Want to use your tech skills to stop crime? Cyber security could be the perfect career for you! A cyber security professional is someone who protects people and organizations from cyber crime. These professionals are some of the most highly sought after experts in their field. Cyber security professionals fall into these categories, according to Cyber Security Guide:

Cryptographer: Uses algorithms and code to create and analyze encrypted software and similar services. A background in mathematics is typically required. 

Ethical Hacker (also known as a Penetration Tester): Uses hacking skills to test security systems by infiltrating them legally and identifying any weaknesses that need to be fixed. 

Digital or computer forensics investigator: Works with police to investigate cyber crimes and determines how hackers break into networks. 

Malware analyst: Uses a process known as “reverse engineering” to understand malware (software designed to hack into networks), so organizations can protect themselves against them. 

Security analysts: Monitors security procedures and ensures best practices are developed and followed. 

Before you can develop skills in cyber security, you need a basic understanding of computer science, including computer hardware and software, operating systems, network, and coding. The following K-12 bootcamps can help you develop these important skills:

App Academy Open (free)

Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) (free)

Girls Who Code (free)

freeCodeCamp (free)

Tech Scholars ONLINE (pay-as-you want / free for girls)

The Coding School (paid)

Penn Summer (paid)

Columbia Engineering High School Coding Academy (paid)

Northwestern High School Coding Camp (paid)

Rice University High School Coding Camp (paid) 

Software Development & Coding Academy (Digital Media Tech Camps) (ages 12-18) paid

Cyber.org (free)

Camp12 (paid)

NextGen Bootcamp (paid)

Upperline Code (paid)

iDTech Virtual Summer Camps (paid)

CodeAvengers Code Camp (paid)

Varsity Tutors Virtual Intro To Minecraft Coding Camp (ages 5-10) (paid)