A ninja is a Japanese mercenary with insane karate skills made popular by many TV shows – it is cool to be a ninja. Cyber ninjas are next level ninjas with insane cyber skills. Many career paths can get you up to the ninja level. If you have strong technical inclinations and are looking to make a significant difference in the field of cyber security, then this is for you. One thing to note is that there is a huge demand for cyber ninjas in the corporate sector with many companies looking to hire such experts to keep their digital assets like websites, customer data, and trade secrets safe.
To become a ninja in the Cyber domain, you will have to get to know the profession and get some cyber training to go with it.
Do your research well. Get some good reading done from verifiable websites and make an informed decision as to the career path you need to choose. There are many career paths for you to choose even in the field of Cyber security as there are many technologies in which you can choose to build your expertise.
What are the specialties in this field?
A Cyber specialist is an expert in a particular subject of cyberspace and is employed by an organization in order to secure digital assets. The way a cyber-specialist does his/her job is by probing the existing cyber infrastructure for any weaknesses and faults, making sure that the systems and networks are under constant surveillance looking out for hacking attacks and associated breaches, and by dealing with the consequences of attacks that breach through the defenses. They also make a technical inquiry into attacks that happen and prepare white papers detailing steps to be taken to be better prepared for such attacks in the future.
Some specialty positions include Cyber Security Analysts, Forensic Analysts (Technical), White Hat Hackers (Ethical Hackers) and so forth.
As a cyber-ninja, you will be a cut above the rest – knowing the existing technology like the back of your hand and by increasing your knowledge and skillset together with the evolution of new technologies. Essential skills to survive in this market include, having a strong interest in the field of information technology and cyber security (this includes extensive knowledge of the underlying hardware including networking equipment as well), patience (as most cases will be complicated and difficult), an inquisitive nature that is not afraid of taking risks, having the skill to work under extreme pressure and strict deadlines, good communication skills to be able to explain the situation to uninitiated people, and to be able to manage the people working with you, as this is not an individual job and you will have to collaborate with people.
It is not necessary to have formal education to be able to get into this field, but it would be an absolute bonus. A degree from IT, Mathematics, Networking, and other similar fields would give you a fundamental grasp on the basics and will set you up for the work and ninja-level expertise.
