Become ethical hacker, cybersecurity expert: Know education, starting salary, other details

With a rise in hacking and cybercrime incidents, companies are not only willing to hire cybersecurity experts but are also not hesitating from taking the services of ethical hackers. Cyber Security is on a boom for the last few years, as more and more people and companies are going digital. Internet takes us to a new revolution in terms of online communication and also it creates lots of possibilities for some evil human beings to create their online virtual world to also known as Hackers. All our data is on an online platform like social media sites, e-commerce sites, online net banking, etc. Thus, the hackers are more attracted to these details making data security more vulnerable.

Not only in India but in other countries as well, the demands for cyber experts are on a rise. According to 'Cybersecurity Ventures', there will be 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs opening by 2021. The market values will cross $6 trillion by 2021. 

Cybersecurity expert: Minimum qualification

Manish Kumawat, Director at Cryptus Cyber Security Pvt Ltd, says there is no pre-requirement to become a Cyber Security Professional. However, you must have a deep understanding of computers, the internet, computer networks, operating systems besides a love for coding. You can also go for courses like these mentioned below: 

* B.Tech/B.E. in Cybersecurity 
* BCA in Information Security
* B.Sc. in Information Technology
* PG courses in computers
* Computer Forensics courses
* Certification Courses
* Diploma Courses

"After completing these courses, a person can enter in this fast-growing industry to get their dream jobs. And also in government sectors, we see more opportunities like going in Intelligence Bureau (IB), CBI, RAW, Police Department, Cyber Lawyers, etc. One can have good jobs opportunities in sectors like banking and finance, medical, private business among others," said Kumawat. 

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) recently estimated that India alone will require1 million cybersecurity professionals by 2020 to meet the demands of its rapidly growing economy. Domestic IT giants like Infosys and even global players like CISCO have been betting big in the cyber security domain.

"The growth in cloud-based security solutions and tools, and increase in adoption of big data analytics to gather cyber threats data among other trends are creating huge opportunities in the area of cybersecurity," said Kumawat.

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Cybersecurity expert: Salary package

The average annual salary of a fresher in this field is Rs 3.25 lakh, in India and it increases with experiences. However, if you pose a sound knowledge of the domain, your starting salary may be in lakhs per month. Many ethical hackers have successfully bagged a job in big companies by just exposing the vulnerability/loopholes in the companies product/services. 

If you don't want to work for any company, then you can work as an independent researcher/expert giving paid services. This can also help you earn big.