Your 2024 Career Choice - AI or CyberSecurity ?
The ultimate guide for helping you choose your career path
Let me tell you about John
John is an IT project manager with over 5 years experience and is looking for a change
He is bored in his current job + the current tech layoffs have spooked him a bit
He wants to move into a career which is more recession proof and the two top choices seem to be AI or Cybersecurity
But which one to choose ?
How To Choose between AI or Cyber?
First of all .. this article is not about bashing either Cybersecurity or AI
Both fields are red-hot right now taking top place amongst job trends in 2024
But .. Which career path is right for you ?
Choosing the right one depends on a number of factors such as the below:
💼 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 (AI)
💼 Market demand
AI is red-hot right now and for good reason !
Gartner predicts that more than 80% of companies will be using GenAI in one form or another by 2026.
Simply put AI is 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 see AI topping the list.
AI Job shortages are not going to be a problem as the demand for trained professional will bee huge across the globe.
💡 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 free programs available over the internet from Google and AWS to help you get started.
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 any salary report.
While the entry barrier is high , the pay is worth it !
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
💼 Market demand
Cyber-security i.e. the job that makes sure you and your company’s data does not end up in the hand of cyber-criminals remains one of the most in-demand professionals in the world.
As long as the Internet exists, cyber-criminals will try to exploit security weaknesses to steal data
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 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.
💰 Salaries: VARIABLE
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 OR Cyber-Security
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 !
Will there be a choice or will they be blended AI and Cybersecurity? I am wondering.