FAQs

Frequently asked questions

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Skills

The following skills are crucial for a career in Cybersecurity:

  • Problem-Solving Skills

  • Technical Aptitude

  • Attention to Detail

  • Communication Skills

  • Analytical Skills

Try and develop your understanding about cyber– passwords, encryption, phishing etc. There are lots of free online resources to help you explore the industry:

  • Look out for Capture the Flag (CTF) games and competition platforms.
  • If you are on social media, follow organisations such as the NCSC on Twitter or LinkedIn as they regularly post news and information about new threats and security breaches.
  • Check out this free online course run by The Open University.
  • Find out about bootcamps or summer programmes in your area. CyberFirst run lots of online and face to face activities for students CyberFirst courses – NCSC.GOV.UK.
  • Employers love informal learning, so demonstrate an interest in cyber through your extra-curricular activities or hobbies.
  • Try and gain an understanding of programming and IT if you are not studying computer science.

If you are applying for an apprenticeship or work experience, do things that you can have a conversation about with employers in an interview. You may for example have picked up skills during gaming. The more you try, the more you can work out what good might look like.

If you are applying for university include any activities that are evidence of your skills and outside interests in your personal statement. They demonstrate that you understand what cyber is all about and that you’ve had a go at some cyber / digital activities. Perhaps explain which activities you enjoyed and the ones you didn’t and why? This would help explain your mindset and why you like doing certain tasks.

Knowledge building

  • Find out about and join your local cyber cluster group. They give free talks which you can listen to without having to join the conversation. They also provide a good networking opportunity. They welcome students and young people as well as employees.
  • Have a look at Cyber Essentials Resources – NCSC.GOV.UK. A government backed scheme that helps protect organisations against a whole range of the most common cyber-attacks.
  • The UK Cyber Security Council has lots of information on Cyber security as well as a careers framework and useful careers mapping tool.
  • For those of you looking to stretch yourself, explore CyBOK – a comprehensive ‘body of knowledge’ which shows that cyber security encompasses a wide range of disciplines.
  • Check out these sites for recommended resources:
    Unlock Cyber: Resources
    Cyber First Schools: Resources
  • Read around the subject for example how tech and psychology come together, understand technology and cyber and how it impacts the subjects you are currently studying.

There’s a big variety of cyber jobs and skills needed. It’s worth doing some research into the different roles that are being advertised. For example, different mindsets i.e., problem solvers, creative thinkers are required to become a pen test or cyber analyst compared to a forensic analyst which follows processes.

Whilst many of these skills are transferable you may find you are best suited to a particular role. It’s a bit like training to become a doctor, you probably won’t know what area you wish to specialise in until you are starting your training or job.

The UK Cyber Security Council has lots of information on Cyber security as well as a careers framework and useful careers mapping tool.

Please see our careers page for more information on job roles in cyber.

Check out VWEX – Speakers for Schools Virtual Work Experience programme (VWEX).

Please click here for unlock cyber employee opportunities.

Degrees / Apprenticeships

There is no right or wrong answer for this, it depends on you as an individual and how you like to learn. If you are very hands on and like getting stuck in, then it may be that an apprenticeship is the right path for you. If you like the rigour of academic study, then it may be that a degree suits you better.

It may also depend on your background and what you would like from life experience too. With an apprenticeship you will earn a salary from day one, so there is no student loan to repay afterwards. Or you may want to experience the student lifestyle that a degree and university offers. You need to think about what works best for you and your circumstances, but in terms of choices, the opportunities, and outcomes in the industry whether you go down an apprenticeship or the degree routes are the same. Both routes are your gateway to an interesting and stimulating career!

Look at these websites below as the content of the apprenticeship will vary depending on the course.

For a level 3 or 4 apprenticeship in Cyber you will need 5 GCSE’s (Grade AQ*-C or 4-9), but most cyber apprenticeships, cyber degrees or STEM degrees require you to have the following A levels or BTEC equivalent:

  • Technology
  • Science
  • Mathematics
  • Computing

Please see our careers page for more information.

Most employers want you to have studied STEM subjects as they will equip you with the analytical and problem-solving skills needed. This will also enable you to simplify complex problems and convey them clearly. However, there are some disciplines within cyber which may be open to a broader range of subjects, so it may not necessarily exclude you from a career in cyber if you don’t study a STEM subject.

If you do study for a degree in cyber security or computer science, it will however give you the required skills and knowledge to becoming employable in the cyber industry. It will allow you to develop computer programming and database skills and expand your knowledge of computer networks, systems, and the legal environment you’ll operate in. You will also gain vital professional skills, such as using industry standard forensic and security tools whilst building your industry network and knowledge at presentations from visiting professionals.

Please see our careers pathway page for more information on which subjects would be beneficial to study.

Salaries

It is important to understand that salaries will differ depending on experience, location, hiring company and type of cyber role.

The following salaries are general guidelines for 2023.

Apprenticeships

Your starting salary will depend on the level of your apprenticeship (3 , 4 or 6) and salaries increase each year of your apprenticeship.

Level 3 or 4 Apprenticeships (Technician/Engineer) starting salaries can range from £15k -£ 20k.

Integrated degree apprenticeships (Level 6) e.g. Cyber Security Apprenticeship/Digital Technology Solutions salaries start at around £20k. If you take a 4-year Level 6 Degree level apprenticeship, by the time you have finished, your salary level should be at least equivalent to a graduate starting salary (see below).

Graduate

Most graduate cyber jobs start at around £30-35k, although professional services/consultancy organisations will generally pay more. Smaller organisations or those in the Charitable sector, for example, may pay less.