Did you know there were close to 3.12 million employees in the information technology sector as of January 2024?
But whether you’re working in the industry full-time, part-time, or in between jobs, there’s no reason you can’t leverage your cybersecurity skills to make some side-hustle income. You can invest in stocks — maybe with the help of a stockbroker — or buy rental properties — with the helping hands of a property manager. But you might also want to use the tech skills you have.
Continue reading for a look at ways you can make some money using your cybersecurity skills.
Security Auditing
Do you have any experience doing auditing work? Companies typically need audits performed at specific times of the year, so finding such work doesn’t mean you’ll have to quit your day job. Regulatory requirements mean companies might want to get an independent consultant to help them out twice annually.
So, a credential like the ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor Certification can be useful. It’s the gold standard credential for IT auditing by none other than the Institute of Internal Auditors. If you’ve got the time for a side hustle, market your services as an auditor to businesses that don’t have the in-house talent to do it themselves.
Freelance Ethical Hacking
Do you want to use your skills in a freelance ethical hacker capacity? The threat landscape can be scary — especially for businesses that don’t have the in-house knowledge and wherewithal to meet the challenges head-on. As a freelance ethical hacker, you’ll seek to obtain unauthorized access to your client’s computer network, application, and data.
You’ll then let the client know how you fared and help it improve its defenses if you can gain unauthorized access. Check out ISACA’s CyberSecurity Fundamentals Certificate if you want a credential that shows potential clients that you’re the real deal.
YouTube
Have you ever dreamed about starting a YouTube channel? Share your cybersecurity knowledge and build up an audience. If you provide compelling and interesting information that attracts viewers and channel subscribers, you can eventually monetize your YouTube channel. You can sell courses, consultations, coaching, and other things. YouTube can be an interesting outlet if you want to share what you know about cybersecurity or other related topics. It’ll take a lot of work. So, devise a schedule to ensure you’re regularly uploading content.
Start a Company
Another way you can start a side hustle is to create a startup. It won’t be as scary if you start off doing it part-time. Before beginning, conduct market research. You want to know there’s a sizeable market for the products and services you want to sell. Around six of 10 small businesses that are on the receiving end of cyberattacks fail to remain going concerns beyond six months. So, many small businesses out there can benefit from cybersecurity assistance.
Create Online Courses
Why not tap into your knowledge base and create online courses? It’s not as daunting as it might seem since online platforms help make the process relatively straightforward. While it’ll take hard work to complete the courses, working with relevant platforms will make it easy to find an audience. You’ll increase your earnings as you create more courses and attract more enrollees. And you’ll find that you wind up learning as much as you’re helping others to learn.
If you’re looking to increase your income in the cybersecurity space, these recommendations will give you a few ideas. The cybersecurity space is an interesting one. And if you’re looking for more work for whatever reason, there are lots of avenues you can take.