Artificial Intelligence vs Cyber-Security — Which career is better ?
My two cents on which career path you should choose
Cyber-security is one of the hottest fields around right now and so is Artificial Intelligence with both usually taking the top spots of trending jobs. Both of them also happen to be the stuff I like talking or writing about the most !
Artificial Intelligence vs Cyber-Security as a career path is a question that gets asked around a lot.
So .. Why career path is right for you ?
Whether you are starting out or have a few years under your belt and want to change careers; both AI and cyber-security offer excellent career paths for your long term future.
There is no straightforward answer as to which career is better for you given that there are multiple factors to consider. In this post I have tried to break down each of the different career paths and which is right for you. I used the below criteria :
💼 Market Demand — What are the long term / short term prospects ?
💡 Skills needed — What skills do you need to start this career ?
🧗 Entry Barrier — How difficult is it to get into this field
💰 Salaries — How well does this career pay ?
Lets take a look at each !
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence or “the science of making intelligent machines” which will mimic the human decision making ability is one of the hottest fields right now and rightly now.
Over 800 million jobs are expected to get replaced by automation in the coming years which sounds scary until you realize that an equivalent number of skilled jobs will also get created.
AI is going to be a booming sector in every industry and this is the best time to get started. I made a video on this earlier on the top reasons for choosing a career in AI:
💼 Market demand : AI has been future-proof for a while now and the trend is going to continue. Simply put AI is key to the future of most businesses and the demand for AI trained professionals is going to continue for the foreseeable future. Just search any trending technology job report or go to LinkedIn trends and you will usually see AI topping the list.
If you are passionate about AI then not having opportunities is not going to be a problem as the demand for AI trained professional is going to be huge in US, UK, China, UAE etc.
💡 Skills needed : Programming and Data Science skills are essential to have a successful career in AI . As an AI or Machine learning engineer you will be dealing with analytical models and working with datasets so if interacting with huge amounts of data is not your cup of tea then AI is definitely not the field for you.
You will also need to be proficient in languages like R, Python , Java, Perl etc. and have a good foundational knowledge of probability and statistics.
🧗 Entry barrier: HIGH. — As you can see from the above skills, it is not easy to break into AI if you don’t have a specific set of skills ( Taken reference ! ). If you are already a software developer then you might find it easier than most and can build up the other skills over time if AI is a career you are passionate about.
There are numerous programs available over the internet such as Google AI. If you are just starting out then I also have a course for beginners on Udemy and SkillShare which you can check out. If you are an experienced professional then I suggest going with an proper AI degree program before transitioning due to the learning curve present. These are built for professionals and focus on real world problems to build up your knowledge.
💰 Salaries : HIGH — AI jobs are typically some of the highest paying jobs year in and year out as can be seen by an salary report. While the entry barrier is high , the pay is worth and there is usually a lot of turnover within AI professionals as they are easily able to secure better paying jobs within their industry.
Cyber-Security
Cyber-security i.e. the field that makes sure you and your company’s data does not end up in the hand of cyber-criminals is and will remain one of the most in-demand professionals in the world. As long as the Internet exists, cyber-criminals will try to exploit weaknesses in applications and infra to make off with a company’s treasure of data. News of DDOS attacks , ransomware and cyber-frauds are unfortunately a daily occurrence and this field shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon .
💼 Market demand : Cyber-security is no danger of going obsolete anytime soon with the global security market size anticipated to reach USD 366.10 billion by 2028. Whether you are a small tech startup or a Fortune 500, cyber-security is going to be a top priority in the present and future.
💡Skills needed : Cyber-security is a vast field and what skills you need are dependent on what career path within cyber-security you are going to choose. I have summarized the different requirements in this video :
🧗 Entry barrier : LOW — Compared to AI , it is much easier to break into cyber-security due to the numerous diverging paths that are present. Whether you are a newbie, a network admin or a help-desk officer; cyber-security is a vast enough to field to accommodate a vast array of different skill-sets.
However do note that the cyber-security market has become saturated quite a bit over the last decade or so and while jobs are a plenty, you will need to go the extra mile to stand out compared to AI. Focus on specializing your skill-set and not just doing generic Information Security activities to stand out and command a better position and salary. Watch my video here
💰 Salaries: VARIES : Information Security salaries can vary from low to very high depending on the particular job you are doing. For instance a junior information security analyst will not be paid much while someone in Cloud Security can usually command a much better salary than others at his level. As I mentioned earlier, focus on a specific niche and specialize if you want to stand out in cyber-security
Artificial Intelligence vs Cyber-Security : What is the verdict
So now what we have seen Artificial Intelligence vs Cyber-Security as far as career paths go; I hope now you have a better idea of which career path to choose. Both are excellent career options which offer long term career growth and success. Make a decision and invest in your long term success fully. I wish you all the best in your career !