Cyber ​​security is one of the most promising fields of our time. All institutions and governments are well aware of the usefulness and importance of cyber security, and this field has grown and grown in an unprecedented way during the past two decades, and is expected to continue at these growth rates for a significant period.
With the increase in growth and reliance on cybersecurity, the need for specialists in this field has increased, and there is today a severe shortage of workers in this field, estimated at more than 3.5 million jobs, and this number is expected to increase and double in the coming years.
This has been greatly reflected in the advantages of cybersecurity jobs, and you will see through this article the high salaries of its specialists in addition to many other job benefits, which will certainly make you think seriously about starting a career in cybersecurity.
What are the functions of cyber security? What is the salary for each job?
To get acquainted with the functions of cybersecurity, we must first learn about the field, and cybersecurity is one of the most important and largest technical fields that exist today, which is concerned with protecting and securing networks, devices and information from threats and electronic attacks of all kinds.
The objectives of the field of cybersecurity can be summarized as a means of preserving three basic and necessary technical concepts, and these concepts are what is known as the CIA model:
To learn more about cybersecurity and its most important areas, you can view our previous article that we prepared on the winners, and here is the link: What is Cyber ​​Security (Your Comprehensive Guide).
As for cyber security jobs, they are one of the best career options at this time beside data science jobs, their importance increasing at every moment with the development and contemporary technical progress.
And this is what we saw soon with the revolution of the Internet of Things, with the spread of this technology, the need for a way to protect it from hacking and electronic attacks appeared.
That is why a new branch of cybersecurity has emerged, mainly specialized in securing Internet of things devices and communicating with them. Experts expect the emergence of new branches of cybersecurity constantly in light of the technological revolution we are living in.
The advantage of cyber security jobs is that they are very diverse. As we will see a few, there are many types of jobs in this field that suit everyone.
There are jobs that do not require academic study, and there are jobs that require a bachelor’s degree and others that require a master’s degree. This diversity is also available in the requirements of these jobs, which makes them suitable for a very wide segment of people.
Now let's start introducing you to the most important cybersecurity jobs and the average links for each job:
1. Security Engineer
Security engineers are people whose job it is to implement, maintain, and monitor security protocols for devices, networks, and information to keep them safe against any cyber attacks.
To work as a cyber security engineer you need to have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, cyber security, mathematics or any similar field, and for a more advanced job as a security engineer you need to get a master’s or doctorate in this specialty.
The security engineer in companies and institutions builds and implements security technologies, and his work may be the use and operation of various software, building firewalls, identifying problems and vulnerabilities and dealing with them.
Security engineers are in great demand and their salaries are very high. The average salary in the United States is $96,000 per year, and it can be as high as $137,000 per year.
2. Security Analyst
Security Analyst is a promising cybersecurity job, in which the employee is responsible for managing the company's technical infrastructure and networks to ensure that they are safe and protected.
The job includes controlling access to networks, devices, and data, as well as monitoring firewalls and keeping networks up to date.
The security analyst must be familiar with programming and some programming languages, and have strong analytical skills, in addition to something very important, which is the proactive view of any attack, danger or future impact on the networks and devices that he protects.
On average, a security analyst earns $93,000 per year, and his salary increases as his years of experience and academic background increase.
3. Forensic Investigator
It is one of the exciting jobs in the field of cybersecurity, as it is very similar to the job of a criminal investigator, who is responsible for analyzing, testing and tracking computer data and evidence of cybercrime, and they usually work with government agencies, such as: the police, intelligence, and others.
In addition to academic study, you may need to obtain one or more academic degrees, such as: CCE, GIAC, GCFA, GCFE, and GNFA, which are generally a profession that requires continuous study and development.
Typically, a forensic security inspector needs to have solid knowledge of networking, encryption, operating systems, and malware analysis, as well as critical thinking and analysis skills.
The field is very promising. Over the next seven years, it will grow by 9%. A criminal security analyst can earn between 95 thousand and 153 thousand dollars per year, and he can get 59,000 immediately upon joining his first job.
