Cybersecurity Specialist Career Path Job Description & Salary

If you’re just starting out in the world of cybersecurity, consider an entry-level credential, like the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate. You can build job-ready skills while earning a shareable certificate from an industry leader. Before you spend your money and time on a certification, it’s important to find one that will give you a competitive advantage in your career.

Companies are listing more cybersecurity jobs and paying higher salaries than ever because it is difficult to find strong, qualified talent in this industry. https://deveducation.com/s work on IT teams that are dedicated to protecting the integrity of the business’s network and data. Traditionally, network operations and IT technology supplemented the core business. But increasingly, the success of a business relies on the success and capability of its network. As a result, employees dedicated full time to cybersecurity have gone from being a luxury to a necessity.

Quality Assurance Engineer jobs

A person in this role needs to be multi-disciplinary and adaptable to a wide variety of situations. Cybersecurity specialists are also responsible for continually monitoring security systems and networks for anomalies and tracking those activities in documents and reports. There are many pathways that people take to become a cybersecurity specialist, but they all involve some combination of education, specialized training, and experience.

cybersecurity specialist

Good communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills are also important for a cybersecurity specialist. A cybersecurity specialist is a professional who is responsible for protecting computer systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, theft, or damage. They work to prevent cyber attacks, detect security breaches, and respond to security incidents.

Cybersecurity certifications

Cybersecurity job roles have matured since the historic attacks of the mid-2010’s. Due to this evolution, employers are using the job title cybersecurity specialist job title less than they did in the past because cybersecurity job roles have become more specialized. Qualified cybersecurity specialists need a strong foundation of soft and hard skills to complete their daily tasks.

cybersecurity specialist

As such, having a basic technical foundation is a must for a security specialist. To begin with, a fundamental understanding of administration, management, and O.S architectures (Linux, Windows, etc.) is essential. Also, a command cybersecurity specialist over networking concepts and software virtualization is necessary. Before investing in higher education or certifications, explore salaries in cybersecurity and learn about the projected career outlook for the coming decade.

In-demand cybersecurity skills

Explore all the resources you need to hire a cybersecurity specialist — including ways to identify the right skills, write a job description, and ask detailed interview questions. Like most master’s programs, an MSIT in cybersecurity can usually be completed in two years while working full time. If you’re further along in your IT career, the in-depth cybersecurity policy instruction, security design principles, and cryptology experience can help you advance to mid- or senior-level roles. Work experience plus an MSIT in cybersecurity makes you an attractive hire for information security manager and information security officer roles.

If you’re new to cybersecurity, consider starting with a more foundational certification, like the CompTIA Security+. From there, you can begin gaining the necessary work experience to earn more advanced certifications. Consider one of these beginner IT certifications or certificates to build entry-level skills and advance your career.

  • Payscale reports an average annual cybersecurity salary of around $92,000, and these wages typically increase with experience.
  • Strong, competitive candidates are intellectually curious and have built their own projects.
  • They also recommend potential solutions such as hardware and software programs that can minimize the impact of breaches.
  • GIAC also offers the Information Security Fundamentals (GISF) as its entry-level certification for those new to IT.

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