To frustrated graduates struggling in today's job market: have you considered #Cybersecurity? I've been asking this question since returning from the #GlobalCyberSecurityForum in Riyadh. At a time when the #graduate job market is soul-destroyingly competitive and AI-driven hiring freezes dominate headlines, here's what I learned:

The disconnect is real. A casual chat with Haider Pasha from Palo Alto Networks confirmed what Chase Carpenter mentioned: the cybersecurity industry is in serious hiring mode. While computer science majors struggle to land work, cybersecurity talent is being snapped up. Translation: "Don't go West young woman, do Cybersecurity." Online training programs and boot camps make it accessible; at the very least worth checking out.

But why is demand so strong? Three reasons from #GCF:

1. Critical infrastructure is under siege:
Energy supply chains are now prime targets where IT meets OT (massive physical infrastructure). Nation-states have moved beyond data theft to potential physical disruption. Thanks to Robert M. Lee, Saeed Alsaeed and Chase Carpenter for exposing these vulnerabilities. Organizations desperately need people who can defend against this.

2. It's becoming an economic priority:
World Bank research shows that reducing cyber attacks boosts GDP, says Stephane Straub. They could even trigger systemic economic shocks according to Swiss cybersecurity chief Florian Schuetz and Heidi Crebo-Rediker. #WEF and #GCF are establishing the Centre for Cyber Economics to bring rigor to the field, explains Akshay Joshi. When institutions like these pay attention, career prospects follow.

3. Society needs protectors:
Yuhyun Park together with #GCF has launched the Child Protection in Cyberspace Index aiming to reduce global child cyber risks by 15-20% in 5 years. From protecting children online to securing national infrastructure, this field offers meaningful work.

The bottom line: While other sectors contract, cybersecurity is expanding. The barriers to entry are lower than you think, the problems are urgent, and the work is genuinely important. Worth exploring?

Thanks as ever to Amine Mcharek and Essam AlHusaini for bringing us together at #GCF to ask the big questions; to my pals Mikael Zoghbi and Zaher Al Munajjed for looking after me in Riyadh; and to Elvira Asare-Hunte, Monique Quant and Michael Maltese for their invaluable pre-travel guidance.