A growing number of cybersecurity governance roles are focusing on certifications and experience rather than formal degrees, opening the door for professionals from diverse backgrounds.
— Why Cybersecurity’s Governance Roles Are Dropping Traditional Education Requirements
Framework-based certifications replace four-year degrees in a rising segment of cybersecurity
Business professionals enter six-figure cybersecurity careers as industry increasingly values practical skills over academic credentials
The cybersecurity industry faces a strange contradiction. According to (ISC)², the global cybersecurity workforce is estimated at approximately 5.5 million professionals, but the unmet demand is estimated at 4.8 million more, meaning nearly 47 % of needed cybersecurity roles are not yet filled.
That said, many aspiring entrants still believe they need computer science degrees to break into cybersecurity. In reality, for many governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) roles, that’s increasingly not required.
The Growth of Governance & Risk Roles
Governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) roles are widely regarded as increasingly central in cybersecurity operations, especially in regulated industries. Some role analyses cite GRC or risk management in about 28% of senior security job descriptions.
While precise global proportions of GRC roles vs technical roles are harder to validate, demand trends suggest that as enterprises scale, risk, audit, compliance, and policy enforcement functions are growing in importance.
Shifting Education Requirements
A decade ago, most cybersecurity postings required a bachelor’s degree in computer science or related fields. Today, many GRC job ads read “bachelor’s degree OR equivalent combination of certifications and experience,” reflecting a shift toward skills-based hiring.
This shift is driven by practical necessity: organizations need professionals who can translate frameworks like NIST CSF, ISO 27001, and COBIT into business operations, conduct risk assessments understandable to senior management, and ensure regulatory compliance. These tasks depend heavily on business judgment, communication, and structured framework thinking, skills not exclusive to CS degree holders.
What’s Important in Governance Roles
In governance interviews, candidates are often asked to:
- Conduct gap assessments against NIST/ISO/COBIT frameworks
- Quantify risk in business/financial terms
- Communicate security strategy to non-technical executives
Deep technical tasks, coding, malware forensics, packet-level network engineering tend to be secondary or absent in many GRC positions. Those deeper technical skills remain critical in roles like SOC analysts, security engineers, or threat hunters.
The learning curve for frameworks is accessible: the NIST Cybersecurity Framework is publicly available, ISO/IEC standards can be purchased, and COBIT materials are widely taught in certification programs. The barrier is less about time in school and more about the ability to absorb, apply, and communicate frameworks in business settings.
Certification as a Purposeful Alternative
Many organizations now accept or prefer credentials that validate governance knowledge:
- CompTIA Security+: useful foundation certification (exam fee ~$349 USD, plus prep costs)
- ISACA’s CISA, CRISC, CISM: more advanced, governance- and audit-focused credentials
- (ISC)²’s Certified in Cybersecurity, or specialization credentials tied to security governance
These costs, plus study time, are often far lower than the financial and time investment in a full degree. Moreover, many certification paths require months (or less) to prepare compared to years in academia.
Business Acumen as a Differentiator
Governance roles value the ability to engage across departments, map technical requirements into business language, and influence senior leadership. People with backgrounds in audit, finance, project management, HR, or compliance often excel in these roles, even without deep technical training.
Because governance roles often serve as a bridge between business and technical functions, strong domain knowledge in business, policy, and risk is often more highly prized than raw technical ability.
Compensation Trends
While variation is wide by region, industry surveys often report:
- GRC analysts with certifications often command base salaries in the USD $70,000–$110,000 range
- Senior governance or vCISO / risk leadership roles often exceed USD $130,000+ in many U.S. markets
These figures compete favorably with many technical roles, particularly as organizations increasingly value certifications and demonstrated impact.
Market Forces Driving the Transition
- Regulatory & Insurance Pressure: Cyber insurers increasingly demand continuous internal assessments and robust compliance programs, tasks well aligned with governance skill sets.
- Persistent Skills Gap: The global cybersecurity gap continues to widen despite growth in degree-based graduates, indicating a mismatch between curriculum outputs and industry needs.
- Framework Standardization: As frameworks mature and adoption broadens, practical, framework-proficient talent becomes easier to train.
- Business Risk Emphasis: Cybersecurity is increasingly viewed in financial and regulatory terms. Boards demand leaders who frame security in business risk language.
Limitations & Role Distinctions
This trend toward flexibility in degree requirements is most relevant to governance, audit, compliance, and risk roles. Technical implementation roles, e.g., security engineers, incident responders, malware analysts, still generally benefit from formal technical training or degrees.
Organizations must balance flexibility with rigor: eliminating degree requirements doesn’t mean lowering standards; it means enforcing competency through frameworks, certifications, and performance metrics.
Pathway for Career Changers
Transitioning professionals can build a competitive profile through:
- Framework Mastery: Study NIST CSF, ISO/IEC 27001, COBIT, or industry equivalents
- Targeted Certifications: Earn relevant credentials (e.g. Security+, CISA, CRISC, CISM)
- Cross-Functional Experience: Leverage business, audit, or compliance roles to build domain understanding
- Communication & Risk Fluency: Practice translating security concepts into executive language
Given the industry’s strong demand and evolving hiring practices, mature professionals with focused study and domain experience can often enter the field in 6–12 months, bypassing the need for a four-year degree.
Economic Comparison
- Certifications + study: 3–12 months, typically under USD $2,000 (depending on the path)
- College degree: 4 years, often USD $40,000 – $100,000+ in many U.S. contexts
From a time-to-employment and return-on-investment perspective, the certification-driven path is compelling, especially for mid-career changers.
For professionals exploring certification-based paths into cybersecurity governance, specialized training programs have emerged to serve this market need. ExcelMindCyber Institute in Chicago offers GRC training designed for career changers without IT backgrounds, focusing on framework implementation and certification preparation rather than technical skills. Similar programs at business schools and professional associations globally reflect the industry’s recognition that governance expertise develops through focused certification paths rather than traditional four-year degrees.
Media Contact
Tolulope Michael,
Chief Visionary Officer, ExcelMindCyber Institute
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.excelmindcyber.com
Contact Info:
Name: Tolulope Michael
Email: Send Email
Organization: ExcelMindCyber Institute
Website: http://www.excelmindcyber.com
Release ID: 89175228
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