Sara Gadzala

If you have an interest in computer science and want job security, consider a career in cybersecurity. There is an ever-increasing demand for graduates with experience in the field, which focuses on protecting computers, networks, programs and data connected to the internet from unauthorized access, change or destruction.

With rampant reports on widespread security breaches, hacked emails and personal data being compromised seemingly everywhere, that trend isn’t likely to change soon.

According to a Forbes report from January, more than 209,000 cybersecurity jobs are unfilled across the country, with job postings up 74% over the last five years. The report states that by 2019, there will be an estimated 6 million cybersecurity jobs available worldwide.

The finance, health care and retail trade industries are projected to need workers such as network administrators, security analysts, and computer crime investigators.

“This is a field that is not going away,” said Josh Montgomery, assistant professor and co-chair of the Cyber Security and Forensics program at Southern State Community College in Brown County, Ohio. “It continues to grow and grow.”

The Cyber Security and Forensics program is a two-year-old associate’s degree evening program at the Brown County campus. It’s a comprehensive education in computer information technology with a focus on cybersecurity.

Classes include PC Troubleshooting, Server Administration and Operating Systems, as well as Advanced Computer Forensics and Cyber Crime, and Terrorism and Homeland Security.

According to Montgomery, the IT skills help graduates acquire any computer job, but the added specialization in cybersecurity will dramatically increase the demand for the graduate.

A 2015 Burning Glass Technologies online report states, “Cybersecurity workers … can command an average salary premium of nearly $6,500 per year, or 9%, more than other IT workers.”

But Montgomery said it’s important to have good people skills also.

“The number one thing is the aptitude for computer science,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery adds, “If you’re a troubleshooter and a problem solver you are going to get a lot of reward in this field.”

More local cybersecurity programs

• University of Cincinnati’s cybersecurity concentration within the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

• Northern Kentucky University’s 18 credit-hour Cybersecurity Certificate at the College of Informatics

• Cincinnati State’s Center for Innovative Technologies Computer Networking Engineering Technology-Cyber Security Major

• Sinclair College’s (Dayton, Ohio) Associate of Applied Science Cyber Investigation Technology