The CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway
IT Fundamentals > A+ > Network+ > Security+ > CySA+ or PenTest+ > CASP
With cybercrime on the rise and vulnerabilities constantly being exposed, it is imperative that organizations take a proactive stance to protecting assets and employing skilled cybersecurity professionals. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of information security jobs will increase 28 percent from 2016 to 2026, making it one of the fastest-growing fields. Jobs requiring cybersecurity skills continue to grow rapidly, with more than 313,000 cybersecurity job openings, according to Cyberseek. Employers, from government to Fortune 500 companies, value CompTIA as an authority in cybersecurity certifications.
- $116,323/year; Average Salary for Penetration Tester for 2021 (ZipRecruiter).
- $99,815/year; Average Salary for Cybersecurity Analyst for 2021 (ZipRecruiter).
- Information security jobs will increase by 28% from 2016 to 2026
- There are more than 313,000 cybersecurity job openings
- 96% of managers use certifications as recruitment criteria.
10 Reasons Why You Should Pursue a Career in Information Security
Learn Information Security, become a Penetration Tester.
The escalating number of data breaches and threats like ransomware has created a mad dash for information security help. Organizations are scrambling to fill jobs and to compete for top talent, and tons of positions go unfilled for months.
You would think that this kind of job-market frenzy would create a big appeal for people to consider an Information Security career. Especially since information security is one of the few fields where people get snatched up as soon as they pass their certification.
Yet there’s hardly an influx of newly-minted security professionals eager to flex their freshly acquired white-hat skills. The shortage of information security workers is expected to grow — reaching 1.8 million by 2022, according to research by Frost & Sullivan. And there is not enough incoming talent to help narrow the gap.
There are lots of entry-level jobs, prospects for climbing the ladder, and plenty of jobs that earn over $100,000/year.
Testing Strategies for CompTIA Exams
CompTIA includes performance-based questions on their exams to make them more practical and keep up with trends in certification testing. Knowing what to expect and how to approach these question types is key to your success in passing the exams. First, let me fill you in on some facts about the exams.
Exam facts:
There are several different types of questions you may see in your CompTIA exam:
- Multiple choice – the standard question, choose the right answer
- Multiple response – choose all answers that apply with more than one correct answer
- Fill in the blank – fill in the answer to the question
- Drag-and-drop – image or question where you drag answers to match the image or text
- Exhibits – answer questions relating to an attached picture or diagram (variation to multiple choice)
- Performance-based – detailed question, open dialog boxes or other configuration windows and configure as needed
CompTIA has added more of the newer drag-and-drop and performance-based questions to their exam pool.
Total Seminars E-books now Available
Total Seminars E-books now available in one secure online space—the Total Seminars Training Hub.
Total Seminars is excited to announce the availability of CompTIA and AWS E-books via the Total Seminars Training Hub. This online E-book experience is the result of a cooperative agreement between Total Seminars and McGraw Hill. E-books may be purchased on the Total Seminars website. Content is immediately available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Users can now reinforce learning as they read the E-books side-by-side with other electronic study materials on the Total Seminars training hub.
Dudley Lehmer, Total Seminars’ CEO, explains that the “E-book addition is part of our overall plan to expand the ways our products meet our customer needs. In a world of digital delivery the ability to safely and conveniently access E-book content is important to publishers and users. By offering online E-books on our Total Seminars training hub, we ensure that content is secure and easily accessible for on-demand use.”
With plans to continually add IT titles to the Total Seminars catalog of E-books, current offerings include:
More Certifications = More $$
IT Certifications have value both in the knowledge you learn and the credential you can show employers. Studying for a certification alone adds a whole new skill set to your tool box. Learning these new skills keeps you sharp and drives interest in “what’s next”. This attitude is necessary in a field that requires lifelong learning. The IT field is rapidly changing and you must keep up by continuing to study and learn. Certifications are the way you show others that you are leaning.
Turning that learning into Certifications is how you show employers that you are constantly growing and gives a method to verify your current level of knowledge. The proof is in the paycheck and the opportunities those additional skills provide.
The data from the Certification Magazine Salary Survey for 2015 shows the value of IT Certification. More importantly it shows the value of continuing to learn and add additional certifications to your resume.
