The jobs cyber experts say will create top future career paths for tech-minded young people

Most children starting school today will end up in jobs that don’t even exist yet, with cybersecurity and other digital career paths set to boom. Here’s what parents and tech-savvy students should know.

More than 11,000 cybersecurity jobs are expected to be created in the next decade.

Two-thirds of the jobs our primary school-aged students will do don’t even exist yet, a World Economic Forum report has predicted.

More than 11,000 cybersecurity jobs will be created in the next decade, with tertiary institutions scurrying to keep up with the rapidly shifting employment landscape.

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A new $700,000 Cyber Security Operations Centre at VU Polytechnic’s St Albans campus will open in July, giving students in the west an edge into the market.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The Wyndham Leader spoke to the TAFE and multinational tech giant Cisco to find out what some of the other ‘jobs of the future’ will be.

Security architect

The person responsible for designing, building, testing and implementing security systems within an organisation’s IT network.

Security architects need to think like a hacker to discover the network’s weak spots so they can build a system that can’t be penetrated.

VU Polytechnic’s vocational education and pathways pro vice-chancellor Dianne Semmens said: “it’s about try to predict threats and attacks to prevent them as much as it is about responding to them”.

Cyber ethicist

Most people don’t think twice about uploading their personal information to the web. Social media and online shopping sites, the Australian Tax Office and electoral commission all have access to some of your most private details.

But what are the ethical and legal implications of handing over that information — and how it’s stored and used?

Facebook was recently embroiled in a scandal when the personal information of as many as 87 million users — including 300,000 Australians — was reportedly sold to Cambridge Analytica and allegedly used to manipulate an election.

Security penetration tester

These ‘ethical hackers’ spend their days trying to breach computer and network security systems in simulated cyber attacks designed to pinpoint any weaknesses.

While a major part of their working day is spent trying to identify vulnerabilities in a company’s IT infrastructure, penetration testers also need to be comfortable making detailed reports on their findings.

Cisco Australian and New Zealand general manager Reg Johnson said there was an ever-growing focus on cybersecurity as companies and governments made “securing our digital economy” a priority.

There are already a number of penetration tester roles listed on Seek.com.au, with salaries of up to $175,000 on offer.

Computer security incident responder

A kind of ‘cyber firefighter’, a computer security incident responder addresses security threats and breaches while they’re happening and investigates the root cause of the incident.

They use a range of forensic tools to find the source of the threat and try and limit the damage caused.

They also develop procedure and protocol for dealing with breaches and provide detailed incident reports.

Cyber security support officer

These trained workers are responsible for day-to-day security operations, including installing and maintaining data protection and antivirus software.

They also monitor security access for other employees at the company and help create and implement a company’s security policies and even provide security awareness training.

Ms Semmens said most large organisations had cyber security officers on staff.

“Most companies need a dedicated team of cyber security experts these days so it’s absolutely a viable career,” she said.