I’ve been conducting a new job search and what very is interesting to me, and should also be to any job seeker or person who is interested in maintaining their competitive edge, is a noticeable increase in the basic required qualifications and especially the preferred qualifications listed in most job postings. In part I am sure the current unemployment rate candidates are faced with affords companies the opportunity to get “pick of the litter” so why not up the ante? The thing is that those qualification requirements soon become permanent. Ten to fifteen years ago, the ticket for admission as a Chief Security, Chief Privacy, or Chief Information Security Officers was an undergraduate degree or many years of related experience, now it is required along with security certifications and a post graduate is highly desired. In the next five years I think we will see MBA’s or other graduate level degrees being required with security certifications. If what I am seeing is prophetic in any way, Juris Doctor or Executive Juris Doctor degrees will become more actively sought by companies when they select their Chief Security, Chief Privacy, or Chief Information Security Officers. Any bets on when we will see corporate opportunities out there that read “Wanted, General Counsel and CSO?” I think that is only ten years into the future. The lines between the legal department, information security department, and the corporate regulatory requirements are blurring. The security practitioner finally has a seat at the big table which is an event long overdue. We have so much collectively at stake and it is incumbent upon those same security professionals and the companies they work with to raise the bar.