A large number of the world’s population today uses the Internet in some manner, for this reason, certain measures like cryptography are put in place to ensure that information is sent and received safely.
Therefore Cryptography is the process of safeguarding digital information from unauthorized users.
Cryptographers are the guardians of cyberspace who ensure that your information is safe and doesn’t get to unauthorized users; they do this by employing different techniques such as data encryption.
If you are planning to pursue a cryptographer career, there is a lot you would need to learn. Not to worry, this detailed guide will enlighten you on all you need to become a cryptographer.
What Is Cryptography?
Cryptography might seem confusing but don’t worry, let me break it down for you.
Cryptography simply means:
The process of storing data or digital information in a complex format; It is a process of storing and transmitting information from one location on the Internet to another in a secure format that makes it possible for only the authorized parties involved to be able to access it (sender and receiver).
Note that.
Cryptography isn’t just the encrypting of digital information alone; it still needs to be decoded before it can be useful to the receiver.
Cryptography didn’t just originate from nowhere; this process has been used for centuries. This process goes way back to when secret messages were written on scrolls and passed from the sender to the receiver, leaving prying eyes and unwanted readers in the dark.
In today’s world, cryptography is now being utilized in the protection of digital information. Amazingly it can be applied in so many aspects of technology like Blockchain Engineering.
READ ALSO: HOW TO BECOME A BLOCKCHAIN ENGINEER IN 2022
A Cryptographer transforms digital information into secure and complex formats that cannot be recognized by unauthorized users.
So you might want to ask.
Who Is A Cryptographer?
A cryptographer is someone who studies cryptography. A cryptographer protects digital information from getting into the wrong hands by encrypting it and making sure it moves from one location to another on the Internet.
Data security is essential to everyone who surfs the Internet. Without cryptographers, almost everything online could be read by anybody. You name it, emails, bank transactions, meetings, as well as your social media chats.
A cryptographer also makes sure that only people with the proper authorization can see the encrypted data.
A cryptographer studies different ways to keep your digital information secret and away from prying eyes.
A cryptographer’s main objective is to secure digital information.
This objective is broken down into several parts.
•Authentication: this is the process of proving the identity of someone trying to access certain information.
•Privacy: this is another objective. It involves making sure that the information in a certain piece only reaches its intended receiver.
A cryptographer also makes sure that your digital information is safe from the wrong hands by putting measures in place. He must be able to identify the sender and the receiver of the digital information being transferred.
Lastly, a cryptographer protects data from alteration and possibly theft.
Is Being A Cryptographer Hard?
No.
Being a cryptographer only requires you to put in the much-needed work. If you want to become a cryptographer, you should first consider earning a bachelor’s degree in any of the following courses:
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Information Technology
- Cybersecurity
A bachelor’s degree would do you good when finding companies to work with.
If you’re looking to go into cryptography, you should gain these skills to help you achieve mastery:
- Algorithms
- Advanced algebra
- Programming languages
- Asymmetric cryptography
- Symmetric cryptography
- Cybersecurity t
- Computer networking
Here are a few steps you need to take when planning on becoming a cryptographer.
So. . .
How Do You Become A Cryptographer?
If you want to become a cryptographer in 2022, there are eight basic steps you need to take. . .
There are:
- Choosing Your Career Plan
- Focusing On What Matters. . .MATHS!
- Get Yourself A Bachelor’s Degree
- Get An Internship With A Company
- Pursue Your master’s degree
- Get a Lucrative Job
- Enhance Your Knowledge
8 Steps To Becoming A Cryptographer
#1. Choosing A Career Plan:
First, you need to strategize and draw out a plan. This plan includes the position you want to go for as a cryptographer and how you plan to get there. If you’re unsure about the position you want to go for, one simple way of helping yourself out is by doing some research.
You should research the various positions a cartographer can hold, the type of company you’d want to work for, be it a firm, NGO, or a government organization, and the qualifications and requirements needed to attain them.
#2. Focusing on what matters. . .MATHS:
Math is the foundation of cryptography.
There are no two ways about it. If you want to get good at cryptography, you need to have strong maths skills.
Mathematics is used to create ciphers and encryption algorithms. Without maths, they wouldn’t exist.
Cryptographers need maths to crack open ciphers used on encrypted data before being able to understand them.
Maths has been used throughout history, and that won’t change soon, so if you hate maths, I’m sorry.
You’d probably need to work on improving your maths skills and taking better classes.
#3 Get Yourself A Bachelor’s Degree:
To work as a cryptographer, you need to get a Bachelor’s Degree in any of the courses below:
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Information Technology
- Cybersecurity
Getting yourself a Bachelor’s Degree with some reasonable working experience might get you a top position where you’re working, but it would be proper if you got yourself a Master’s Degree.
That would solidify your chances of getting a senior position in your working place.
#4 Get An Internship With A Company:
After getting a Bachelor’s Degree, it’s time to start gaining some experience working as an intern. Without experience, you’d need to focus on getting employed in entry-level positions.
Once you gain some experience, you can scale higher and go for a mid-level role from there.
#5. Pursue Your master’s degree:
Now, this can be done once you’re through with getting your Bachelor’s Degree, or you could go for an internship or an entry-level job, as mentioned earlier.
If you want to secure a senior position in any company or organization, you might want to get a Master’s Degree to solidify your chances.
#6 Get A Lucrative Job:
Once you’re done getting your Master’s Degree, it’s time to start your job hunt, and you must get yourself a very lucrative job.
Cryptographers are in high demand across organizations all over the world.
Check your qualifications and look for an industry that suits you perfectly. You could work for a government organization; you could work for financial institutions (banks, credit card companies), you name it.
#7 Broaden Your Horizon:
Education never stops. The day we stop learning, we start dying.
Once you’ve secured a lucrative job or your dream job, you can start looking towards getting other certificates and plan your future by working towards long-term careers.
Just basically expanding your knowledge by going through various classes. Relearning, Unlearning. Staying updated as the world changes every day.
Build a really strong portfolio that makes it impossible for you not to get employed anywhere.
Conclusion
As you can see, the road to becoming a cryptographer is not so rocky, once you follow the steps listed above, you’re well on your way to becoming a renowned cryptographer, but it doesn’t just happen in a day. You need to put in the hard work, dedication, and commitment to make it happen. I’m rooting for you.
See you at the top!
Reference:
FAQs on How To Become A Cryptographer
What qualifications do you need to be a cryptographer?
To work as a cryptographer, you need to get a Bachelor’s Degree in any of the following courses: Mathematics, Computer Science, and Information technology.
Is Being A Cryptographer Hard?
No
Being a cryptographer only requires you to put in the much-needed work. If you want to become a cryptographer, you should first consider earning a bachelor’s degree in the required courses:
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