The recent SolarWinds breach, and the millions of accounts that were compromised, has recently put cybersecurity back in focus. Companies across all industries are rethinking their data security strategies to ensure that they aren’t the next ones making headlines.
Hackers are only getting smarter and using cutting-edge technology, like artificial intelligence (AI), which means businesses need to step up their security game.
Over the next 10 years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that jobs in information security will grow by 31%, which is significantly faster than the rate of growth for all jobs (4%) or computer jobs (11%).
With jobs increasing at this rate and not nearly enough workers to fill them according to TechCrunch, there’s never been a better time to work in cybersecurity.
Let’s find out where you fit into the world of cybersecurity. Here are the top jobs in the field.
How to Land Jobs in Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is a broad field that, according to TechCrunch, has grown 30 times its size in just 13 years. Due to this meteoric rise, a ton of different job roles have appeared on the scene according to Cybersecurity Ventures. Here is a list of common job titles in cybersecurity:
Data Security Analyst
Manage security programs, including installation, maintenance and updates (also called Security Administrator).
Cybersecurity Analyst
Determines vulnerabilities in systems and develops plans to secure and protect them from attacks.
Security Architect
Uses in-depth knowledge of security standards to plan out and build systems and networks that are secure.
Cybersecurity Developer
Writes software code with a focus on security analysis (also called Security Engineer).
While the countless amount of roles in cybersecurity can seem daunting, they basically boil down to people who develop security technology and those who implement it. There can be a lot of overlap between roles as well. Don’t get too worried about the differences, though. It’s best to develop a foundation first, then pick a career path later on.
Expected Salary for Cybersecurity Engineers
According to most sources online, cybersecurity professionals make just around six figures annually. The U.S. BLS reports the median pay for information security analysts to be $99,730, that matches closely with Glassdoor’s reported $99,834 average base pay for Cybersecurity Engineers. ZipRecruiter comes in a bit higher with a national average of $120,708 per year.
Keep in mind, pay will vary depending on exact job title, years of experience and geographic location. Still, whatever way you cut it, $99,000+ is a great starting point.
Who is Hiring Cybersecurity Experts?
Currently, there are thousands of open roles in security available. A quick search on ZipRecruiter shows over 30,000 available positions, from analysts to architecture roles. Indeed has over 20,000 roles listed, including internships and contract to full-time.
The big tech companies tend to have large departments solely focused on security. Check out Amazon, Apple, Facebook or Google to learn more about their information security departments.
Landing a New Job as a Cybersecurity Specialist in 2021
To land your dream role in cybersecurity, it’s important to get the proper training. Fortunately, you can easily learn everything you need to know about information security from your very own living room.
Udacity offers an Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree program that will cover everything from securing threats and vulnerabilities to Cybersecurity Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC).
For a more in-depth look at analyzing systems, discovering and neutralizing threats and reducing risk, check out the Security Analyst Nanodegree program. If securing systems and applications is more of your thing, you can also look at Udacity’s Security Engineer Nanodegree program that covers security in infrastructure and web apps.
Sign up today to get started on your new career in cybersecurity.
