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Cyber ​​Security: Which school should I study? What are the job opportunities?

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  • Published: 5 June 2025

In the booming era of information technology and digital, data systems, they are not only transmitted internally but have gradually reached the global level. However, along with the tremendous development are the challenges of information security, which have driven a great demand for human resources in the cybersecurity industry.

So, what is the cybersecurity industry? What are the top universities that teach this major? Let's find out with IDP through the article below!

1. What is the Cybersecurity Industry?

Cyber-security is the activity of protecting computer systems from theft or damage to the hardware and software of data through software vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity also helps prevent interruptions and deviations of the services that are being provided to the system.

Cybersecurity works through a tight infrastructure system. The term cybersecurity is applied in a variety of contexts, from enterprise to mobile computing, and is divided into three main categories, along with a few other common ones:

  • Cybersecurity: This is a subset of the information technology security aspect. The mission of cybersecurity is to ensure the protection of digital data on networks, computers, and personal devices from illegal access and attacks.

  • Computer security: This form of security uses hardware and software to protect harmful data sent from personal computers or other devices to information network systems. Computer security is obliged to protect the information technology infrastructure and against data that is blocked, altered or stolen by cybercriminals.

  • Information technology security: This is the protection of data where it is stored, even when it is moved across information networks. If cybersecurity is only about protecting digital data, the security aspect of information technology will protect both digital data and physical data from unauthorized intruders.

  • Incident recovery: Identify an organization's response to a cybersecurity incident or data breach.

  • User education: Any of us can inadvertently introduce viruses into a secure data system without strict security measures in place. Therefore, organizations are obliged to instruct users to delete suspicious emails and not to plug USB into unknown sources.

2. What does the Cybersecurity major study?

Currently, the cybersecurity industry is still a relatively new industry, while data attacks are increasingly sophisticated and use more sophisticated techniques. Therefore, to be able to succeed in this industry, you must equip yourself with full knowledge and experience to handle practical situations.

In most countries, Bachelor's cybersecurity courses usually last 3-4 years, Master's programs will last 1-2 years. Based on the Academic Standards provided by NASA, a Cyber Security training program includes specializations such as:

  • General cryptography

  • Information Technology Systems

  • Information Network

  • System Administration

  • Policy, Legal, and Ethics

  • Data Analytics

  • General Computer Programming

  • Cloud Computing

  • Cyber risks

  • Cyber Defense

  • Security Design Principles

  • Principles of information assurance

Basically, the curriculum for Cyber Security will vary from school to school. There will be schools that focus on teaching programming, and there will also be schools that focus on security policy or other aspects. Therefore, when you want to pursue this major, you need to carefully research the teaching majors to ensure that they are suitable for your future development goals.

3. What you need to know when pursuing a Cybersecurity career

Always explore and learn to develop yourself

Unlike other jobs, the Cyber Security industry requires you to always make efforts and work hard to catch up with new trends in the industry. To help you succeed no matter what position you take in this field, put yourself in the shoes of information intruders. Once you keep yourself curious, you'll always be ready to offer a solution to any spark mark.

Be wary of situations of information exploitation

Besides being fully equipped with knowledge and skills in the cybersecurity industry, you need to learn how to use information in the right place and in the right way. Sometimes, there are those of you who tend to become black hat hackers - hackers when faced with financial temptations. Therefore, when learning about the cybersecurity industry, learn in detail the negative effects, consequences, and penalties of cyberattacks to make the right decisions about your work.

Income is always accompanied by work responsibilities

With the rise of data and cyber attacks, companies or organizations are always willing to pay quite attractive salaries for those who take on this job. However, always keep in mind that income and position in this field mean increased responsibilities. Do your best with a high sense of responsibility.

4. Which school does Cyber Security study?

Currently, the teaching plan of the Cyber Security program at Colleges and Universities is always improved over time. You can choose to pursue Cyber Security courses in developing countries such as Australia, UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand.

5. What is the purpose of studying Cybersecurity? What are the job prospects?

With the increasing security needs of many organizations and businesses, ensuring cybersecurity is no longer limited to the scope of information technology, but is also widely required in other fields such as e-commerce, banking, defense, education, and online services.

However, because the human resources of this industry are currently limited, domestic and international students when graduating will easily find jobs with attractive incomes in positions such as:

  • Database Security and Cyber Security Specialist

  • Information security inspector and assessment specialist

  • Information Technology Specialist

  • Network Engineer

  • Cybersecurity Analytics Engineer

  • Penetration Test Engineer

  • System Administrator

  • Security Consulting

  • Computer Forensic Analysis - Digital Investigation

  • Security Engineer

  • Incident Responder

  • Security software developers

  • Penetration tester

  • Security Architect

6. Salary of the Cyber Security industry

Depending on the position and the job undertaken, the salary of the Cyber Security industry will vary, but the salary of most positions is quite attractive. In Vietnam, the income of cybersecurity employees is about 35-60 million VND/month. Fresh graduates of this major also have a fairly good starting salary of about 11-15 million VND/month.

According to a report from Payscale, cybersecurity salaries in each position can fluctuate as shown in the table below:

Working Position

Salary

Information Security Analyst

USD $57,000 - $117,000 / year

Cyber Security Engineer

USD $71,000 - $145,000 per year

Security Engineer

USD $68,000 to $147,000 per year

Chief Information Security Officer

USD $118,000 to $240,000 per year

Director of Information Security

USD $240,000 to $420,000 per year

Search for the right cybersecurity key for you at IDP!

Hopefully, the above article will help you understand more about the cybersecurity industry as well as the skills needed to develop a career in this field. To refer to schools that teach this field in different countries, you can find out on the IDP website - Study Abroad Advice—or contact IDP for all information.

In addition to chatting with counselors, IDP always organizes IDP study abroad seminars throughout the year, creating opportunities for students and parents to meet directly with school representatives, hunt for scholarships to study abroad, and review applications on the spot. To easily estimate the fees when studying Psychology abroad, you can proactively calculate them through the IDP Cost of Living Calculator.

Sign up for a consultation with IDP today!

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