The rapid increase in the use of the internet has led to a more continued increase in the number of cyber-attacks which has led to significant demand for well-qualified cybersecurity and IT risk professionals all around the world. In the short to medium term, demand will outpace supply and organizations will be looking for more professionals to hire in this field.

The increase in the demand for cybersecurity personnel’s coupled with high salaries and the various opportunities in different fields it brings along, it has surely become a career path to consider in today’s time. Following are a few career pathways you can pursue as cybersecurity personnel.

   1)      Security Software Developer

A security software developer is someone who develops security software as well as integrates security into software during the course of design and development. A security software developer is an individual who is responsible for analyzing software implementations and designs so as to identify and resolve any security issues that might exist. In order to make this happen, a security software developer incorporates the appropriate security analysis during each part of the software creation cycle. Their main purpose is to create and maintain the security of the organization for which they work.

   2)       Security Architect Career Path

A security architect is a senior-level employee who is responsible for designing, building and maintaining the security structures for an organization's computer system. A security architect is responsible for designing security structures to thwart malware and hacker intrusions to an organization's computer system. Once these structures are in place, the security architect will test for any weaknesses and audit the entire system. To fully test the system, an outside ethical hacker may need to be brought in to run a thorough penetration test in order to ensure that the system is secure from outside attacks.

   3)      Security Consultant

The role of the cybersecurity or IT security consultant is very crucial to every organization, whether government or private, for helping to prevent these security threats.IT security consultants assess software, computer systems, and networks for vulnerabilities, then design and implement the best security solutions for an organization’s needs. They play the role of both the attacker and the victim and are asked to locate and potentially exploit vulnerabilities. Some IT security consultants are former hackers who have decided to enter the profession after seeing first-hand how vulnerable companies are to security threats.

   4)      Ethical Hackers

The purpose of ethical hacking is to look at the security of a system or network's infrastructure. An ethical hacker will attempt to bypass system security, and find and expose any weak points that could be taken advantage of by a malicious hacker. Vulnerabilities are typically found in improper system configuration and in hardware or software flaws.

An ethical hacker is required to research, document and discuss their methods and security findings with management and IT teams. This intelligence is then used by businesses and organizations to improve their system security so as to minimize or eliminate any potential attacks. Ethical hackers will also provide feedback and verification as an organization fixes security issues.

   5)      Penetration Tester

Penetration testing is the proactive authorized employment of testing procedures on the IT system to identify system flaws. A penetration tester usually attempts to (with permission) hack into a computer and network systems to pre-emptively discover operating system vulnerabilities, service and application problems, improper configurations and more before an intruder cause real damage. Penetration testers must be highly skilled, often using testing tools of their own design, to “break into” the systems under watch. Penetration testers are required to keep accurate records of their activities and discovered vulnerabilities.

   6)      Computer forensic analysts

The field of computer forensics is information security branch of law enforcement and is closely related to forensic science and criminal justice work; therefore, most computer forensic analysts work for law enforcement agencies. The role of the analyst is to recover data like documents, photos, and e-mails from computer hard drives and other data storage devices, such as zip and flash drives, that have been deleted, damaged or otherwise manipulated. Analysts often work on cases involving offenses committed on the Internet ('cybercrime') and examine computers that may have been involved in other types of crime in order to find evidence of illegal activity. As an information security professional, a computer forensic analyst may also use their expertise in a corporate setting to protect computers from infiltration, determine how a computer was broken into or recover lost files.

The field of cybersecurity has a lot of career choices to choose from, however its necessary that you first find out which field interests you the most. A rewarding and exciting industry, excellent career progression, rising salaries, and continued growth are only some of the many benefits that a career in cybersecurity has to offer. If there ever was a time to enter the cyber security field, it’s now.

College can be a huge change for most students. Moving from the safety of your home and the school you attended for a long time to living in a hostel with roommates and embarking on a new educational system.

Here are five tips that can make your transition easier and start your college experience on the right foot.

Balance is key.

Starting college exposes you to a bigger world than you are usually used to. Students look forward to new experiences and meeting new people. But it’s hard to balance academics, health and a social life successfully, especially in the first few months of a big change. But it is helpful to set a daily schedule from the first day of college to ensure that you have a healthy balance between work and play.

College activities are just as essential as college classes.

For some of us, the new style of education and the overwhelming amount of syllabus can be challenging and often be hard to cope with. Students tend to forget about extra-curricular activities to focus solely on classes and tests. Try taking the first month to settle in and understand your academic requirements. Once you have done that and set a timetable to cope with the syllabus, join a club! Explore your campus and check out the various clubs, workshops, and events it offers. Make sure you actively partake in them. This is a great way to make new friends and pursue your hobbies along with your education. AVCOE hosts various events throughout the year: http://www.avcoe.org/eventdb.php

Attendance is more important than you think.

You may have been told that you need to attend all your classes more times than you would like to hear. As cliche as it sounds, it really is an essential step towards understanding your courses better. A percentage of your attendance being mandatory gives you the liberty to skip one or two classes if you want to. Unless you have an emergency you need to attend to, it is not advisable to skip your classes. Active learning does 40-50% of studying for you. The independent learning you do after that acts as a revision of what you already know. Merely sitting in class and listening to your professor is more beneficial than you would think. Even if you zone out, you will still unknowingly absorb the learning material.

Know your professors.

Introduce yourself to your professors on the first day of class. Build a rapport with them from the start and always ask for help. Remember! No question is too silly to ask. Do not hesitate to ask for assistance no matter how small your doubt may be. In fact, the more questions you ask, the happier your professors will be, as it shows that you are interested to learn the subject they teach.

Do not tolerate any harassment.

There is no such thing as ‘overreacting’ when it comes to harassment. Trust your instincts when it comes to new people and uncomfortable situations. If someone or something makes you feel unsafe in the slightest, do not hesitate to report it to authorities. Any problem or unsafe situation is never too small to report. AVCOE has a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of harassment. Students are encouraged to make use of their protection programs as and when they need to.

Anti-ragging cell: http://www.avcoe.org/antiragging.php

Grievances cell: http://www.avcoe.edugrievance.com/

AVCOE hopes that these tips are useful for all students that are in college and wishes them all the best of luck for this fruitful journey.

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Amrutvahini College of Engineering.
#AVCOE, Sangamner.