Cybersecurity Professionals in High Demand & Jobs Growing at Rapid Pace

Cybersecurity professionals are in high-demand for all industries and job openings are growing at a rapid pace. In fact, according to Forbes.com, the cybersecurity industry will grow from $75 billion in 2015 to an estimated $170 billion by 2020. In addition, the demand for the cybersecurity workforce is expected to rise to 6 million by 2019.

With cyberattacks becoming more common in the last two years especially in manufacturing, healthcare, retail, finance and government, executives and hiring managers are in the hunt for skilled cybersecurity professionals. However, the current demand outstrips supply. The good news is that this could change in the next couple of years as more colleges are now offering degrees in cybersecurity. In addition, many new options exist for current professionals to augment their skill sets, including certificates from technical training companies.

A career in this IT sector can mean a six-figure salary, job security, excellent benefits, and upward mobility. Jobs that require cybersecurity know-how will usually have a range of titles and the following median salaries:

Chief Security Officer:  $225,000
Lead Software Security Engineer:  $233,300
Global Information Security Director:  $200,000
Chief Information Security Officer: 192,500
Cybersecurity Engineer: 170,000
Cybersecurity Lead: 175,000
Security/IT Director:  $178,000
Security Consultant  $198,000
Application Security Manager: $165,000
Security Analyst:  $ 89,000

*Median Salaries from Forbes.com, April 2016

Additionally, to be considered for a position, there are a number of core skills needed by everyone entering the cybersecurity workforce including:

– Communication Skills
– Knowledge of Scripts & Programming Tools
– Ability to Work in a Team Environment
– Ability to Assess Client’s Security Needs
– Working Knowledge of Malicious Codes
– Ability to Recognize Intruder Techniques
– Working knowledge of Common Network Protocols

Cybersecurity will continue to be a major concern for executives and hiring managers in 2017 due to the number of increasing cyber threats that recently resulted in a record number of patient records compromised, retail chains extorted financially and manufacturing operations disrupted.  With that in mind, there’s no better time to enter the cybersecurity field since you will be among the most sought after professionals in the tech sector.

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