Cybersecurity today is among the top 5 fastest growing industries in the world and is among the top employers as well. According to Cybersecurity Ventures around 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs are expected to be available by 2025. This domain offers tremendous opportunities and therefore the competition will also be equally hard.
Cybersecurity professionals are a set of IT professionals specialized in specific cybersecurity skills required to protect their organization from different types of cyber-attacks. While every second student today wants to get into the IT field, earning a cybersecurity certification can distinguish you from the crowd and help you get started with your cybersecurity career.
So, here we bring you some of the top cybersecurity certifications and training programs best suited for beginners to learn the fundamental concepts of cybersecurity and get started in their career path.
Top Cybersecurity Certifications
1. Certified Cybersecurity General Practitioner (CCGP™)
Offered by the United States Cybersecurity Institute (USCSI®), CCGP™ is an excellent cybersecurity certification program for beginners to learn basic cybersecurity concepts and start their cybersecurity careers. This program has been designed for graduate students and professionals with less than 2 years of experience and covers important concepts like:
- Fundamentals of security
- Protection of devices
- Authentication for security
- Securing devices, and more.
This self-paced online learning program can be covered within 4-25 weeks and requires a time commitment of 8-10 hours a week. Applicants also get a well-organized resource center consisting of ebooks, lecture videos, practice codes, etc. to prepare for the exam.
USCSI® has a unique partners program where this institute partners with various organizations, L&D institutes, and third-party training institutions to provide reskilling and upskilling of employees and prepare them for ever-growing cybersecurity challenges.
2. CompTIA Security+
This is a popular cybersecurity certification program designed to validate applicants’ foundational skills and knowledge required to enter the cybersecurity field. Since it is a vendor-neutral program, it covers essential areas of cybersecurity including network security, risk management, systems security, etc.
This certification program goes beyond providing just theoretical knowledge and mainly focuses on practical skills where you can learn how to protect networks and systems practically. The CompTIA Security+ exam covers the following areas:
- Identifying and responding to modern threats like social engineering and IoT device attacks
- Implement and assess the organization’s security infrastructure
- Secure hybrid environment
With this certificate under your belt, you can demonstrate your core knowledge to potential employers and increase your chances of hiring.
3. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
Though a bit difficult for beginners, it is an excellent cybersecurity certification program for students and cybersecurity professionals who want to get into ethical hacking and penetration testing roles.
Through this cybersecurity training program, you will learn the skills and knowledge required to ethically hack an organization’s security system to find vulnerabilities and suggest proper mitigation strategies through reports and suggestions.
In this program, you will understand in depth about:
- Security threats and attack vectors
- How to detect and prevent attacks
- And different security procedures and methodologies
You will also learn to use various security tools that are used for ethical hacking activities like port scanning and vulnerability detection. You will become an expert at launching controlled attacks like denial-of-service (DoS) and web application attacks.
4. Cyber Aces Online
It is a comprehensive cybersecurity training program designed specifically for beginners and covers a wide range of fundamental cybersecurity concepts such as:
- Basic cybersecurity terminologies and topics
- Network security
- Operating systems and security
- Cloud security
- Incident response, etc.
The program is a combination of video lectures, hands-on labs, and practice exams. Cyber Aces Online also offers career coaching and job placement assistance for beginner cybersecurity professionals.
5. Google IT Support Professional Certificate
It is another great free option for students and professionals looking to start a career in cybersecurity. Google’s IT Support Professional Certificate is designed to develop the fundamental cybersecurity skills and knowledge required to start an entry-level cybersecurity job. This certification program from Google covers:
- Hardware and network troubleshooting
- Fundamentals of operating systems
- Basics of security and security terms
Conclusion
The world of cybersecurity is growing as well as evolving rapidly. If you want to start your career in this domain, then it is very important that your foundation is strong in this domain. These beginner-level certifications are a great way to learn the fundamental skills and validate your expertise to potential employers. Earning any of these certifications will not only help you increase your chances of hiring, but negotiate higher salaries, and help you demonstrate your commitment towards professional development. Certifications also help you build a strong portfolio with several practical projects that you accomplish during the training program. Not to mention, it also encourages networking with other cybersecurity professionals and strong community support that further fuels the growth of your cybersecurity career. So, what are you waiting for? Enroll now and get started with your cybersecurity career.
