Although cybersecurity is a growing sector, there aren’t enough people employed in it, as is generally known. Despite shrinking from 3.12 million to 2.72 million over the past year, the much-discussed cyber skills gap continues to be a significant problem. Although efforts have been made to close the gap, the industry is now overwhelmed by its size. This implies that there has never been a better moment to begin a career in cybersecurity. This manual will examine the main cybersecurity roles required by companies to work successfully as a professional in the cybersecurity industry.
Simply put, the cyber industry is unable to keep up with the rising demands from businesses to maintain security in the face of both old and new threats. The danger landscape is expanding exponentially. We can enhance the sector and be ready for whatever the threat landscape throws at us next by adopting a multi-pronged strategy that focuses on the immediate and long-term, early education paths, and ongoing training programs. It is now a need and no longer a utopian reality. It’s extremely possible that what’s awful today may get better tomorrow. A skills gap will be closed, which will benefit the current workforce as well as the coming generations by strengthening the pillars on which the cyber sector is built.
Career Roles in Cybersecurity
Today businesses place a lot of emphasis on cybersecurity, allocating an average of 10.9% of their IT budgets to guarding against online attacks (Deloitte, 2020). However, they are having trouble hiring security specialists who can assist in thwarting hackers; in 2021, there were up to 3.5 million cybersecurity job openings (Morgan, 2022). Below, we present the main cybersecurity career roles required by the top companies:
1. Cybersecurity Consultant – Average Salary: $91,790
To reduce risk, a cybersecurity consultant collaborates with various organizational staff members. They create security architectures, run testing for system vulnerabilities, and maintain security systems.
2. Vulnerability Analyst/Penetration Tester – Average Salary: $102,578
A penetration tester finds openings and weak points in systems that hackers could exploit. Ethical hackers are also referred to as penetration testers. A career in this profession will be greatly aided by taking online cyber security boot camps and courses with unique ethical hacking sections.
Ethical hackers and penetration testers have a natural ability to comprehend the reasoning of hackers. They regularly conduct in-depth testing to identify weaknesses in systems, networks, and applications. The specific requirements of the organization typically determine how frequently penetration tests are conducted.
3. Cybersecurity Analyst – Average Salary: $106,800
Threats are identified and security systems are managed by cybersecurity analysts. Installing/updating firewalls and software, checking for vulnerabilities, and reporting breaches are all responsibilities.
4. Software Developer/Engineer – Average Salary: $112,570
Software Engineers in application security are in charge of maintaining the reliability of an organization’s internal and external applications. To handle the compliance and privacy issues of third-party applications, they require in-depth knowledge and abilities.
Application security experts are required by businesses who want to integrate services like AWS or Azure into their routine operations. These experts can thwart online dangers that can jeopardize the integrity of the entire application infrastructure.
5. Cybersecurity Manager/Administrator – Average Salary: $130,000
An organization’s security procedures are implemented by a cyber security manager. They create plans to increase network and internet security in connection with various projects. Additionally, they are in charge of leading and overseeing a group of IT experts that are in charge of guaranteeing the highest levels of security.
The head of the cybersecurity team is the cybersecurity administrator. They work to safeguard the entire structure of a business. System security flaws are found by cybersecurity administrators. Then they install, supervise, and keep up with the solutions.
Cybersecurity managers/administrators also periodically assess current security rules to make sure they are strong enough to counter emerging threats. To remedy security gaps, they must also constantly inspect all switches, servers, routers, and associated devices.
