Millennials--especially young women--not pursuing careers in cybersecurity due to lack of both awareness and interest.

You've heard it over and over:  the embarrassment of riches in cybersecurity job openings that sit unfilled due to a lack of skilled talent for those gigs. Meanwhile, the number of women in the cybersecurity field remains static at an anemic 10% worldwide over the past two years. And don't count on millennials to infuse fresh talent or diversity into the cybersecurity industry: a recent survey by Raytheon and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) found that 18- to 26-year-olds worldwide just aren't pursuing careers in the field.

Young millennial women are less interested and informed about the field than millennial men, according to the report: 52% of millennial women say cybersecurity programs and activities aren't available to them in school, while 39% of millennial men said the same. Only about half of millennial men are aware of what cybersecurity jobs entail, while just 33% of women are, the survey found.

Why aren't young people drawn to this hot industry? The Raytheon-NCSA survey indicates they just aren't getting the proper information in school. But another big hurdle is a lack of entry-level cybersecurity jobs, which limits young graduates' opportunities in the industry.

Join me on the next episode of Dark Reading Radio, "Millennials & The Cybersecurity Skills Shortage," this Wednesday, November 18 at 1pm ET/10am PT, as we explore this conundrum with the experts:  Valecia Maclin, Raytheon's program director for the Department of Homeland Security's network security deployment division, and millennials Jennifer Imhoff-Dousharm, co-founder of the dc408 and Vegas 2.0 hacker groups, and Ryan Sepe, information security analyst at Radian Group Inc.

Register for the radio broadcast (it's free) and live chat here

About the Author(s)

Kelly Jackson Higgins, Editor-in-Chief, Dark Reading

Kelly Jackson Higgins is the Editor-in-Chief of Dark Reading. She is an award-winning veteran technology and business journalist with more than two decades of experience in reporting and editing for various publications, including Network Computing, Secure Enterprise Magazine, Virginia Business magazine, and other major media properties. Jackson Higgins was recently selected as one of the Top 10 Cybersecurity Journalists in the US, and named as one of Folio's 2019 Top Women in Media. She began her career as a sports writer in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and earned her BA at William & Mary. Follow her on Twitter @kjhiggins.

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