How to Start a Career in Cybersecurity: All You Need to Know

Estimates show that there are over one million unfilled
cybersecurity jobs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects
that employment of information security analysts will grow 28
percent from 2016 to 2026, “much faster than the average for all
occupations.”

This presents a massive opportunity for people looking to break
into the industry. If you want to join the next generation of
cybersecurity professionals, Springboard has done all of the
research for you in building the Cybersecurity Career Track^[1]. Here’s what you need to
know:

Key Roles in Cybersecurity

First, we have to drill down to the different roles and specialties
within cybersecurity so you know which might be the best fit for
you. There are three broad categories of roles here, analysts,
engineers and architects.

Security analysts will typically look and test for cyber
vulnerabilities. They may also help implement security
solutions.

Security engineers will typically create systems for automated
logging, respond to incidents, and create and implement new
technologies to fight an ever-evolving litany of cyber threats.

Architects will design a major part of a security system—or
maybe the entire thing.

For security analyst positions, you often will be asked to have
one to five years of relevant work experience in IT or technology
fields, and will typically need a bachelor’s degree, ideally in a
related field like computer science.

Engineer positions pay slightly more than analyst positions, on
average, but they’ll often require more than a bachelor’s
degree—oftentimes, you’ll need a master’s degree with a focus in
IT. You’ll also need more work experience, with senior security
engineer positions demanding upwards of 10 years of relevant work
experience.

Finally, the security architect positions usually demand the
most work experience and degree requirements of the three
categories; however, they are also the most highly compensated.

Where you want to go with your cybersecurity career will often
boil down to the category and roles you choose.

Cybersecurity Salaries Are On the Rise

According to 2018 data from Payscale, the median salary for
security architects is $120,269, which is about a 10 percent
increase from 2014, when it was $109,794. As you can see, security
architects are well paid, and compensation is trending upward.

Security engineers have a median salary of $88,445 in 2018,
compared to $85,177 in 2014, about a 5 percent increase. While not
growing as much as a security architect, there is still plenty of
financial upside in the role.

Security analysts earn a median salary of $67,079 as of 2018, up
from $65,621 in 2014.

Overall, job opportunities in cybersecurity keep on growing, and
so do the levels of compensation.

Learning Path

If you want to get an overview of the different roles out there,
the different job descriptions and requirements, this CSO article
is an excellent curated overview^[2]. It’s a perfect place to
start diving deeper into different job descriptions, and the skills
you need to learn.

You should then look into absorbing the foundations of
cybersecurity: understanding what the threat environment is like
and how companies are currently dealing with it.

Then you might consider narrowing down to a specific role you
want to play. For example, you could consider the unique training
and resources needed to become a software security analyst, which
will involve looking at common tools and methodologies to analyze
and mitigate risks.

Paths Into Cybersecurity

Most cybersecurity professionals start off with a background in
technology and IT. They will often work for the IT department of
larger companies or smaller startups to get acquainted with new
technologies, and they often have bachelor’s advanced degrees in
technical fields such as computer science.

Many cybersecurity professionals will start off understanding
the fundamentals of data networks and operating systems, and
knowing a scripting language such as Python or Bash.

Perhaps the easiest path to transition into a cybersecurity role
is working with a company that deals with data and networks in an
IT capacity, and brushing up on network security and endpoint
hygiene. Then, you become seen as a security expert in the
office—and can quickly leverage that position to gain relevant
cybersecurity experience.

5 Valuable IT Certifications You Need for Cyber Security
Careers

You don’t need a degree to get into cybersecurity. You can also get
industry-recognized certifications. This email course will help you
identify the best certifications^[3] for your projected
career path.

You might want to focus on these five popular
certifications:

1. The Network+ Certification from CompTIA will measure
   your knowledge of how networks communicate data and the foundations
   of your IT knowledge. It will help you open the door to entry-level
   IT opportunities.
2. The Security+ Certification, also from CompTIA, is
   probably the most important cybersecurity certification you can
   get, as it shows that you understand the foundations of security,
   from cryptography to risk management.
3. The Certified Ethical Hacker certification puts you in
   the mindset of an attacker, allowing you to reinforce your cyber
   security skills and competence. It usually requires about two years
   of experience in IT before you can take the exam. Bolstered with
   the Security+ certification, you can demonstrate a valuable and
   varied skill set that will propel you further into cybersecurity
   roles.
4. Becoming a Certified Information Systems Security
   Professional (CISSP) will help you with advanced cybersecurity
   roles. You do need at least five years of relevant work experience
   before attempting to get this certification—however, it is one of
   the top professional cybersecurity certifications.
5. Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT) is arguably the
   pinnacle of cyber security certifications, allowing you to legally
   and ethically hack into company systems to test their defenses.
   Getting this certification means you’ve mastered many advanced
   cybersecurity concepts.

There are different certifications for different phases of your
cybersecurity career: you should choose whatever makes sense in
your current phase to get a job or advance your career.

Cybersecurity Job Interview Advice

In order to ace the cybersecurity job interview—whether for a new
opportunity as a cybersecurity professional, or your first
cybersecurity job—you’ll need lots of practice to make sure you’re
on top of domain-specific knowledge and technical challenges.

You’ll also want to make sure you nail down your story of why
you want to grow a cybersecurity career and pass the standard
HR/behavioral screens. Make sure you come prepared, ready to
evaluate your fit with the company you’re interviewing with.

It always helps to be prepared with research on the role you’re
interviewing for, and smart questions for your interviewer that
show you’ve thought through their problems and needs.

Here’s a selection of technical interview questions^[4] you can use to practice
and refresh your knowledge.

Job Boards

Finally, while the huge job sites include cybersecurity postings,
it’s helpful to check cybersecurity-specific job boards. Here are a
couple of places to start:

1. http://www.cybersecurityjobboards.com/
2. https://ninjajobs.org/^[5][6]

I hope this guide has been helpful! If you want to train toward
a cybersecurity career with the help of personalized career
coaching and one-on-one guidance from a cybersecurity expert,
Springboard’s Cybersecurity Career Track
might be the perfect match for you.
^[7]