- Editor’s Note: As of June 15, 2021, Flatiron School is no longer offering the Cybersecurity Analytics course referenced below and is instead offering one full-time cybersecurity course – Cybersecurity Engineering. The Cybersecurity Engineering program teaches students foundational cybersecurity skills and goes deeper into the technical aspects of the field, giving graduates a broader range of job possibilities once they complete the program. Learn more here.
The year 2020 was marked by a record spike in cyber attacks, making it a banner year for cyber criminals.
The rise, while alarming, is not surprising. With the pandemic setting off an unprecedented growth of online consumer and business activities, the health crisis served as the perfect storm for cybercriminals. Hit hardest were the healthcare, banking, and retail industries.
According to the 2021 Identity Fraud Study by Javelin Strategy & Research, instances of identity fraud scams increased with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Nearly 50 million consumers were affected by fraud losses that cost approximately $56 billion.
Also making headlines are other types of cyber scams, from ransomware attacks to widespread misinformation. In fact, the FBI revealed that it has been receiving an average of 4,000 cybercrime reports per day since 2020, a 400 percent jump from the pre-pandemic period.
To make matters worse, cyber security professionals have been clearly outnumbered, with close to half a million jobs left unfilled in the US alone. Contributing to the labor crunch is the scant investment of companies in skills growth and development initiatives.
Working to brighten the picture are several transformative coding bootcamps that have begun offering skills-training programs that seek to train rookies into fully operational cyber security professionals.
One such bootcamp is Flatiron School and one of its flagship programs: the Cybersecurity Analytics program.
Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics Program: What Should You Expect?
The appeal of Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics program can be summed up in one sentence: It’s a program that offers an employer-oriented curriculum, delivered in two learning formats, and paves the way for a career in cyber security.
Let’s break that down.
An Employer-Oriented Curriculum
The premise of the program is simple. Once you complete 420 hours of immersive training, you’ll be well-equipped to pursue a career as a tier 1+ security analyst, threat analyst, and hunt analyst role.
This applies whether you’re coming into the program with a technical background or not. As long as you have a knack for critical thinking and problem-solving, you’ll have as much a chance of getting into the program as someone with a technical background.
Two factors make this possible.
First, the curriculum of Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics program is the product of the collaborative effort between industry experts at Flatiron School’s sister school SecureSet Academy, and top cyber security employers like LogRhythm, Coalfire, Optive, Zayo, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Zendesk.
This ensures that the concepts covered and skills honed throughout the program align with the current demands of the industry. Driving these concepts further are Flatiron School’s instructors who carry experience in cyber security.
Second, the curriculum marries theory with practice. By spending 50 percent of the program on hands-on lab exercises, the curriculum departs from the traditional learning model where practical training is rarely introduced in the classroom.
The exercises simulate real-world cyber security issues to give you the chance to roll up your sleeves and tackle the situations you’ll regularly encounter in the workplace. They also take place in Flatiron School’s custom-built Cyber Range, a sandbox where you can learn organically through trial and error.
By the end of the program, you’ll have performed various cyber security tasks, including:
- Using countermeasures to intercept network security threats
- Gathering and analyzing data essential for directing cyber security strategies
- Conducting an intelligence preparation of the operating environment as well as a mission analysis for cyber operations
- Building a mature and integrated Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) program to manage cyber security
- Applying passive and active hunting techniques to uncover cyber threats
- Minimizing, reporting, and reviewing damage from unwanted intrusions
Your mastery of the above will be tested via a capstone project, which will require the detailed execution of end-to-end cyber security solutions.
Two Ways to Learn
To cater to a wider range of learners, Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics Program is accessible in two ways: through live, full-time learning or flexible, self-paced learning. Note that both formats are currently delivered virtually.
1. Cybersecurity Analytics Live
- Cost: $16,900
- Duration: 12 weeks
- Schedule: Monday to Friday for nine hours per day (including lunch and breaks)
Why choose this format? The strength of this format lies in its speed to graduation, sense of community, and structured schedule. Designed for learners with full-time availability, Cybersecurity Analytics Live offers a fast-tracked schedule that covers the skills you’ll need to break into cyber security in as little as 12 weeks
Lectures are delivered live and synchronously with your cohort, thereby promoting student participation, collaboration, and accountability.
2. Cybersecurity Analytics Flex
- Cost: $16,900
- Duration: 20, 40, 60 weeks
- Schedule: Set your own schedule and work independently
Why choose this format? This format is particularly appealing for learners who need flexibility and independence. Meant for those with already busy schedules, the Cybersecurity Analytics Flex program allows students to learn new skills without having to quit their day jobs or other commitments.
Flex students have access to recorded lectures and attend synchronous 1:1s with their instructors. They can attend optional study groups with peers and engage with Flatiron School’s extensive online learning community.
Both Cybersecurity Analytics Live and Flex offer access to Flatiron School’s proven job-search framework, individualized career coaching, and a robust employer network. In weekly meetings with your career coach, you will work to polish your resume and help you prep for interviews.
Multiple Cyber Security Career Paths
The goal of Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics Program is implicit in its name: to get you ready for a career in cyber security analytics. But what does that entail exactly?
What Is a Cyber Security Analyst?
