Careers in Cybersecurity: Is Penetration Testing a Good Choice?
The cybersecurity sector is growing rapidly, with research suggesting that it will generate $164 billion annually by 2024.
All that money floating around, paired with the ever-rising threat of attack, means that there are plenty of opportunities for people looking to start a career in this area.
One intriguing option is to become a penetration tester. But what is involved in this discipline and what sets it apart from other cybersecurity careers?
The Basics
Penetration testing is a simple concept to grasp, but involves a surprisingly diverse array of tactics and skills. You can see a range of services here to understand just how varied a day in the life of a professional tester can be, but a concise description of this job that is often used is ‘ethical hacking’.
The aim of penetration testing is to delve into a business’ current cybersecurity solutions, scrutinise them for flaws by means of real hacking strategies and then provide guidance on how to make improvements.
The Skills
As you might have guessed, penetration testing involves acquiring and deploying the same skills that a cybercriminal would use to bypass security and complete a successful data breach. This means it might be an appealing career for anyone who has dabbled in the darker side of the digital realm at some point in the past, but is now eager to fight on behalf of the good guys.
The aforementioned variety on offer means that you can focus your attention on specific areas, or attempt to find roles that rely on a broader skill set.
As an example, you could test the infrastructural security of a business’ networking resources, seeking out vulnerabilities with internal systems as well as any external services which are being used to run apps or store data.
Excitingly there is the option to test the physical security measures that are in place on-site, with an organisation giving you permission to try and sneak in and circumvent whatever existing solutions they have rolled out.
The Salary
This is clearly something that varies according to your experience level, the size of the organisation you are joining and the part of the country you want to work in. However, in the UK any graduates who take this career path can expect to make up to £30,000 annually.
As you climb higher up the ladder, you could take home a salary of anywhere up to £70,000, especially if you manage to achieve a high ranking role in a respected company.
You might prefer to take the freelance route into penetration testing, in which case you will be looking at earning up to £500 for a day’s work. This approach will come with less stability and job security, but could be a good choice if you are well motivated and willing to be your own boss.
If all this sounds attractive and you are keen to get your foot in the door of the cybersecuirty market, a career as a penetration tester could be ideal.