In the dynamic field of cybersecurity, navigating career progression can be challenging. The Cyberseek Career Pathway Tool emerges as a powerful resource, offering clarity and data-driven insights for individuals and organizations alike. This innovative platform aggregates and analyzes vast amounts of labor market data to illuminate the pathways within cybersecurity, helping to bridge the skills gap and guide career development. The strength of Cyberseek lies in its collaborative foundation, drawing on the expertise of leading organizations in labor market analysis and cybersecurity workforce development.
Data-Driven Insights: The Engine Behind Cyberseek
Cyberseek’s robust data analysis is fueled by a collaboration between Lightcast, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), and CompTIA. Lightcast, a leader in labor market analytics, employs artificial intelligence to process hundreds of millions of job postings and real-world career transitions. This advanced technology identifies patterns and trends within the labor market, providing a comprehensive understanding of the cybersecurity landscape. Lightcast defines this landscape by analyzing skill and tool proficiencies, specific occupations, job titles, and relevant certifications mentioned in job postings. Crucially, Cyberseek benefits from the contributions of organizations like CompTIA, GIAC, IAPP, (ISC)², and ISACA, who provide data on the supply of certified professionals, enhancing the tool’s accuracy and scope.
Mapping Career Pathways in Cybersecurity
To provide actionable insights into career advancement, Cyberseek constructs detailed career pathways based on core cybersecurity roles. These pathways are designed to illustrate potential progression routes for professionals in the field. The tool leverages the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, a nationally recognized resource that categorizes and defines cybersecurity work roles. By examining the tasks, knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with each NICE work role, Cyberseek maps them to corresponding skills, job titles, and certifications identified in labor market data. This meticulous process ensures that the career pathways are grounded in real-world job market demands and industry standards.
Understanding Cybersecurity Supply and Demand
Cyberseek offers critical estimations of both the supply and demand within the cybersecurity workforce. Supply estimations encompass all individuals relevant to the cybersecurity ecosystem. This includes those currently employed in cybersecurity roles, as well as individuals possessing relevant skills and recent experience who are actively seeking job opportunities. To calculate supply, Cyberseek utilizes a combination of government employment statistics, historical cybersecurity job opening data, and social profile information.
Demand estimations go beyond simply counting current employment and job openings. Cyberseek accounts for the dynamic flow of professionals into, out of, and within the cybersecurity field. Therefore, demand is quantified not only by employment figures and open positions but also by estimations of employee turnover. Similar to supply estimations, demand calculations rely on a blend of government employment data, cybersecurity job opening trends, and insights from social profile data, providing a holistic view of the cybersecurity labor market.
Location Quotient: Identifying High-Demand Areas
Cyberseek’s location quotient is a valuable metric for both job seekers and employers. It reveals the concentration of cybersecurity job postings in a specific geographic area compared to the national average for all job postings. By analyzing this quotient, alongside the cybersecurity supply and demand ratio for a given location, Cyberseek helps users identify regions where cybersecurity jobs are in high demand or where the talent supply might be limited. This granular level of location-based analysis is essential for strategic career planning and workforce development.
Data Timeframe
It’s important to note that Cyberseek’s heatmap data is based on a 12-month period, specifically from September 2023 through August 2024. Career pathway data reflects the most recent 12 months from the current date, ensuring the insights provided are timely and relevant to the current cybersecurity job market.
Conclusion: Navigate Your Cybersecurity Future with Cyberseek
The Cyberseek Career Pathway Tool stands as an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to understand and navigate the complexities of the cybersecurity career landscape. By leveraging comprehensive data analysis and expert collaboration, Cyberseek empowers individuals to make informed career decisions and enables organizations to strategically address their workforce needs in this critical and ever-evolving field.