A cyber security analyst is a cyber security team’s “tip of the spear,” making it a great entry point for anyone looking to break into the industry.
Because they’re at the tip, cyber security analysts also serve as the frontline defense against security breaches and other cyber threats. It’s, therefore, their job to anticipate, detect, and mitigate any sign of malicious activity within a company’s computer network and systems.
Depending on your skills and interests, you may assume any of the industry’s various cyber security analyst job titles.
Common Cyber Security Analyst Job Titles
- Information Security Analyst. An information security analyst is responsible for performing security audits of a company’s IT infrastructure. This is crucial in exposing any vulnerabilities or high-risk practices that hackers can exploit to penetrate networks. Based on the audit, security analysts impose the necessary countermeasures to boost cyber resilience. According to ZipRecruiter, information security analysts earn approximately $100,000 per year on average.
- Threat Intelligence Analyst. Threat intelligence analysts stay ahead of the game by researching and analyzing the inherent level of risk that something or someone poses to a company. They then piece together their findings to come up with actionable intelligence that stakeholders can use to make informed cyber security business decisions. Threat intelligence analysts pocket an average annual salary of $100,300, ZipRecruiter reports.
- Compliance Analyst. Compliance analysts look inward by assessing a company’s adherence to regulations and policies specific to both the cyber security industry and the government. Whereas security analysts and threat intelligence analysts protect the company from cyber threats, compliance analysts protect their company from lawsuits and PR nightmares. Compliance analysts earn an average salary of $63,000 per year, according to ZipRecruiter. This may go up to approximately $104,000 depending on your company, experience level, and location.
- Security Consultant. Security consultants are the serial hat wearers in cyber security. Depending on what a client needs, a security consultant may oversee the management of security systems, the performance of vulnerability tests and threat analysis, or the professional supervision of cyber security teams. Security consultants can work independently or within a company. They earn approximately $88,000 per year, according to ZipRecruiter.
Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics Program: Is It Worth It?
Like most others, Juan Calcano and Jonathan Rangel Garcia knew nothing about cyber security when they enrolled in Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics Program. Both had been working in different industries for 15 years before making the switch—Juan in sales and marketing, and Jonathan in the service industry.
For Juan, his decision to reskill was inspired by his younger brother’s success in the field. “I just watched how successful he became and became curious about his chosen career,” Juan said in a Flatiron School review. For Jonathan, the reason behind the move was grimmer.
“The short story: COVID-19,” Jonathan said. “Like many in the service industry, I lost my job once the pandemic hit. I decided I wanted to make the best of a terrible situation and use the time to pick up a new skill. I was always a hobbyist when it came to technology, so I knew I wanted to do something in the IT field.”
And so began their respective journeys to cyber security via Flatiron School.
The Bootcamp Experience
Juan prefaced his Cybersecurity Analytics program experience with a nod to the program’s rigor. “It got to a point where I thought, ‘Ah, do I really want this?’ Because it was difficult,” said Juan. “But the results made it worth it.”
“The professors were great. The focus on GRC, threat hunting, and SIEM [security intelligence and event management] classes were all amazing,” Juan added. “It definitely helped that everything was new to me so I found everything interesting.”
Jonathan had equally positive things to say about the program. “There were so many highlights [in my coding bootcamp experience],” he said. “My cohort was filled with wonderful people who come from diverse backgrounds and who I still keep in touch with. My cohort coach and SIEM instructor were very knowledgeable and supportive.”
“I was able to interact with many tools that are essential in my new career. But best of all, I was once again motivated to learn,” Jonathan added.
Outside the curriculum, both were quick to praise Flatiron School’s job placement support. “One of the main reasons why I chose Flatiron School is their career services,” Juan said. “It was one thing for me to go back to school, and another thing to look for a job in a new industry. So knowing that they’d help me throughout the entire process meant a lot.”
Jonathan also shared that the placement program, particularly his career coach’s assistance, was pivotal to landing his first job in cyber security.
The Training Outcomes
“I was recently hired as a security operations center (SOC) analyst for Security Risk Advisors,” said Jonathan. “I will be on a team tasked with securing various client organizations using a variety of tools. That includes monitoring for threats and responding to alerts using SIEMs, Network Security Monitoring, and Endpoint Detection and Response tools.”
Similarly, Juan was hired only two months after getting certified. He has since assumed a senior associate SOC analyst role for Cognizant Technology Solutions, a Denver-based cyber security firm and a Fortune 500 company.
“The team is amazing, and the company’s great,” said Juan. “It feels surreal, especially since I’ve been in sales and marketing for such a long time. This is something completely different, and I truly love it.”
“[Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics Program] was a very difficult bootcamp, full of long and frustrating hours, but it was all worth it,” concluded Jonathan.
Building a Cyber Security Force
At a time where cyber attacks grow more potent each day, cyber security has become a grand game of chess. The goal: to protect the most valuable assets of a company and consumers at large. As companies race to fill their cyber security ranks, the demand for skilled and qualified talent has never been so vital.
If you’re up for the challenge, apply for Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Analytics program and make your way into what is probably one of the most challenging yet rewarding fields in the tech industry.
If you have a technical background or familiarity with programming languages and operating systems, find your fit in Flatiron School’s Cybersecurity Engineering Program.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
