Uncle Sam wants YOU…to get a job in cyber.
Earlier this month, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its Service for America campaign, an eight-week long recruiting, hiring, and engagement sprint intended to fill vacant cybersecurity jobs across the country. The sprint is hosted by the White House Office of the National Cyber Director in collaboration with the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management.
In a statement announcing the campaign, National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. said the sprint will help bring “meaningful” cyber, technology, and artificial intelligence jobs to Americans, including those who may not have a traditional background in those fields.
No degree? No problem. “There is a perception that you need a computer science degree and a deeply technical background to get a job in cyber,” Coker wrote. “The truth is, cyber jobs are available to anyone who wants to pursue them.”
Coker also highlighted several ongoing efforts that the White House introduced last year as part of the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy, including steps taken to remove “unnecessary” degree requirements for cyber jobs and a push for more work-based learning opportunities.
The great talent crisis. The campaign comes as the cybersecurity industry continues to grapple with a large talent shortage problem. According to Coker, there are currently half a million open cyber jobs in the country, a number he expects will continue to grow as new technologies enable more services and products are digitized. Meanwhile, data from Cyber Seek shows that the nation’s current supply and demand ratio stands at 85%, meaning there are only enough cybersecurity workers in the country to fill 85% of the total number of cybersecurity jobs nationwide, on average.
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Seth Robinson, VP of industry research at CompTIA, told IT Brew that the gap between supply and demand in the cybersecurity industry has been a longstanding problem and is driven largely by increased investments in technology, resulting in new skills being required of workers.
“[T]hose investments in new technology are requiring new skills really across the board,” said Robinson. “And in many cases, companies are wanting these skills relatively quickly, right? And so they’re looking for experienced professionals that can step in and hit the ground running.”
Wind sprints. Tara Wisniewski, ISC2’s EVP of advocacy, global markets, and member engagement, told IT Brew that the Service for America hiring sprint is well timed, as students return to school and cybersecurity month approaches. But it’s only the first step.
“We’re doing the work to get more people into it, but now we actually have to get butts in seats,” she said.
John Bennett, global head of government affairs at risk and financial advisorycybersecurity firm Kroll, told IT Brew that the White House’s latest efforts are “the beginning of a conversation that needs to expand.” He believes additional goals, such as making computer classes in high schools mandatory, should be considered next.
“This is going to be something that can get you a job, yet I don’t see that push into the lower education systems to start inspiring and start providing a foundation for that next generation to start looking at these [careers],” Bennett said.