , Denver-based ProtectWise decided to ask the future workforce whether they’d be interested in such a career. The response? Not so much.
In a and post-millennials,” only 9 percent said they’re interested in a cybersecurity career, which tend to pay a lot more than most jobs in Denver. A more appealing tech-job career? Video game development, at 33 percent.
“It’s surprising the number is that low given the amount of news coverage related to cybersecurity,” said James Condon, director of ProtectWise’s threat research team, in an email. “That being said, this shows that we need to spread more awareness about the exciting opportunities in this field.”
The survey, conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group and sponsored by ProtectWise, also found that the majority, or 68 percent, would classify themselves as a technology innovator or early adopter. Most didn’t know anybody in the cybersecurity industry and very few had been exposed to classes or other educational opportunities during school.
But there’s still a lot of hope, Condon concluded . Young females found cybersecurity careers more exciting than male respondents — by 57 percent vs. 40 percent. Security companies need to better tap female interest and make sure they’re not discouraged from entering the field.
“We found indications that female millennials may present the industry’s best chance to effectively overcome the security skills shortage,” Condon wrote.
ProtectWise, which developed DVR-like technology to track a company’s network activity over time in case clients need to rewind to see how a threat originated, has seen the security industry struggle to find enough workers. The company is working on technology that uses virtual reality to help tech-minded workers gain security skills and fill potential openings.
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