Read also:
Cyber Security Fields (The Top 10 Most Prevalent Fields 2022)
4. Security Administrator
This job has a lot of titles and tasks that differ according to the company, its size and nature, and it is one of the types of jobs suitable for those who do not have a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity or any similar field.
The primary task of the security officer is to ensure the integrity of the information and technical structure of the company or organization in which he works, in addition to identifying weaknesses in the systems and trying to fix or strengthen them.
The salaries of security officials range from $42,000 to $95,000 annually, with an average of $67,000, and there are salary increases and incentives that may reach $5,000 annually.
5. Cyber ​​Security Consultant
The security consultant is the person who undertakes the function of protecting his clients from any electronic attacks or penetration of the company's systems, and he has many broad responsibilities.
Companies resort to a security consultant if their budget does not allow for the establishment of an entire cybersecurity department, so they hire an expert to take over these matters instead.
For this reason, a security consultant must be familiar with many things such as cybersecurity, programming languages, operating systems, networking, cryptography, etc. In addition, he may need to obtain one or more of the following certifications: CISA, CISM, CISSP or CGEIT.
6. Penetration Tester
A penetration tester or ethical hacker is one of the most exciting and in-demand jobs in the world of cybersecurity, as they perform tests and try to detect holes and vulnerabilities in order to report and remedy them.
They use the same tools and methods as hackers, and even design their own tools and methods to simulate cyber attacks and crimes before they happen.
An ethical hacker must be proficient in some programming languages ​​such as Python, and have extensive experience with operating systems, networks, firewalls, and encryption, as well as knowledge of well-known hacking tools.
Salaries for ethical hackers are very high, ranging from $55,000 to $133,000 per year, while the average is $82,000 per year, with incentives, raises, and bonuses up to 17,000 per year.
7. Malware Analyst
The job of a malware analyst is one of the most in-demand jobs in the cybersecurity field, a job that includes many jobs as a cybersecurity engineer, digital analytics expert, programmer, and other technical jobs.
The main job of a malware analyst is to analyze and understand new software with which a company or organization is being attacked, and this requires significant technical expertise.
The salaries of malware analysts are very high, the average salary in this field exceeds 165,000 dollars annually, and the salary can reach up to 234,000 dollars annually.
8. Chief Information Security Officer
The job of the Chief Information Security Officer is one of the most important jobs in the field of cyber security, in a field such as information security, there is no promising and big job like this job, as it is one of the higher levels of management that directly relates to the CEO of the company.
This job is not for everyone, it needs a lot of requirements, experience, personal and leadership skills, and you need an academic study of information security, IT or any similar field.
You may need to obtain a master's or doctorate degree, and you may also need to obtain one or more professional certificates, such as: CCISO.
The Chief Information Security Officer heads all information security operations in his company, and he is the first and last decision-maker regarding information security, and in the case of a large company, he coordinates with governments in everything related to data.
The salaries of chief information security officers are very large, they earn an average of $160,000 per year, and when calculating increases, incentives, bonuses, and others, the salary may reach 350 thousand annually.
What do you need for cyber security jobs
As we explained before, cybersecurity jobs are very diverse, but there are a lot of basic skills and requirements that you may need to learn - or at least some of them - in order to get a job in this field:
1. Programming
Programming is an important requirement of working in the field of cybersecurity, as understanding the basics of programming languages ​​will enable you to deal with various attacks and hacks.
2. Networking
Understanding the networks of different computers and devices and how they communicate with each other and transmit information between them is very essential, because you will secure these networks and protect them against cyber attacks.
3. Respond to cyberattacks
There is no need to dwell on this skill. Certainly, as a cybersecurity specialist, it will be your responsibility to deal with any electronic attack and deal with it as required.
4. Understand how systems and applications work
Another essential knowledge that is indispensable is understanding how the systems and applications your company uses work, as you are primarily responsible for protecting them against any hack or cyber attack.
5. Data Management And Protection
An important part of your job as a cybersecurity expert is to deal with different data; Whether to analyze it, to secure its storage, or to ensure that it is not exposed to any hack or electronic attack, and this skill in particular is very required in the labor market, especially in the era of big data.
