Gender gaps
Millennials Show New Interest in Security Careers
A Raytheon-NCSA survey of young adults in 12 countries shows significant interest in cyber-security careers and preparedness. The results varied by gender.
Growing Awareness
The number of young adults in the U.S. who have read or heard a news account of cyber-attacks within the last year jumped from 36% in 2015 to 64% in 2016. Globally, the percentage rose from 33% to 48%.
Candidate Viewpoints
53% of young adults in the U.S. said a political candidate’s position on cyber-security affects their level of support for that candidate.
Cyber-Security Discussion in the Election
50% of young adults in the U.S. don’t think cyber-security has been a big enough part of the discussion leading up to the presidential election.
Understanding Cyber-Security
Globally, the number of millennials who said they were aware of what a cyber pro’s job entails rose from 39% in 2015 to 45% in 2016.
Gender Gap
The gender gap widened. While 54% of young men understood the cyber-security profession (up from 45% in 2015), only 36% of young women did (up from 33% in 2015).
Cyber Competitions
More than a third (36%) of respondents were aware of cyber competitions at their schools. Yet, while 42% of men were aware of the contests, only 29% of women were.
Incentive Programs
70% of millennials in the U.S. said cyber-security programs or activities are available to them, up from 57% in 2015. Globally, the percentage rose from 54% to 68%.
Lack of Opportunities
Women (38%) are more likely to believe than men (25%) that they have no cyber activities available to them. Together, 33% of millennials in the U.S. have sought out cyber-security activities, compared with 45% globally.
Choosing Cyber-Security Careers
43% of men and 30% of women said they were more likely to choose a cyber-security career, compared with 33% of men and 24% of women a year ago.
What Sparks Millennials’ Interest in Cyber-Security Careers?
48% of millennials said more information about what the jobs might entail would increase their interest in cyber-security careers, followed by more relevant training to see if they would be good at it (44%), speaking with current professionals (37%) and reassurance that they would earn a good living (34%).
Cyber Safety Lessons
Globally, 59% of men, up from 43% in 2015, reported receiving formal cyber safety lessons in 2016, compared to 51% of women, up from 40% a year ago.
Types of Skills
Millennials want jobs applying skills cyber professionals use: 56% said they were interested in problem-solving, followed by data analysis (42%), programming (28%), management (49%) and communications (54%).