Cybersecurity Specialist Career Path Job Description & Salary

Cybersecurity specialists must remain up to date with changes in the field by researching emerging threats and fixes. Companies are listing more cybersecurity jobs and paying higher salaries than ever because it is difficult to find strong, qualified talent in this industry. In terms of skills, experience, and general mindset, a cybersecurity specialist needs to be like a Swiss Army knife of the digital world. A person in this role needs to be multi-disciplinary and adaptable to a wide variety of situations.

Many IT professionals have an IT degree of some sort and experience working at the help desk. Getting their foot in the door to an entry-level cybersecurity specialist job role can be as easy as earning CompTIA Security+. The more cybersecurity certifications they earn, the more job opportunities will open to them. Many early-career cybersecurity specialist roles can advance to senior roles in a matter of years, as IT professionals gain more experience and certifications. For example, network administrators are often promoted to a network engineer role once they have sufficient experience.

What is a cybersecurity specialist?

They provide ongoing oversight for organizations’ cybersecurity efforts through several methods. Cybersecurity specialists perform crucial work in protecting sensitive digital information and communications. These professionals work with public and private employers of all sizes to ensure the safety of data for customers, government entities and healthcare organizations. 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. This is the reason why cybersecurity specialists are and will remain in demand.

Having soft skills like problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and adaptability are also important. Professional skills like these help cybersecurity specialists prevent and mitigate security breaches by effectively leading cybersecurity teams and protecting IT infrastructures. Also, good communication skills are essential for cybersecurity specialists. A computer science degree provides a foundation in information technology (IT), including understanding TCP/IP protocols that are at the core of all networking. Further educational certification may help professionals get a job in cybersecurity.

How to Become a Cybersecurity Specialist

Examples include incident response analyst or security operations center (SOC) analyst. Some experts say the fields of cybersecurity, network security, information security and infrastructure security are all different. Others consider these cybersecurity careers to exist under the same umbrella of computer security. The following section explores differences among various subsets of cybersecurity. These professionals also educate co-workers on best practices, as breaches may occur accidentally or deliberately by bad actors within their companies.

Cybersecurity specialists perform similar work to information security specialists but may focus more on hardware. As experts in cybersecurity, these specialists help to create, analyze and deploy organizational security systems. Cybersecurity specialists test for areas of potential exposure in interconnected computer networks, document their findings and provide solutions for vulnerabilities. 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.

Cyber Security Analyst vs. Cyber Security Specialist

A couple of the most in-demand industry certifications are CompTIA Security+ and CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+). Most of their experience should come from working a cybersecurity-related job. Sometimes, IT professionals work in IT networking, systems engineering, security intelligence and financial and risk analysis prior to moving into a cybersecurity specialist role. Most cybersecurity specialist job descriptions require a candidate to have several years of experience in a data security role. These IT professionals often gain and sharpen cybersecurity skills as they get hands-on experience in the workplace over a period of time.

It is designed for cybersecurity professionals who monitor security and deal with incident detection, prevention and response. The skills you’ll learn with CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) include security operations, incident response and management, vulnerability management and reporting and communication. The best candidate for this certification has at least four years of experience in information security plus CompTIA Security+ and CompTIA Network+. It’s important for current and prospective cybersecurity specialists to earn cybersecurity certifications that will get the attention of hiring managers. They can do this while getting a degree, after they’ve earned a degree or while they are working.

Requirements and skills

Two of the best cybersecurity certifications you can get are CompTIA Security+ and CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+). Network security professionals work within a narrower scope than cybersecurity workers. Cybersecurity defends against attacks on hardware, software, networks and users. In contrast, network security focuses on vulnerabilities in the connections between devices. The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is a more advanced certification designed for cybersecurity professionals with at least five years of work experience.

• These are common skills listed on cybersecurity specialist job descriptions.
• Hiring managers will also be looking for advanced certifications such as CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+).
• Many early-career cybersecurity specialist roles can advance to senior roles in a matter of years, as IT professionals gain more experience and certifications.
• They also run diagnostics on any change that takes place in the IT infrastructure.

The CCNA Cyber Ops certification program provides practical, relevant, and job-ready curricula that aligns closely with the specific tasks expected of cybersecurity professionals. However, the qualifications required for a cybersecurity job can vary from employer to employer. By monitoring, detecting, investigating, analyzing, and responding to security events, cybersecurity specialists protect systems from cybersecurity risks, threats, and vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity specialists need to be comfortable in a world that is constantly moving and shifting. A cybersecurity specialist might wear many hats depending on the size and shape of his or her company or organization. As the job title implies, cybersecurity specialists are expected to have a certain level of training and expertise that allows them to give advice and training on the latest digital best practices.

Regardless of your degree, it is important to constantly educate yourself on new technologies and threats. Sometimes, this may mean taking additional cyber certifications or classes after you are hired. Cybersecurity specialists play an interesting role in the companies and organizations where they are employed. People in this role are often hired as much for their soft skills as their technical ability. cybersecurity specialist program There are several network-oriented professional cybersecurity organizations and groups that are specifically designed to alert members about job openings and professional development opportunities. Adding certifications like CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) can validate your skills in the cybersecurity field and prepare you for a more advanced role within your organization.

Cybersecurity specialists earn a median annual salary of $112,000 – this is 142% higher than the median national wage for all occupations. Additionally, cybersecurity specialists promote network security by taking measures to block unauthorized access to the computer network. They also run diagnostics on any change that takes place in the IT infrastructure. A cybersecurity specialist is trained in spotting suspicious patterns in computer systems. They monitor all aspects of the computer infrastructure for threatening activities. These cybersecurity professionals also construct, install and operate firewalls and set and implement security standards.

However, most people are reluctant to change, especially if it requires learning a new operating procedure or workflow. So the ability to articulate the reason for the change and the ability to relate to co-workers’ needs and objections is also important. This list of the top 50 cybersecurity networking groups and professional organizations from Digital Guardian is a good place to start.