6. Knowing the industry you work in
Your knowledge as a cybersecurity expert does not have to stop at the technical skills related to your job, but you must also develop a deep understanding of the industry in which you work, your company and other processes that take place, in order to identify the best practices to protect this company from various threats, especially those that come From the human factor of the company.
7. Soft Skills
Soft skills are an indispensable part of any field you work in, whether cybersecurity or otherwise. Communication skills, critical thinking, leadership skills, and others are among the most important skills companies look for.
I must note that you do not need to know and learn all these skills, these are the skills that are required in the field, but each job title or job will require you to only know or master some of these skills, not all of them.
5 Reasons to Consider Cyber ​​Security Jobs
1. Salaries are too high
Salaries are very high and satisfactory because of the importance of cybersecurity jobs, and because of the lack of specialists and workers in this field. For example, in the United States, the average salary of a cybersecurity specialist is $92,000 annually, while the average salary for most other fields there is only 37,000 annually.
In general, the salaries of cyber security specialists are very high in almost all countries of the world, and this is because of their usefulness and great impact on the institutions and entities in which they work, and many university students turn to this field because of the fact that their salaries are high and their future is guaranteed.
2. Lots of career opportunities
The field of cyber security is a field that is expanding very rapidly, and every day there are a lot of new jobs that need specialists to fill, the cyber security jobs offered increased by 74% between 2007 and 2013… that is, in just 6 years.
Experts also expect that the employment rate will increase between 2014 and 2024 by 18%, which is a rate that exceeds the rates of all other fields in the world, which means that in the coming years there will be a lot of offered jobs that need someone to fill them.
This diversity is very beneficial for those working in the cybersecurity field, as they have a lot of options, as many professionals in this field can work as freelancers or remotely.
Or even if one of them wants to travel and work outside his country, he will be free to choose any country he wants to live and work in, and this is because there is a strong demand for him around the world.
3. Job satisfaction
Job Satisfaction is an important factor that has become a concern for many when they choose a specific job or even a field to work in. The new generations of the working classes are becoming very interested in how they feel about the job and the field in which they work.
Although the factors of feeling job satisfaction are different for workers, they are almost limited to: the quality of the work environment, the appreciation that the employee gets, working conditions and pressure, the relationship between him and his managers and financial rewards, and fortunately, all of these factors are available in the field of cybersecurity.
In a famous ICS2 study; It was found that 71% of cybersecurity workers experience high levels of job satisfaction, and always feel the job is so exciting that they don't get bored and stay in it.
4. Your job will be really useful
An added bonus of cyber security jobs is that they are useful and make a difference and change the world, don't be surprised, but you can even save lives, cybersecurity is no longer just essential to protecting us online but has become the way we believe in ourselves.
Cyber ​​security is very important and has recently become a vital component in many industries and sectors in our lives, starting from the financial sector where banks and financial institutions are exposed to many cyber attacks, to the medical sector that is exposed to violent cyber attacks.
For example, in an electronic attack on a hospital, a patient died because the entire hospital system was disrupted, and dozens of patients in this hospital were affected.
Imagine that having a single cybersecurity expert working in this medical institution could have saved this patient's life, and prevented further significant damage to patients and the hospital.
5. You can work in any industry you want
The fifth and final reason is the possibility of working in any industry you want. There are many cybersecurity jobs in many fields and industries, from government fields, work in defense and intelligence, to working in charitable or non-profit organizations.
All sectors today depend on cyber security, and if you want to work in the financial and business sector, in the health sector or in the real estate sector, you will inevitably find dozens or even hundreds of jobs that need your skills.
Conclusion
In the digital world that we live in today and the terrible development that it is witnessing, the conscious youth must always look to the opportunities that come from behind this development. Today we talked about one of these opportunities which is the cyber security jobs that have a very high demand in the job market now and in freelance.
The good news is that soon we will publish a comprehensive guide about the most important courses to learn cybersecurity... So follow us constantly so that you don't miss the guide... This is of course if you are a serious person and really seek to develop your working life.