20-Year Prospect
Think cryptography just means decoding ancient runes? Or breaking German codes during World War II? Think again. Cryptography has a vibrant future ahead of it. Encryption and decryption systems are ubiquitous—and well-funded—in today's big data world.
It's said that the National Security Agency is the largest employer of mathematicians, including cryptographers and cryptologists. If you're not working for the government with the NSA, you're probably working in the tech industry. Hmmm...tech industry and national intelligence agencies. They are both huge industries, neither of which seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. In 2015, the National Intelligence Program requested a budget of more than $50 billion (source).
Rest-assured: Cryptography will be alive and well for years to come.