Cybersecurity in 2025: the next big career opportunity

If you are a cybersecurity professional, 2025 could be your biggest career year yet—if you’re ready.

Cybersecurity is no longer just a behind-the-scenes effort—it’s a crucial part of every company’s survival. And for tech professionals, that means security skills are becoming essential, no matter your role. But if you’re just starting to pay attention to security, you’re stepping into a storm: according to Pluralsight’s 2025 Tech Forecast, the number of threats is growing, attack surfaces are exploding (thanks to AI and cloud), and the talent gap is wider than ever.

In other words, if you’re in cybersecurity—or want to be—the demand for your skills is skyrocketing. Here's what the landscape looks like and what you can do to stay ahead.

Cybersecurity teams are critically understaffed—and it's only getting worse

Cybersecurity leaders are facing a talent crisis. Pluralsight's 2025 Tech Forecast found that 45% of organizations say they don’t have the right people or skills in place to manage security risks effectively. And when you zoom in on critical roles—like cloud security, API security, and AI-powered threat detection—the gap is even wider.

This is more than just a hiring problem—it’s a security problem. Without the right people in place, organizations are struggling to defend against increasingly sophisticated threats.

What this means for you: If you’re already in cybersecurity, upskilling in emerging areas like AI security and cloud incident response could make you indispensable. If you’re in an adjacent field (like cloud or software), adding security competencies could open doors to high-demand roles.

Cloud security and API security—the biggest weak spots for companies

The cloud isn’t new—but organizations are still struggling to secure it. According to the latest Tech Forecast report, API vulnerabilities are now among the most targeted attack surfaces, and many companies don’t have the expertise to properly lock them down.

APIs connect everything from backend systems to mobile apps, and a single unsecured API can expose massive amounts of sensitive data. As companies move more workloads to the cloud—and build more apps on APIs—the risk grows exponentially.

What this means for you: Whether you’re a security engineer, cloud architect, or developer, understanding API security, zero trust principles, and cloud-native security tools (like AWS GuardDuty, Azure Sentinel, etc.) can set you apart.

What cybersecurity experts need to know about AI-powered threats

AI is a double-edged sword in cybersecurity. While companies are using AI to detect and respond to threats, attackers are also using AI to supercharge phishing, malware, and deepfake attacks.

Pluralsight's Tech Forecast highlights that AI-enabled cyberattacks are growing in both volume and sophistication, and most organizations don’t have AI-specific defenses in place. For example, AI-generated phishing attacks are now hyper-personalized and harder to detect than ever before.

What this means for you: Learning how AI is used on both sides of cybersecurity is essential. Focus on skills like AI threat detection, adversarial machine learning, and AI model security. And if you're leading a security team, invest in AI literacy across your staff to keep pace.

Rising cybersecurity investments target modern security skills 

There’s good news: cybersecurity budgets are increasing, driven by the wave of AI and cloud adoption. The Tech Forecast report notes that 47% of organizations plan to increase spending on cybersecurity in 2025, particularly in areas like cloud security, AI-based threat detection, and API protection.

But here’s the catch: they’re only hiring for the skills they actually need. Legacy security roles are being rethought, and companies want people who understand the modern attack landscape—especially AI and cloud-based threats.

What this means for you: If you want to take advantage of this spending wave, focus on the security skills that align with modern infrastructure—think cloud security, AI risk management, API security, and zero trust frameworks.

AI-powered security tools are changing the way security teams work

Another key takeaway from Pluralsight’s 2025 Tech Forecast is that AI isn’t just a threat—it’s a tool. Companies are rapidly adopting AI-powered security tools for faster threat detection, automated incident response, and proactive vulnerability scanning.

But these tools don’t run themselves. Security professionals who understand how to deploy, manage, and audit AI-based security tools will be in high demand.

What this means for you: Don’t fear AI—learn how to work with AI-powered tools to amplify your security impact. Consider learning about Security Operations Center (SOC) automation, AI-driven SIEM platforms, and AI-based behavioral analytics tools.

How can you build the right cybersecurity skills to stay ahead?

Here are five practical steps to stay competitive and in-demand as a cybersecurity professional this year:

1. Focus on cloud and API security: These are top targets for attackers and top priorities for employers. Learn about API gateways, cloud-native security tools, and zero trust architecture.

2. Learn AI-powered threat detection and defense: Understand how AI is used to attack and defend, and get familiar with AI-enhanced security tools.

3. Get comfortable with AI model security: If your organization is deploying AI, know how to secure AI models and protect against adversarial attacks.

4. Develop soft skills for cross-team collaboration: Like AI, security is a team sport. You’ll need to work with cloud teams, developers, and executives. Strong communication and leadership skills are key.

5. Stay hands-on and certified: Don’t just read about security—get into labs, sandboxes, and real-world scenarios. Certifications like AWS Security Specialty, Azure Security Engineer, and Certified API Security Professional (CASP) are worth considering.

Pluralsight has courses, hands-on labs, and real-world scenarios designed to help you build practical cybersecurity skills fast. Whether you’re looking to get started in cloud security, API protection, or AI-powered defense, there are learning paths to guide you.

And if you haven’t already, check out Pluralsight's 2025 Tech Forecast report—it’s packed with insights from experts and over 50,000 tech professionals on where the industry is heading.