Not all cyber-skilled grads work for banks or big tech – here are just a few other sectors where you could land a job in
In our increasingly connected and digital world, cyber security is everyone’s business. If you’re wondering where you might land a job after skilling up in this exciting and in demand sector, you might be surprised how many opportunities there are!
1. Transport
Driverless cars aren’t the stuff of science fiction – they’re speeding into the present right now, with companies like Tesla releasing semi-autonomous vehicles that practically drive themselves. One day, cars might not even have a steering wheel!
These vehicles need a lot of inbuilt technology todrive unassisted. But would you trust a car driving you around if it was at risk of being hacked? We need cyber security pros to help test these systems by trying to break and manipulate them – before the bad guys figure it out. For example, you could review the software during development and help plug security vulnerabilities before the new version of the car’s software is released.
This industry has been criticised for not building enough cyber security into its systems – which means huge career potential for aspiring cyber heroes willing to join the effort to make them safer!
2. Healthcare
You’d be surprised how many cyber risks the healthcare industry faces every day. As a cyber pro in this sector, you could work on IoT (Internet of Things) and the security of devices like pacemakers or insulin pumps, which are surgically attached to patients. These are connected to the internet and at risk of being hacked, with potentially deadly results!.
Patient data and medical systems also need to be protected, and we need smart people to keep our health data safe from malicious hackers. With 7.3% of Australia’s reported cyber attacks for the 2020-21 financial year targeting the healthcare sector, there
is huge demand for cyber heroes who want to make a difference and save lives.
3. Retail
The retail sector made up 4% of Australia’s cyber victims by industry in the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s 2020-21 cyber report.
And it’s not just online shopping that’s at risk – the world of retail is merging at warp speed with connected platforms, including Meta, the company that owns Facebook. Just imagine the amount of data retail stores hold: often our name, date of birth, address and shopping habits, just for a start! This makes the sector a growing target for cyber attacks – so demand for cyber-skilled pros is growing too.
4. Food & farming
You might be surprised to see farming on this list! Why would we need cyber protection for crops or livestock? In fact, many modern farms use tech for all sorts of things – for example, sensors that track how much feed animals eat from their troughs. If someone manipulates that data, animals could starve or be overfed, sending a farm broke due to excessive costs!
This sector also involves manufacturing and processing facilities like factories, which rely heavily on the use of technology and sensors. What would happen if our food supply chain suddenly shut down and no food was made or packaged?
We have seen cyber attacks affect logistics in recent times, with ransomware breaches against companies Toll and TNT, which transport food supplies.
5. Media
Did you know you could also apply your cyber security skills as a writer, like author and journalist Craig Ford, who wrote this article and about becoming a cyber spy.
Craig started his career in IT, before moving into cyber security. He has applied his expertise as a cyber consultant for the Australian Tax Office and is the Queensland chair of the Australian Information Security Association. Craig’s writing has appeared in publications including Cyber Today, Cyber Australia and Women in Security Magazine. He is also the author of three books: A Hacker I Am (1 & 2) and Foresight.
This article was originally published in Careers with STEM: Cyber Security – the flip cover to Careers with STEM: Technology. Order a print copy here or read the e-mag for free.
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