In today’s technology-centric environment, cyber security is a lucrative career. Organizations need to secure their information assets from various types of cyber threats looming out there. As a result, the demand for cyber security experts is always high and increases with advancements in technology.

Now, as a student from a commerce background, you might instinctively think that you are ineligible for this career as it is too technical. When there is a will, there is a way, so even B. Com graduates can have a career in cyber security.

How can B. Com graduates make a career in cybersecurity?

There are cyber security programs available for students, but what about graduates? As it just so happens, there is also an advanced cyber security course available online from Great Learning that you can enroll yourself in. So, even if you were not previously from a tech background, you will now be able to make a career in cybersecurity because of this course certification and degree.

It goes without saying that transitioning from B. Com to cybersecurity will not be easy. You will face more challenges than those already from a tech background, but keep in mind that you can excel in this field if you work hard. Employers are willing to overlook your background if you have the skills they need and projects to prove that you possess the skills that they are looking for in a candidate.

In order to be able to showcase those skills, you need more than just certifications; you will need projects. Projects provide a wonderful opportunity to explore your skills and broaden your horizons. You get to learn new things, which you might not discover by merely going through the study material. Here are some project ideas that can help you hone your skills:

Encryption software

If you want to test your merit for cybersecurity, developing encryption software is one of the best ways to do it. Encryption is one of the most famous and widely used methods of securing your digital data. Thus, if you are able to build advanced encryption software, you’ll undoubtedly have the edge over others.

Keylogger

Keylogging is one of the most famous projects among cybersecurity students. Keyloggers are software that tracks the use of buttons on the keyboard. It allows you to monitor user activity by tracking the keys pressed. You can also take this a step further by building a screen logger (a software that takes screenshots of the screen at regular intervals) and other unique but similar software that you can think of.

Network Traffic Analysis

This is a popular internet security concept. Network traffic analysis involves analysing the data packets transmitted through a network. Hackers may try to steal or modify these packets to gain information or disrupt the flow of information. You can analyse the data packets, give your thoughts in a report and also suggest countermeasures in case of an anomaly.

Decoder

While you are practicing how to safeguard data using encryption, it wouldn’t hurt to also develop a decoder that can be used to decode cryptic codes and gain access to data. This will allow you to show that you know and understand how unauthorized parties can access data and how you can counter them.

Password Analyser

You know when you try to make an account somewhere, and they tell you that your password is too weak? That’s the password analyser. Almost all major websites use it to safeguard the credentials of their user. You can put your coding skills to test as you try to build a password analyser. You can also take this a step further by developing a program that not only determines the strength but also recommends strong passwords to the users.

Antivirus

The ultimate challenge as a cyber security student that you can face is building antivirus software. Antivirus is used by almost every device to prevent themselves from getting infected by a virus. Antivirus software is the pillar of information security for any device. Being able to develop robust antivirus software is undoubtedly an admirable achievement.

Job titles in cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing information technology fields as concerns about hacking or data breach increases. Organizations always want to ensure that their data assets are well secured and safe from any kind of cyber attack or threat and, consequently, safeguard them from any loss or data breach. The various cybersecurity job titles and roles include:

• Security Analyst – A security analyst analyzes and assesses the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the infrastructure (software, hardware, and network), investigates using available tools and countermeasures to remedy the detected vulnerabilities, and recommends solutions and best practices.
• Security Engineer – A security engineer performs security monitoring, surveillance, security and data/logs analysis, and forensic analysis to detect security incidents and mounts the incident response. They also implement newer technology to enhance the security of an organization.
• Chief Information Security Officer – A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is a high-level management position, and the officer is responsible for the entire security division or staff.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)-

• What are some things B. Com graduates can do to cope up with others in the field of cybersecurity?

The best course of action would be to acquaint yourself as much as possible with the basics such as networking, types of threats and attacks, basic security structures, and so on. You don’t have to rely only on courses or certificates. The more you learn, the more you will succeed.

• How can a B. Com graduate stand a chance against someone from a tech background?

Employers are willing to overlook your academic background if you have the right skills. To present some proof that you possess the relevant skills, you need certificates and projects. Once you have these things, it doesn’t matter if you’re a B Com graduate or not; all that matters is what you’re capable of doing for your employer.

• Is cyber security a good career?

Yes, cyber security is a wonderful career opportunity that has huge potential for growth. Newer tech brings new threats which result in newer security measures; hence for a cybersecurity enthusiast, there is always something new to learn, some new challenge to face. This keeps the work fresh and challenging instead of making it monotonous.