COLORADO SPRINGS – A recent study from the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC reveals that cybersecurity brings a nearly $1 billion annual benefit to the local economy.
That benefit includes what companies are earning, what workers are bringing to the community and so forth. However, to keep this momentum going and protect people from cyber threats this field needs a lot more workers. The industry has already taken the city by storm and now is the time you might want to get in on it.
Vinnie Persichetti, director of cybersecurity programs at the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, said, “They’re projecting vacancies of about 1.5 million jobs in the United States alone over the next five to seven years.”
The demand is high and the need for more cybersecurity workers is huge.
Persichetti said, “Cybersecurity has really become a part of our everyday life. It affects our finances. It affects our privacy, our data.”
The high-tech field is still a mystery to many people, especially on how to get a foot in the door and the benefits that can come with it.
Persichetti said,”It doesn’t necessarily have to be a two or four-year degree. There are training programs, certificates that can be earned…it’s a very lucrative field. The average cybersecurity worker in Colorado Springs earns about $104,000 annually.”
Beyond the financial incentives, it’s a chance to make a difference on a global scale and in your own backyard.
Engineer Ronald Clanton said, “It’s my duty. It’s more than a job.” He began working at Firma IT Solutions in November. At 50 years old, he’s starting a whole new career in cybersecurity. “I go to small businesses. I show the vulnerabilties that they have.”
It’s a challenging job. “I am in demand so I can be at a barbecue on a Saturday and there’s someone that needs some help, and I have to leave…and take care of that.”
However, it’s a position that he knows is an integral part of keeping Colorado Springs safe. “The threat never stops and the bad guys are learning sometimes faster than we are.”
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