How Cybersecurity Is Creating Opportunities For Young People

Data-centric and computer-centric job positions have seen an exponential rise over the past few years. Because of this, we’re quickly seeing these kinds of positions becoming some of the most in-demand job positions in the UK.

Though engineering and healthcare are still some of the most in-demand positions, cybersecurity positions are vastly more in-demand, with both employers and potential employees seeing the necessity of such a role. On top of that, more and more people see these types of positions as generally more interesting, leading them to study the likes of cybersecurity courses instead of courses that were more traditionally in-demand prior to the last decade.

Cybersecurity Skills Can Make You More Employable

There’s also the fact that, in the current climate, many people are worried about employability, no matter what age they are. However, young people are starting to not only picking courses that they deem interesting in their own minds, but that also offer a high degree of employability upon completion of the course.

Due to that reason, as well as a whole host of others, young people now have more options available to them when it comes to picking and choosing which skills they actually want to learn. This kind of freedom is something that many older generations may be envious of, as they may not have the time or ability to learn these skills in order to compete in these kinds of job markets.

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Because of that, it seems as though these kinds of positions are opening more doors for young people entering the job market for the first time. While there’s a host of online courses available for people of any age to study, current trends appear to show that those studying many computer courses in order to seek employment skews younger.

Cybersecurity Skills Are Growing In The UK

With many young people opting for more computer-centric courses, the UK looks like it’s on course to finally tackle a lack of skills that’s currently damaging the UK workforce. While enrollment in courses that teach these skills is growing – and has been growing for the past few years – demand has often far exceeded supply. This has been through across both online-taught classes, as well as the more traditional college-taught classes in many computing areas.

However, this all helps to open more doors for young people finishing college with these kinds of degrees. Compared to more traditional positions, there’s less competition from older applicants with several years, or perhaps decades, of experience in the same field. Now, however, both younger and older applicants for these jobs are on a more even footing, boosting fresh graduates’ confidence and enabling them to gain more, much needed, experience in these fields.

IT Training Is Possible At Any Age

That’s not to say that people who finished college several years, or decades, ago are left out of the loop necessarily. As we already mentioned above, the past few years has not only seen a rise in college courses that teach cybersecurity skills, but there’s also been a massive rise in online classes, which may be easier for older applicants studying these kinds of course for the first time.

After all, many online colleges offer courses that many can do in their own time, allowing older applicants who are still working to study without having to give up their current position. Because of the fact that cybersecurity is the second most in-demand position in the UK, then it’s very tempting for anyone above college age to take an online course in order to increase job prospects, as well increase their chances of promotion in their current positions.

That being said, though, it may seem that recent college graduates may still have a leg-up compared to their older competition; generally speaking, they’ve had more time to dedicate to studying, and possibly working part-time on top of that. However, older generations tend to need to work full time in order to support themselves and their families, leaving little time to learn these skills, should they have the time at all.

Because of that, the likes of cybersecurity are some of the few areas where young people may have the advantage. In more traditional careers, experience mattered much more than qualifications – unless you were applying for an entry-level position. However, as these kinds of careers are relatively new compared to others, meaning that there’s very little difference in experience levels between applicants.

Final Thoughts

Coupled with how in-demand cybersecurity and any related fields are, these means that it’s quite possible that there are now more doors open for young people than there ever has before, especially if they’ve got any kind of the most valued computer qualifications. For once, it looks as though the ball is in the hands of younger generations when it comes to paving the way in a few key career areas; at the very least, younger generations now have an area where they’re better able to grab a foothold and carve out their way.