Ethical hackers monitor internal servers and information systems within an organization to counter any existing vulnerability there which may cause cyber threats or attacks in the future. A typical set of tasks for an ethical hacker comprises operations such as performing penetration tests to recognize security holes. These security-related operations are generally performed using tools like Metasploit, Nmap, BackBox Linux, etc.

Most of the IT enthusiasts expect a long-term and bright career in a field like ethical hacking. Since they generally hold a strong passion for IT-related things, they explore things so they know that ethical hacking is a career-field full of exciting opportunities, significantly good salaries, and new challenges.

Here we shall some of the most important things you need to focus on to begin your journey in this vast field of career.

Analyzing the job market

As per the reports of Joblift, a UK-based employment-related search engine, there are already >3000 jobs for ethical hackers on the job portal. Most particularly, the report asserted that the job vacancies are increasing at a significant average of 4% per month.

Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) in the United States of America has indicated a surprising increase of 28% in information security analysts including ethical hackers related job vacancies from 2016 to 2026.

Explore different career profiles

The field of ethical hacking comprises a variety of career fields such as network security, network security, application security, and information security so one who seeks a career as an ethical hacker is also required to have a good knowledge of all the afore discussed domains too. Organizations are looking for professionals with specialized knowledge to become eligible and competent to work on critical problems facing no significant difficulty.

Have a look at some of the most popular career profiles an ethical hacker can easily fit into;

• Network administrator/manager
• Security investigator
• Penetration tester
• Web security administrator/manager
• Data security analyst/specialist
• Computer/digital forensics investigator
• IT security administrator/consultant/manager
• Network defense technicians

However, there are all the career options related to ethical hacking above, this apparent list would consist a lot more.

Learn about the prerequisites to get ahead

There are few important prerequisites a beginner may need to focus on before they begin it to the field of ethical hacking. Your basic knowledge of ethical hacking may consist of knowledge of security risks, threats, and effective solutions being utilized to counter the issues, which one can learn at an ethical hacking course or training program.

Some of the important prerequisites to get into this field are;

• Become Familiar With Using OS like UNIX and Linux
• Learn Programming Languages
• Problem Solving Skills
• Outreach Valuable Information
• A basic understanding of Cyber Security

Get a recognized certification

You might have got a few people telling you that to become an ethical hacker you need an educational background in computer science. It is undoubtedly helpful to already have a good knowledge of basic computing, you are not necessarily required to be a pro in computing to get started in ethical hacking. All you have to choose a recognized certification in ethical hacking like Information Security Certified Professional (ISCP) which you can qualify with the help of an ethical hacking course based on the syllabus of this certification.

While recruiting ethical hackers, organizations focus on the technical skills and problem-solving capability of aspirants. Those who have pursued any related certification get the advantage of having been recognized as a person with a good knowledge of ethical hacking. ISCP certification may help you exceptionally to grab your first opportunity in the field of ethical hacking.

Hacking has emerged as a hot potato these days because of the increasing awareness for security breaches and the steps being taken in the direction at present. But still, there is much more required to be done to aware people of this. To begin your career in ethical hacking, you can follow the above-discussed things before you get into it completely.