Thirty percent of surveyed global cybersecurity professionals plan to change professions in the future, and 85% stated that the talent shortage is impacting their companies’ security posture, according to a recent survey commissioned by Trellix.

The findings are based on a Vanson Bourne survey, which included 1,000 cybersecurity professionals from nine countries across a variety of sectors. The survey showed that 52% of professional chose the cybersecurity field because of its progressive and evolving nature, and they enjoy exploring challenging new trends. Meanwhile, 92% saw cybersecurity as a "purposeful" and "soulful" profession that motivates them.

Despite those positive survey results, 20% of respondents say they have plans to move to a different profession within the next two years. In fact, 36% felt a lack of acknowledgment for the good done for society — and among those looking to shift gears, 12% said the reason is a lack of feeling appreciated.

“As threats from nation-state actors and cybercriminals grow in volume and sophistication, the worldwide shortage of cybersecurity professionals grows as well,” the researchers noted. 

This talent shortage and skill gap is already resulting in more cybersecurity risks. A recent Fortinet report found that 80% of surveyed organizations experienced at least one breach that they could attribute to the cybersecurity skill gap, and 64% of those breaches resulted in revenue loss, recovery cost, and other financial damages. 

To address the shortage, a vast majority (91%) of the respondents to the Trellix survey agreed on the need to take wider efforts to grow the cybersecurity talent pool from diverse groups. Over 70% of respondents said the industry should address top issues in inclusivity and equality for women, diversity of the cybersecurity workforce, and pay gaps between different demographic groups.

Interestingly, nearly half of the people Trellix surveyed worked in other industries before taking cybersecurity plunge. This is likely one of the reasons that 94% of the respondents agreed that their companies would benefit from recruiting employees with non-traditional cybersecurity backgrounds — and 92% believe greater mentorship, internships, and apprenticeships would support new workers. 

Indeed, more education is needed to pursue a cybersecurity career, but that might not be limited to a degree. Trellix reported that 56% agreed that degrees are not necessary for a successful career in cybersecurity.

Instead, the development of skills and certifications are more important, and over 80% of respondents stated the industry should support more of those initiatives to expand the workforce. Other top efforts that respondents recommended included promoting cybersecurity careers, encouraging students to pursue STEM-related careers, and further funding support.