One of the most significant impacts of the COVID-19 era is the rapid increase in the number of industries adopting digital technology around the globe. More than ever before, digital transformation has reached an all-time high. As more and more businesses leverage technology to deliver value to customers, cyber attackers have a wider playground to carry out sophisticated attacks. Consequently, the world of cybercrime continues to grow rapidly.

Increase in cybercrime has led to a high demand for cybersecurity professionals across several industries such as Finance, Healthcare, Ecommerce, Telecommunications and many more. The good thing about this new development is that professionals from various industries can now merge their transferable skills with cybersecurity to get ahead in their career.

To put things in perspective, let’s say you’ve honed your finance skills over the years (probably as a finance analyst or auditor) and now you’re considering a career path in cybersecurity, acquiring the necessary skills in cybersecurity coupled with your transferable finance skills can get you a cybersecurity role as a cyber fraud intelligence analyst. Amazing right?!

Contrary to popular opinion, individuals with different backgrounds can start a career in cybersecurity. The reality remains that your expertise is needed within the cyber security ecosystem regardless of your background. Be it Sales, Marketing, Finance, Technology, Procurement, Operations, you name it!

By now, you’re probably wondering what industries you can get a cybersecurity job in. Here are ten industries where cybersecurity professionals are in high demand.

1. Financial Services

Financial sector is one of the most targeted industries in the world for cybercrime, and while many financial institutions know security is an issue, many of them aren’t prepared or even know how to tackle the increasingly sophisticated attacks of cybercriminals. It’s no surprise that cybersecurity professionals are in high demand. If you’re looking to pursue a career in cybersecurity with a focus on finance, financial security roles like security analyst financial systems, cyber fraud intelligence analyst, IT auditor may just be perfect for you.

2. Healthcare

Similar to financial institutions, healthcare organizations have been a frequent target of cyberattacks due to the high value data these organizations possess. Healthcare industry faces a huge challenge of overworked doctors, nurses and other staff often too busy to practice proper cybersecurity hygiene. It’s only logical that healthcare organizations are hiring cybersecurity professionals more than ever. Anyone looking to start a career in healthcare cybersecurity, roles like health data security analyst, security and compliance analyst, security engineer and data security administrator are great options to consider.

3. Construction

With the increased use of technology in construction, cybersecurity professionals are becoming a necessity to protect sensitive data and prevent possible damage from cyberattack. If you would like to have a cybersecurity pathway in construction, look out for roles like cybersecurity technical project manager, security network engineer and cybersecurity analyst.

4. E-commerce

The E-commerce industry is a top target for cybercriminals as financial information especially credit card numbers can be stolen. E-commerce giants are constantly hiring thousands of cybersecurity professionals annually to meet the challenge. DevSecOps engineer and Application security engineer roles are quite popular in this industry.

5. Insurance

Insurance companies store large amounts of information about their policy holders which makes them a target for cybercriminals. This has increased the demand for cybersecurity professionals in the insurance industry. If you’re considering a career in cybersecurity in the insurance industry, roles like information risk analyst, cybersecurity and compliance analyst, IT internal auditor are perfect.

6. Oil and Gas E&P

Oil and gas companies have become major targets for cybercriminals due to the value of business data, the vulnerability of networked systems and the importance of fuel infrastructures. Oil and gas companies are constantly recruiting cybersecurity professionals for roles like authentication engineer, cybersecurity engineer, incident responder, industrial cybersecurity project manager.

7. Automobile Manufacturing

The need for cybersecurity in the automobile industry is constantly increasing due to the increasing threat of cyber attacks in the transportation and automotive systems. So if you want to pair your passion for automobile with your interest in cybersecurity, roles like vehicle cybersecurity development/test engineer, automotive cybersecurity engineer, in-vehicle cybersecurity test engineer will be a great place to start.

8. Telecommunication

Cybercriminals understand the importance of the industry that keeps the world connected and also supports businesses. A successful attack on a telecommunication service provider has far-reaching consequences, not just on the organization and it’s client but also on a nation.

Hence, telecommunication companies will always be in need of cybersecurity professionals. If you’re considering a career in cybersecurity with regards to the telecommunication industry, roles like telecommunication and security systems engineer, network security engineer, network security administrators and site reliability engineers should be on your radar.

9. Education

Educational institutions are becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks at an alarming rate no thanks to COVID-19, which made education institutions face rapid adoption of online learning options with little time to evaluate the risks and vulnerabilities these changes introduce or to draft proper protocols to keep their infrastructures protected. If you would like to have a cybersecurity pathway in the educational sector, roles like security & compliance officer, information system security engineer, information security administrator, network & systems administrator are in high demand right now.

10. Media and Entertainment

Media and entertainment companies also face cybersecurity challenges as other industries with content security being the main focus amongst other challenges as theft of content can have a major impact on the profits an artist or a company can generate as well as their reputation. If you’re considering a career path in cybersecurity in the media and entertainment industry, roles like incident response engineer, cybersecurity awareness and communications manager, data protection officer, information security governance analyst, application security engineer can offer a fast paced and high-paying option.

Cybersecurity professionals are needed across these industries. If you’re considering a career in cybersecurity, seeking out opportunities in these industries both at home and abroad can offer a rewarding career path with high pay and excellent job security. Want to know more about actionable steps to take in making your transition into cybersecurity a reality? Please visit our YouTube channel (Hacktales TV) for more information.