This story is sponsored by North Central State College.
Cyber Security, a specialization within Information Technology (IT), is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau has projected the field to grow by 33% by the end of this decade.
North Central State College (NCSC) is a local center training IT professionals, providing both comprehensive associates degrees and numerous certificates offered in specialized subjects like Cyber Security. Mohamed Ghonimy is an Assistant Professor at NCSC and is one of the organizers of the Information Technology degree.
“We reflect what the industry needs,” Ghonimy said. “Technology evolves every day and the program evolves as well.”
Ghonimy described the main goal of the program as being to serve the community and provide cyber security specialists where they are needed. Ghonimy anecdotally noted that many of his students provide cyber security guidance with area companies before they have even graduated, because the skills they gain make them valuable additions to the workforce in a number of industries.
The Cyber Security program has substantially changed over the years, growing in scope and size.
“Before we used to really just focus on IT, but now we are starting to focus on cyber security in healthcare and the federal government,” Ghonimy said.
Interestingly, as part of the program students are expected to take courses titled, “Ethics in the Information Age” and “Certified Ethical Hacking.”
“The reason why we have these two courses is that when cyber security started in the United States we realized that we are trying to protect our infrastructure,” Ghonimy said. “The thing is in order to prevent attacks we have to mimic the bad guys.”
According to Ghonimy, big IT companies used to hire hackers straight from prison to run their cyber security programs. This posed an ethical dilemma as hackers were being rewarded for committing crimes.
“The difference between (ethical hackers) and the bad guys is that (ethical hackers) get approval for the scope of their hacks and follow regulations, such as maintaining HIPPA while attempting to hack a hospital,” Ghonimy said. “(Ethical hackers) also don’t disrupt the system they are attempting to get access to.”
The program offers 11 different certifications ranging from security testing to computer forensic investigation. This many certifications was an intentional choice, according to Ghonimy.
“There are many professions where it’s easy to determine your qualifications based on your degree,” Ghonimy said. “Cyber security is different. When you have the industry certificates, which are internationally recognized, they know exactly what you can do.”
Ghonimy explained that another advantage of the certificates is that students can apply for jobs that require two years of experience due to their certifications, as the certificates are viewed as years of work. Ghonimy also noted that it’s possible for a student to graduate having all 11 certificates offered by the program.
The certificates also act as a continuing education program for many local cyber security professionals. Professionals can easily take one to two courses focused on a particular certificate to expand their skills and increase their income.
As previously mentioned, cyber security is a quickly growing field and as such cyber security experts are in demand. This has resulted in cyber security graduates earning anywhere from $50,000 to $92,000 a year.
Those interested in NCSC’s Cyber Security program can find more information here.
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