Page 13 - Cybersecurity Career Guide for UT Austin

CYBERSECURITY CAREER GUIDE 13 13
edge and skills in AI is now a clear
requirement. Cybersecurity skills, in
general, are in demand, but AI skills in
cybersecurity are really in demand — a
2022 study of some 54,000 cybersecu-
rity job applicants found that only one
percent had relevant AI skills. Such short-
ages come at a time when spending in
the workplace on AI-based cybersecurity
solutions is expected to increase by more
than 20 percent a year for the next five
years, reaching some $60 billion by 2028.
You can get started now with the fol-
lowing steps:
1. Read up on basic AI concepts, like
the difference between machine learning
and deep learning, how neural networks
function, and the importance of feeding
the right kinds of data sets into the algo-
rithms that drive AI operations.
2. Learn the right programing lan-
guage. At least two-thirds of computer
operating systems are written in C and
C++, which are unsafe programming
languages – Python, Java, Swift, and
Rust build stronger and safer programs,
so plan to include those in your studies.
3. Develop an understanding of the
social and ethical dimensions that sur-
round the ways AI functions in our daily
lives. Impacts can extend to loss of pri-
vacy, inherent bias in AI systems, and
threats to people’s livelihoods from the
incursion of AI into their job functions.
For those who develop them, AI skills
can turbocharge career prospects in cy-
bersecurity. They can land you at the
leading edge of a field that is crucial to
protecting not only our online selves at
home and at work but also national inter-
ests like economic competitiveness and
homeland security. There is nothing artifi-
cial about the meaning, purpose, and re-
wards that can accrue from making AI
part of your study and career planning.