During these difficult economic times when jobs can be few and far between, a rapidly growing frontier presents thousands of opportunities for young Americans. With the development of the Internet, cybersecurity has quickly become a matter of utmost importance to our society. This electronic frontier contains countless opportunities to work and protect our country’s cyber-landscapes.

The U.S. Department of Defense, for one, recently created Cyber Command—a military command that works with the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency to protect some of the nation’s most critical networks. It has allocated 1,000 jobs, many of which have yet to be filled, to Cyber Command’s Fort Meade headquarters.

While the Department of Defense seeks professionals for its Cyber Command positions, other programs are targeted towards young, developing talent. For example, the US Cyber Challenge program intends to find skilled young Americans who are interested in protecting online networks nationwide, and then help them hone their skills and abilities in this field. Or, as they put it:

The US Cyber Challenge is looking for 10,000 young Americans with the skills to fill the ranks of cybersecurity practitioners, researchers, and warriors. Some will become the top guns in cyber security.

The Cyber Challenge kicked off with a “Security Treasure Hunt” competition designed to identify individuals with the skills and interests needed to mold the next cybersecurity top guns. The highest scoring participants from the Treasure Hunt, which ended on May 20th, will be invited to participate in multi-day summer camps with all expenses included.

The Cyber Challenge involves other competitions besides the treasure hunt, with various prizes and awards. But participants can expect to reap benefits that go beyond just a few specific prizes. The entire Cyber Challenge program intends to “nurture and develop” participants skills, as well as “give them access to advanced education and exercises, and … enable them to be recognized by colleges and employers where their skills can be of the greatest value to the nation.”

If helping to protect the Internet sounds interesting to you, check out Cyber Challenge’s website at www.uscyberchallenge.org/. If you’re bummed that you missed out on the Treasure Hunt, don’t worry, there will be more events. Who knows? You could be the next online Iceman or Maverick. Good luck!