CybersecurityGrowing cybersecurity opportunities for young Americans

With the growing number of cyberattacks on U.S. companies, government agencies, and critical infrastructure, and the likelihood that such attacks will only increase, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of cybersecurity programs and educational opportunities for young Americans.

USA Todayreports that according to Burning Glass, a labor market analytics firm, online listings for cybersecurity jobs have risen 73 percent in the from 2007 to 2012. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) says that the United States will need 700,000 new cybersecurity workers by 2015.

Northrop Grumman, one of the largest cybersecurity contractors of the federal government, has a corporate cybersecurity internship program that recruits 16-year olds, and the Air Force Association, an independent aerospace education association, started a national high school cybersecurity competition known as CyberPatriot.

The University of Maryland (UMD) has created the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2), which is targeting and training interested students as early as middle school. MC2 also offers summer programs and weekend workshops.

USA Todaynotes that in addition to middle and high school, the MC2 program is also established at the college level. UMD already has undergraduate courses in cybersecurity, and the school also has honors programs, summer research, and teamwork opportunities in the Cybersecurity field. UMD also has a postgraduate program in cybersecurity.

There are also opportunities in other parts of the country.

The University of Dallas has started the Center for CyberSecurity Education, and the University of Southern California has started a new Master degree program in Cybersecurity. There also programs at Champlain College in Vermont, at Bellevue University in Nebraska, and at other schools.