If A Student Tells You “I Want To Be A Hacker” – Don’t Be Alarmed…
It might not sound like a positive aspiration, but a desire to use computers in unorthodox ways could lead to a brilliant career in cyber security, as Ian Glover explains…
- by Ian Glover
What would you like to be when you leave school?
It’s a very common question asked of children and young people. If the answer is ‘an astronaut’ or ‘a TV celebrity’, the response will usually involve a nod and a smile. Talk of wanting to become an accountant, a lawyer or doctor is generally viewed with more pride. But what happens when a teen tells you, ‘I want to be a hacker’?
If this is said to a school careers advisor, they may well feel compelled to remove access rights to the school network – or possibly ask the student to help fix it! What is a parent supposed to do? Remove all of their technology? Look at their internet history (which is likely to be blank, if the young person has any talent at all)? Buy them more kit because it keeps them quiet and off the street?
The world is your oyster
The reality is that there’s a huge range of professional level jobs within the cyber security industry that young people with an interest in technology, and in hacking in particular, should be made aware of. There are defined career pathways based on merit and performance – and the people who follow them are likely to earn as much, if not more, than an accountant or a doctor. Their career progression will probably be a lot faster, too.
There are multiple routes into the industry. These include fully sponsored ‘earn while you learn’ apprenticeship programmes – which involve getting a degree, three years of experience and no debt at the end – as well as specialist degree courses.
The industry is also developing conversion courses that allow people to enter the industry from other disciplines. It’s possible to go on to work for one of the big audit and accountancy firms, for a major tech company – or indeed an entity in virtually any industry, since such skills are in demand on a global basis. People with cyber security expertise can even start their own boutique companies – the world really is their oyster.
A problem of understanding
The problem the cyber security industry has, however, is that not enough people understand what it is. Young people, with an nascent grasp of the possibilities tend not to have the language needed to describe what exactly it is to which they are aspiring. This is how the statement, “I want to work in one of the most interesting, challenging, rewarding, diverse, fastest-growing industries with a real social responsibility,” becomes “I want to be a hacker.”
The other issue is whether a parent, teacher or a careers advisor can understand just how skilled the young person is and the potential they have. At the same time, they might be worried about the young person embarking on a career in cyber-crime, and all the serious consequences for their life chances and job prospects that entails.
There’s a significant difference between the young person who spends hours playing computer games and has managed to identify cheats that allow them to advance to next levels, and those who are carrying out criminal activity or being groomed by cyber criminals to act on their behalf.
If they speak to a technically competent expert, the language that they use will often demonstrate where they are on this scale. But how can a parent or a school gain access to these experts?
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has defined a criminal pathway showing the progression from computer gaming to cyber-crime, and has worked with industry to develop intervention points that are designed to stop young people progressing and to deflect them onto legitimate pathways. You can download a report on the NCA’s work with industry from here.
Positive resources
There is a wealth of positive material available on the careers and opportunities available in the cyber security industry. The Cyber Security Challenge UK organises competitions with fantastic opportunities to ‘play’ with major industry players and government representatives. The master classes have run simulations in the BT Tower, the Cabinet Office War Room, and HMS Belfast to name just a few. There are industry competitions, too, with fantastic prizes.
Resources like inspired-careers demonstrate the range of opportunities available in the industry, the kinds of people who are involved and what training and development options are available. There are also professional institutions like CREST, the BCS, the IET, and the IISP that encourage and support young people and those progressing in their careers. And in the UK we have world-leading specialist university courses.
Looking at the other side, there are school-based activities that can help to demonstrate the impact of cyber-crime on the most vulnerable in society and the jobs of people working in business and government.
There is never a shortage of press coverage of the impact of cyber-crime. The work of criminals is often legitimised by the ‘exposure of corrupt government or business activities’ – but behind this there are people and organisations doing real harm. It’s important that vulnerable young people get this balanced view.
Recognising the signs
Young people who have spent a significant amount of time online will have often built friendships with people from around the world who have similar interests. It’s not unusual for those who are really into gaming to have made friends across continents through online forums. These can be hugely positive interactions – but as in many other areas of life, such forums may be also frequented by people looking to influence young people into doing the wrong thing by befriending or even grooming them .
Parents and schools should look for the signs that indicate when online friendships have become more important than those in the physical world. The online world is sometimes seen as a friendlier place to those who view themselves as being different, lonely or vulnerable. We must work to ensure that there’s a healthy balance of online and offline interaction.
The most difficult – but important – thing is to identify those young people who have ‘drifted’, before they receive a cease and desist notice from law enforcement, or worse. The aforementioned challenges and games can provide channels for focusing on positive activities, as well as helping to pick out those with talent or potential.
The industry is trying to work with educationists and careers advisors to help identify those at risk and those with talent. Weve not got there yet – we need more help, and more importantly, more scalable ideas for directing and identifying talented young people.
The cyber security industry is a fantastic one within which to work, and we have a skills shortage that can be addressed in the longer term by targeting and encouraging youth. We want a diverse talent pool from which we can draw; those who meet our expectations will never be bored, and could have a hugely rewarding future ahead of them.
7 Reasons to work in cyber security
• There’s something for everyone Whatever your interests and skills, there’s an exciting job for you.
• Financial rewards A good salary from the start, and the sky’s the limit.
• A dynamic industry Cyber security has to evolve quickly, so you’ll always be learning and developing new skills.
• Working for the greater good You’ll be helping companies and people stay safe by fighting cyber-crime.
• Everybody wants you There will always be a high demand for your skills.
• The world is your oyster With highly transferable skills, you can move anywhere in the world and into any industry.
• Problem solving Solving cyber security problems is the ultimate challenge.
Ian Glover is president of CREST; for more information, visit www.crest-approved.org or follow @crestadvocate
