What Are the Benefits of a Cybersecurity Certificate?
Are you interested in going into a high-paying career field that doesn’t require years of education? Look no further than cybersecurity! With a significant projected increase in the need for cybersecurity professionals over the next decade and flexible entry-level qualifications, it’s a great time to start your cybersecurity journey. A certificate in cybersecurity can open the door to many exciting opportunities in information technology, data science, information security, cloud computing, and digital forensics. Check out these top benefits.
It’s Highly In-Demand
Cybersecurity certificate holders are some of the most in-demand professionals in the job market. With an increased focus on digital security in all major industries, having this credential helps you stand out to employers in both the public and private sectors. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the need for cybersecurity professionals is set to outpace the average for just about every other occupation, with a growth rate of 33% over the next decade. The need for cybersecurity professionals is so high that the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) reported a workforce gap of nearly four million last year, a significant increase from the last few years and one that is only expected to widen as global cybersecurity needs grow.
It’s Highly Flexible
A cybersecurity certificate can qualify you to work in a wide range of positions and industries. You can work as a cybersecurity specialist, assessing systems for vulnerabilities and working to strengthen their security. You can work as an IT specialist, helping set up, manage, and troubleshoot networks for large and small organizations. You can even work as a consultant, visiting different organizations and institutions with cybersecurity needs to help them identify potential breaches, block bad actors from affecting their networks, and craft improved strategies for digital security.
With such a broad and diverse field, you can specialize in everything from cloud security to data loss prevention. As you advance in your career, you can find new areas of expertise to focus your career on. If you’re interested in coding and computer science, you may want to explore the world of ethical hacking. If you’re interested in helping others acquire some of your own knowledge, you may want to test your skills further by developing cybersecurity training content for organizations. The possibilities are practically endless.
It Offers Potential Financial Rewards
Certificate holders earn 20% more on average compared to just high school graduates, according to data from the Center on Education and the Workforce. In the cybersecurity field, cybersecurity certifications and certificates increasingly represent a useful pathway to gainful employment. With a certificate, you can apply for high-paying jobs like that of an information security analyst, which earns $120,360 per year, according to the BLS—that’s about twice as much as the average annual salary in the U.S. In Virginia, among the highest-paying states for cybersecurity, professionals earn an annual mean wage of $134,550 per year, according to BLS data.
It’s Less Time and Money
If you want to advance your skills and develop foundational cybersecurity knowledge but don’t want to complete a full cybersecurity degree, a certificate can be a great option. Most certificates can be completed in just a few months, compared to a four-year bachelor’s degree. A certificate, though requiring less of a time commitment, still signals to employers with cybersecurity needs that you have the basic knowledge of cybersecurity practices and processes needed to fill their position. With the field constantly changing, it’s no surprise that many aspiring cybersecurity professionals prefer to get a jumpstart on their careers early.
Cybersecurity certifications or certificates are significantly cheaper than full degrees while still offering many of the same benefits. A certificate is typically 15–20 credits, compared to a 120-credit bachelor’s degree, so you’ll be paying for a fraction of the tuition costs (not counting textbooks or study materials).
Earn Your Cybersecurity Certificate at Regent University
Elevate your career prospects with a cybersecurity certificate! Whether you’re a recent graduate exploring your career options or are interested in transitioning into a more practical field, applying for a cybersecurity certificate is a smart choice. With Regent University’s Undergraduate Certificate in Cybersecurity, you can acquire a foundational understanding of key cybersecurity concepts necessary for an increasingly digital world.
Our flexible certificate program offers both online and in-person options, along with access to our state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar cyber range—a unique virtual environment for cybersecurity students to prepare for the real-world scenarios they’ll encounter in the profession. You’ll learn the best ways to resolve cybersecurity threats, explore cutting-edge techniques to protect critical infrastructure from future threats, and gain access to knowledgeable faculty with a passion for the field.
Regent University has earned a $350,000 grant from the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, a program of the National Security Agency (NSA), to expand our cybersecurity curriculum and provide students with more hands-on opportunities to prepare to become leaders in the field. Our bachelor’s program in cybersecurity has been named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) by the NSA, a prestigious designation only awarded to 4% of approximately 4,000 institutions, and it is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Learn more about that degree and our other cybersecurity programs at the following links: