Learn How to Become a Security Specialist

Whether it is something you are striving for before college, or making a job transition, be prepared by garnering as much knowledge as possible toward what companies are looking for in potential employees. Major job requirements can widely vary among employers and you might miss the opportunity to build up your work experience and knowledge before making the leap towards a senior or management position. However you choose, a security specialist role is a career with many opportunities. Information security requires employees to possess hard skills, such as programming languages, and engage in complex technological solutions.

• Utilizing their coding and programming languages knowledge, software security engineers develop security programs such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
• Just keep in mind that you’ll first need to complete a bachelor’s degree program in computer science before you can enter a field that the BLS has projected to grow by a much-faster-than-average rate through 2030.
• This information can be anything from a list of a company’s clients and their contact information to highly sensitive and confidential data on which entire governments depend.
• After a few years of working in an entry-level role, you can pursue a mid-level position in a related role.
• Now, major breaches, like LinkedIn’s data leak in June 2021, threaten to affect a shocking amount of users.

Because of Silicon Valley’s undeniable impact on the global technology market, the average tech salary is the highest in the San Francisco area, at $145k per year. Tech employees in Seattle, WA, are earning slightly less at $138k, then those in New York, NY at $133k, Denver, CO, at $117k, and San Diego, CA, at $113k.

Job Duties

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median salary of $103,590 for information security analysts in 2020. Hiring managers are looking for candidates with a fighter mentality who care about keeping people safe “because that cuts across everything,” Anand says. Even those people who aren’t trained in cybersecurity have a shot at a job if they demonstrate motivation to learn. One useful guide is the Cybersecurity Workforce Framework developed by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education , a part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

If you want to become a Cybersecurity specialist you have an interest in this field. After intermediate, you should start up a bachelor’s degree program in cybersecurity. In a bachelor’s degree program you should learn different skills that can prepare you for a great job. In this program, you should learn It technologies, networks, operating systems, programming languages, developing languages, data languages, and so many skills that are related to cyber security.

University of Central Missouri

She should raise more awareness regarding security protocols and procedures. Being a consultant in any field requires the ability to efficiently communicate with others. As a consultant working in tech, you also have to be able to communicate highly technical concepts in non-technical terms. The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

But most people are reluctant to change, especially if it requires learning a new operating procedure or work-flow. So the ability to articulate the reason for the change and the ability to relate to co-workers’ needs and objections is also important. Cybersecurity specialists create and implement security audits across computer hardware and software systems. They make sure that the systems perform the way they are supposed to, and that they are safe from attack. These are just a few examples of the dozens of cybersecurity certifications available. When looking at job opportunities in the cybersecurity industry, it’s a good idea to keep notes about what kinds of certifications employers are looking for.

Getting a Degree in Cyber Security: 8 Important Considerations

Network security engineers generally earn less, at around $79,686 per year. Penetration Tester is an official title for what you may know as an ethical hacker or a white hat hacker. Hackers of this kind are hired by organizations to attempt to breach their systems with their hacking abilities and software. During this process, no information is stolen or lost – security specialist pentesters are careful not to harm the organization they’re infiltrating. They are merely creating a controlled simulation of a cyberattack that exposes the organization’s security systems’ weaknesses. This degree program features a practical, cutting-edge curriculum taught by expert instructors who share insights drawn from highly relevant industry experience.

Cyber criminals are also becoming more innovative in their tactics, making cybersecurity critically important. Cyber attacks are one of the world’s fastest-growing crimes, and cybersecurity is a crucial practice as the rate of cybercrime skyrockets. When thinking about how to become a Cybersecurity Analyst, your first step should be to learn about the current threat landscape.

How Long Does It Take to Become a Cybersecurity Engineer?

Often, a cybersecurity engineer’s position is called something else, like data security engineer, IT security engineer, or Web security engineer. Furthermore, sometimes, the role of a cyber security engineer is rolled into a different IT position, especially in smaller companies that can’t afford a cyber security specialist. Many employers require cybersecurity specialists to obtain prior work experience in information security or a related field. Experience in a particular industry, such as banking, may give aspiring security specialists a leg up on other applicants aiming to work in that specific field. 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.

Becoming a junior IT professional can help you learn on the job and develop crucial skills. You can also directly observe experienced security professionals and learn from them. A security consultant is a professional who analyzes an organization’s security and risk level, providing recommendations and solutions for implementing safety and protection measures. Security consultants can work as employees of a single organization or independently, offering their consulting services to multiple clients. Given the wide variety of potential security problems, security consultants can have a diverse set of skills and responsibilities.

Cybersecurity Specialist Job Responsibilities

A security specialist is smart career path to take to begin your career in cyber security, as you’ll be the go-to person responsible for the overall safety of your employer’s data. Cybersecurity specialists 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.

The job requires limited physical exertion, as specialists are typically seated and spend the majority of their day in front of a computer. Given the high stakes nature of information security, this work environment may involve periods of high pressure. The work involves a combination of independent tasks and collaborative activities. And here we are in 2022, and not only has the Forbes prediction come true, but the situation is also getting worse. In India, a cyber security engineer’s salary averages ₹600,000 a year, while a similar engineer in Australia earns A$95K and an engineer in the UK can make £47,048 annually. Before exploring how to become a cyber security engineer, let us learn more about the role. Research and compare top-rated cyber security degree programs online and in your area.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, the IT security specialist job market will grow by 33% from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the 8% average for all occupations, placing it among the nation’s fastest growing career paths. The best degrees for a security consultant are an undergraduate degree in computer science, information security, cybersecurity or a related field. According toPayScale, most companies expect security consultants to have at least a bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of professional experience. There are a variety of skills needed to thrive in a cybersecurity specialist position. Among them are intrusion detection, malware analysis and mitigation, programming knowledge and cloud security analysis. A cybersecurity specialist works on the front lines and behind the scenes to protect digital systems and assets from hackers, threats and vulnerabilities. The Certified Information Systems Security Professional is a more advanced certification designed for cybersecurity professionals with at least five years of work experience.