As the job title implies, cybersecurity specialists are expected to have a certain level of training and expertise that allows them to give advice and training on the latest digital best practices. Given the broad scope of cybersecurity specialist work, not all employers require significant professional experience when hiring. Some organizations employ these specialists in entry-level roles, allowing them to develop on-the-job experience.
- Instead of (or in addition to) a degree, cybersecurity certifications help qualify an IT professional for a cybersecurity specialist role.
- Companies are listing more cybersecurity jobs and paying higher salaries than ever because it is difficult to find strong, qualified talent in this industry.
- Candidates can accrue experience in other cybersecurity roles or through internships while still pursuing their degrees to meet this requirement.
- Cybersecurity workers and information security specialists both protect valuable information and data.
- These cybersecurity professionals also construct, install and operate firewalls and set and implement security standards.
Depending on the size of their employer, these cybersecurity experts may work in niche, specialized areas of the field or oversee more general security tasks. They provide ongoing oversight for organizations’ cybersecurity efforts through several methods. As you gain experience in cybersecurity, several paths can open up for advancement into more specialized roles.
Information security specialist
Another area of incident response involves digital forensics and cybercrime. Digital forensic investigators work with law enforcement to retrieve data from digital devices and investigate cybercrimes. If you enjoy planning and building, you may choose to pursue security engineering and architecture. Maybe you enjoy the thrill of incident response, or perhaps you’d prefer to hone your hacking skills to stay one step ahead of bad actors. It’s a low-commitment way to stay current with industry trends and skills you can use to guide your career path. One useful guide is the Cybersecurity Workforce Framework developed by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), a part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Earning CompTIA Network+ in combination with two years of experience in IT administration with a security focus ensures candidates are prepared to earn CompTIA Security+. Project+ gives technical and non-technical professionals the basic concepts to successfully manage small- to medium-sized projects. It can be overwhelming to determine what area of cybersecurity to specialize in. First, the increasing reliance on technology in all aspects of our lives has created more opportunities for cybercriminals to attack. This can take the form of other, related work experience, or it can take the form of a structured internship or other formal hands-on learning.
Gain Experience
The need for cybersecurity specialists will continue to grow, reaching about 234,000 by 2033. The 10-year projected growth for cybersecurity specialists is 242% above the national rate per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), CompTIA State of the Tech Workforce 2023 and Lightcast. Cybersecurity specialists earn a median annual salary of $112,000 — this is 142% higher than the median national wage for all occupations. If you’re interested in starting a career in cybersecurity, consider the Microsoft Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate on Coursera.
While you may be able to enter the field of cybersecurity without knowledge of programming languages, it is considered a valuable skill set, particularly as you seek to advance your career. cybersecurity specialist program Research shows that Python is among the key skills needed for a career in cybersecurity [3]. Remote work is becoming more common, and cybersecurity roles are well positioned for it.
Demonstrate you’re a critical thinker
Working in security at the executive level often means managing operations, policies, and budgets across the company’s security infrastructure. As cybersecurity continues to grow in importance, more specialized roles are emerging. Starting as a cybersecurity analyst creates opportunities to follow your interests within the world of information security and create a career path that’s right for you. There are numerous opportunities for highly technical roles, like cybersecurity specialists and developers, at cybersecurity companies. Many large corporations are also setting up their own cybersecurity taskforces and are increasingly hiring cybersecurity specialists. By monitoring, detecting, investigating, analyzing, and responding to security events, cybersecurity specialists protect systems from cybersecurity risks, threats, and vulnerabilities.
A simple way of thinking about a cybersecurity specialist is someone who keeps tabs on a company’s or organization’s security while also helping other employees and teammates stay current on best practices. In addition to creating structures to protect interconnected devices, professionals in this sector safeguard sensitive assets for applications and data. At the app level, infrastructure security professionals develop and deploy effective databases to prevent access by bad actors. For data, this field protects information by building structures for backups and encryption. As a discipline within network engineering, this field covers protection against breaches for interconnected electronics rather than individual databases or devices.
Top-Paying Cybersecurity Jobs
Interested candidates shouldn’t let this discourage them if they have less experience. Employers may be willing to lower their experience requirements for job candidates with cybersecurity-focused degrees and/or in-demand cybersecurity certifications. Many early-career cybersecurity specialist roles can advance to senior roles in a matter of years, as IT professionals gain more experience and certifications. For example, network administrators are often promoted to a network engineer role once they have sufficient experience. Cybersecurity specialists of various types could also choose to become cybersecurity managers.
Whether you want to be a network engineer, security analyst or CISO, CompTIA can help you get there. Cybersecurity specialists need to be able to communicate well and be comfortable in team roles. The job often entails coaching and training co-workers on security best practices.
Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Education
This framework categorizes various specialty areas and can be for learning more about various specialty areas within cybersecurity. That means having a GitHub profile or other repository to show off what you’ve built and how you think. Strong, competitive candidates are intellectually curious and have built their own projects. But be careful not to pick an academic program just for its brand name; the school should have some level of specialization in cybersecurity. “Security has just gotten more and more important every single year and there is so much work to be done,” says Kunal Anand, CTO of Imperva, a cybersecurity company. Though cybersecurity is a relatively new field, it is rising in popularity and demand.
Digitally, infrastructure security refers to creating and maintaining protected systems from breaches. Forbes Advisor’s education editors are committed to producing unbiased rankings and informative articles covering online colleges, tech bootcamps and career paths. Our ranking methodologies use data from the National Center for Education Statistics, education providers, and reputable educational and professional organizations.
CompTIA Certifications
You can choose to get an undergraduate or graduate degree in cybersecurity or a related field like computer science, but you can also get an industry certification instead—or even go the self-taught route. It often begins with seeking a degree in a computer-related field if you don’t already have one – but that’s not always the case. Additional terms that can be used interchangeably with cybersecurity specialist are information security specialist, security specialist, information technology specialist and operations specialist. As a cybersecurity analyst, you can decide to take your career in a few different directions, depending on your interests and goals. According to Cyberseek, the average advertised salary for a cybersecurity specialist is $106,265. The need for cybersecurity talent is growing as organizations struggle to find balance in the post-COVID business landscape.
