Emerging Careers and Demand for Cybersecurity Professionals

Assumption Cybersecurity Professor of Practice Raymond Albert, Ph.D., recently visited with students at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg and shared with them the increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals to prevent, thwart, and respond to cyber attacks.

Industry analyst Cybersecurity Ventures has forecast that cybercrime will create $6 trillion in damages by 2021, a significant increase from the $3 trillion estimated in 2015. Despite these alarming statistics, there exists few professionals who are trained in this area—there are nearly 10,000 vacancies for cybersecurity professionals in Massachusetts alone and 300,000 nationwide, according to Cyber Seek.

“Wage growth will surpass becoming growth in this area due to low unemployment and a significant shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals,” Prof. Albert shared with the students. “Cyber threats are real and all around us. Our lives, our country, its infrastructure are increasingly becoming digital and subject to real threats.”

Cybersecurity was recently added as one of Assumption’s 35 majors, given the existing and sustained growth for trained professionals who are educated in the liberal arts tradition. Through the liberal arts, students develop skills that are critical to a successful career in cybersecurity such as problem solving and communication. Assumption’s cybersecurity program has a foundation in the liberal arts where students also learn management, data analysis and programming. 

Assumption is one of only three institutions of higher learning in Massachusetts with a curriculum that complements the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security’s Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense program. The program emphasizes the formation of thoughtful citizens with strong moral character and integrity.

“Cybersecurity is about establishing trust, safeguards, and resiliency, with trust being most prized,” explained Prof. Albert.  “Strong moral character and integrity are the foundation for that trust, essential traits of cybersecurity professionals that are imparted upon students at Assumption.”