Is Cybersecurity a GOOD Career?
The overall cost of cybercrime is expected to reach more than $10 trillion over the next two years, according to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures. That’s why the future of cybersecurity is looking bright for job seekers in the tech industry. In fact, cybersecurity job growth is expected to increase by 35% over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In fact, there’s a major shortage of cybersecurity professionals around the world, with more than 700,000 unfilled positions in the United States alone. In addition to job security, careers in cybersecurity offer excellent pay and the flexibility to work remotely.
Additional benefits of working in cybersecurity careers include:
Plenty of opportunities for advancement.
- The ability to work anywhere in the world.
- The opportunity to work with constantly evolving technology.
- Excellent work-life balance.
- The option to become self-employed.
What are the most common Cybersecurity career paths?
| ENTRY-LEVEL | MID-LEVEL | SENIOR-LEVEL |
|---|---|---|
| Security Specialist | Security Auditor | Security Manager |
| Security Administrator | Security Engineer | Security Director |
| Vulnerability Assessor | Information Security Analyst | Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) |
| Incident Reporter | Penetration Tester | Deputy CISO |
| Security Consultant | Incident Responder | |
| Security Analyst | Information Assurance Engineer | |
| Ethical Hacker | Cybersecurity Forensic Investigator | |
| Cryptographer | ||
The demand for cybersecurity professionals is growing throughout the state, the nation, and the globe.
U.S. News and World Report stated that the information security profession is growing at a rate of 36.5% through 2022 (link). The U.S. Department of Labor projected information security profession would be one of the top ten fastest-growing occupations, with a growth rate of 35.5%, from 2018-2028 (link). Across the globe (based on industry consensus) there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2021, according to Cyber Security Ventures (link), and employers are struggling to find qualified workers to fill the major gaps in the cybersecurity workforce.
The U.S. has a total employed cybersecurity workforce consisting of nearly 1 million people, and there are currently almost 500,000 unfilled positions. In California alone, there are more than 72,000 job openings, with almost 1,600 openings in San Bernardino County (figures from CyberSeek’s Cybersecurity Supply And Demand Heat Map). Percentages of filled (relative to unfilled) cybersecurity positions show the huge gaps that exist as employers search for qualified cyber talent. The cybersecurity unemployment rate was at zero percent in 2019, where it has been since 2011.
Opportunities
| Job Title | Average Salary (2024) | Top Skill Requested | Total Job Openings (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $112,163 | Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) | 26,958 |
| IT Auditor | $98,058 | Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) | 8,369 |
| Cybersecurity Manager/Administrator | $160,294 | Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) | 20,649 |
| Penetration and Vulnerability Tester | $126,920 | GIAC Certifications, Offensive Security Certified Professional | 4,806 |
Source: Cyberseek’s Career Pathway Map (link)
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