How to launch your cybersecurity career using LinkedIn Learning courses

While earning a master’s degree or another advanced degree can be a great way to make a career switch or earn a higher salary, these programs often require a significant investment of both time and money. For example, a master’s degree in cybersecurity from the University of California—Berkeley, which Fortune ranks as having the No. 1 program in the U.S., costs about $75,000 to complete.

However, these programs can help graduates achieve robust career outcomes. Some cybersecurity grads from UC Berkeley’s program manage to double their salaries post grad, to $200,000. Cybersecurity workers are also in high demand with more than 700,000 open positions in the U.S. alone. Worldwide, the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs grew by 350%, from 1 million positions in 2013 to 3.5 million in 2021, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

“Today’s labor market is all about skills,” Jeff Kellum, senior content manager of tech content at LinkedIn Learning, tells Fortune. “With an estimated 3.5 million unfulfilled cybersecurity roles by 2025, the ability to learn and showcase in-demand skills is critical for anyone hoping to get their foot in the door in the space.”

One way to start on your journey to becoming a cybersecurity professional is to start with the basics. LinkedIn Learning offers a variety of courses focused on cybersecurity from a foundational level all the way to preparation for advanced certifications. 

“In the face of an uncertain macroeconomic climate, the ability to learn and showcase in-demand skills is critical to helping people get a foot in the door with a new company or finding a new role within their organization,” Hari Srinivasan, vice of product at LinkedIn, wrote in a late August blog post. “For many professions, certifications have emerged as key to this, with the number of people on LinkedIn who’ve added certifications to their profile increasing 44% over the last two years.”

Fortune has compiled a few cybersecurity courses to check out on LinkedIn Learning for people interested in learning more about the field. We’ve also included a list of the 19 learning paths and courses LinkedIn offers to prepare cybersecurity workers for the most in-demand certifications. LinkedIn Learning is available to LinkedIn users with a premium account, which can cost about $30 to $60 per month, depending on the package you purchase. 

1. Cybersecurity Foundations

This course helps learners understand the basics of cybersecurity including explainers on cyber threats, cyber criminals, managing cyber risk, and responding to cybersecurity incidents. Cybersecurity Foundations is taught by Malcom Shore, who served as director of New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). The course takes roughly two hours total to complete, and includes instructional videos, chapter quizzes, and a final exam. 

2. Transitioning to a Career in Cybersecurity

This course is tailor-made for professionals looking to make a career switch to cybersecurity. Transitioning to a Career in Cybersecurity helps learners to leverage their current skills, whether it’s in IT or a related field, in cybersecurity. The course also includes resume tips, interview strategies, and resources for finding a job in cybersecurity. The course, which takes a little over an hour to complete, is taught by Marc Menninger, who’s worked in cybersecurity for more than 20 years.

3. Become a Cybersecurity Professional

LinkedIn also offers a complete learning path for professionals who are interested in pursuing a career in cybersecurity. The learning path, Become a Cybersecurity Professional, takes about six-and-a-half hours to complete, and includes five courses: Cybersecurity Foundations, The Cybersecurity Threat Landscape, Learning the OWASP Top 10, IT Security Careers and Certifications: First Steps, and Land Your First Cybersecurity Job. If you complete the entire learning path, you receive a certificate of completion for your work.

LinkedIn Learning also offers 19 prep courses for the top cybersecurity-related certifications. Among the top 15 highest-paying IT certifications in 2022, three of them were cybersecurity-related, according to Skillsoft, which offers online training and courses on tech subjects. These certifications also helped professionals land paychecks of $150,000-plus.

“Security has always been well-paying and it really comes down to scarcity—both in the number of professionals and in the required skills,” Mike Hendrickson, Skillsoft’s vice president of tech and development, previously told Fortune. “With today’s limited pool of security professionals, organizations need to make their offers quite attractive, both in compensation and opportunities for professional development. Skills expectations are also high for these professionals.”

Here’s a list of the cybersecurity certification prep courses that LinkedIn offers:

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