In the UAE, the average annual salary of a cybersecurity professional is AED 200,000. As of right now, there are around 250 active cybersecurity job openings in Dubai alone. These are some really attractive numbers and the good news is that they are constantly on the rise. The demand for cybersecurity professionals in the UAE is growing at 12% per year. Meanwhile, there is a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals that has reached 3.4 million, and the UAE is feeling this gap.

Why Cybersecurity is Thriving in the UAE

There are many reasons why this sector is enjoying a growth trajectory. Let’s take a look at the rate of cyberattacks in the region. In 2023, 65% of companies in the UAE saw an increase in the same.  The UAE is also pushing heavily towards digital transformation. From Smart City projects to an IT infrastructure that encompasses everyday life, cybersecurity threats will always be on the rise. The cybersecurity market is poised to grow to USD 23.4 billion in the Middle East, and the UAE will contribute significantly to this figure.

How to Start a Career in Cybersecurity

So, how can one get a career in cybersecurity? It involves three major steps:

• Training
• Credentials
• Career path

Training Options for Aspiring Cybersecurity Professionals

First of all, let’s start off with training. What do you need to know in terms of being a cybersecurity professional? Well, the training aspect, one of the options that’s been the traditional one—this is the one that many go through, but not everyone has to do this—is you’re going to see a Bachelor of Science in something like Computer Science, or IT—some of those related fields. And then maybe you add on to that an additional cybersecurity concentration. 

Another path is an associate’s degree. So here you’re talking about probably a two-year degree or some sort of vocational training. And this is going to be something that’s going to cost less and still could be a valid entry point. For some, it’s going to be taking a bootcamp. So this is a very specific, intensive, short-duration security training. And finally, an option you can consider—and some of these are available online and they’re free—is a certificate of some sort. In fact, IBM offers one of these from an organization called Coursera.

So if you think about this, this is going to be your most expensive of the options, a little bit less, a little bit less, all the way down to in some cases, it’s zero. Now, of course, what you’re spending is going to have something to do with the kinds of jobs and doors that get opened for you. All of these may not lead to the same place, but they’re all different entry points into the cybersecurity career space, so they all should be considered.

Credentials You Need to Get a Cybersecurity Job

Now, the next thing is credentials. So what kind of things do you need to do to get the job? You’ve got the training, now you have to prove that you’re qualified for the job. The most common of these are professional certifications. The one that’s considered the gold standard in the security space is a thing called a CISSP: Certified Information System Security Professional. That’s the one that most of the jobs are looking for. It’s not an entry-level cert, though. In order to get this, it requires five years of experience in the field. It requires that you pass an exam that’s about 100 to 150 questions, multiple choice.

There’s an ethics statement that you have to sign off on. There is also an endorsement, so you need an existing CISSP to endorse you. And then there’s ongoing CPE, in other words, education credits that you need to be able to get. This is, again, the one that’s in most demand, but it’s not for entry-level folks to be able to get all of these things.

The next one, though, that is a more entry-level cert is Security+. Security+ has a lower bar to meet—it’s two years of experience. There’s an exam. There are 90 questions on the exam. So that just gives you kind of a little bit of an idea. It’s not for someone that’s brand new, but it’s not the same high bar.

A lot more people have Security+ than have CISSP, and jobs are offering positions for people that have that level. Some other certs that you might consider—the CISA for auditors, the CISM for managers. There are a number of different certificates and credentials that could be useful, but those are some of the ones that you might want to consider.

Career Paths in Cybersecurity

Now, how about a career path? Once you’ve got the training, you’ve got the certs, you’ve got the credentials, what are you going to do in terms of your career? Where does all of this lead?

Well, there’s a great website called cyberseek.org. You’re going to see an example where you can start off with a feeder role. An example—if you start with networking experience, then from there you can lead to an entry-level cybersecurity position. And from there you can see what sort of mid-level cybersecurity positions that might lead to, and then ultimately what sort of advanced positions all of this could lead to. So that’s a great resource for you to go and explore and look and see what kinds of things you’re interested in and where all of this can lead.

Resources to Help You Break Into Cybersecurity

So, what kinds of things are out there to help you once you want to try to do something like this? Well, as mentioned before, there’s cyberseek.org, which allows you to explore these career paths and certification paths. Another really good one is from Coursera and IBM.

IBM worked with Coursera to develop a certificate for an example like this—an online cert that doesn’t cost you anything to do and will introduce you to the field of cybersecurity as an analyst.

The Future is Bright for Cybersecurity Professionals in the UAE

As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, the demand for skilled professionals is only expected to grow. The UAE, with its ambitious digital transformation initiatives and smart city projects, is at the forefront of this trend, creating numerous opportunities for those looking to enter the field. The combination of competitive salaries, increasing job openings, and the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology makes cybersecurity an attractive career path for both newcomers and experienced IT professionals.