Experience in a particular industry, such as banking, may give aspiring security specialists a leg up on other applicants aiming to work in that specific field. According to Payscale, security specialists with 10 or more years of experience earned an average annual salary of $98,389 as of September 2021. Security specialist salary prospects improve as employees gain more specialized skills in areas like risk management, security information and event management, cybersecurity, and security testing and auditing. As you might expect, IT security specialists require extensive technical skills and knowledge to effectively do their jobs. And while it’s important to have fluency in programming languages and experience with UNIX-, Linux-, and Windows-based systems, it’s even more important to have a bachelor’s degree to be qualified for this job. The more a security specialist can guard against attacks, the more a business is able to function at full technological throttle.
Get placed as a freelance Cyber Security Specialist in the world’s largest global marketplace. They have an in-depth understanding of vulnerabilities, management systems, and common security applications.
Top Skills for an IT Security Specialist
According to Glassdoor.com, the national average salary for an IT security specialist is $69,123, based on a scale that checks in at $45,000 per year on the low end and up to $102,000 per year at the high end. The pay rate can depend on the industry—for example, companies such as Target pay as much as $155,892 per year for an IT security specialist, while Boeing offers an annual salary of $119,450. The U.S. Army also offers $4,244 per month for their IT security specialist roles. By the end of 2021, there was approximately 3.5 million cybersecurity vacancies worldwide. The demand for cyber security engineers will continue to grow as businesses, governments, and other organizations rely more on digital platforms.
But increasingly, the success of a business relies on the success and capability of its network. As a result, employees dedicated full time to cybersecurity have gone from being a luxury to a necessity. Security specialists implement cybersecurity measures that protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. Security specialists also secure data networks, intercept security breaches, and make changes to improve security. Read this guide to learn about the professional certifications that can help security specialists secure higher paying jobs and promotions. Information security requires employees to possess hard skills, such as programming languages, and engage in complex technological solutions.
IT Security Specialist Skills & Responsibilities
Though her career path took a slightly different direction from her original plan, she eventually found a way to make use of her curiosity for undiscovered possibilities. 3 Nov 2021 A vital piece of the puzzle 4 min Meet Linnéa Jakobsson, analytical problem solver and newcomer to Saab! Even though Systems Programmer wasn’t on the list of roles she imagined herself taking on, growing up in the city of Saab’s headquarters, it was almost written in the stars. This position requires you security specialist to be able to both write documentation as well as participate in technical discussions regarding solutions. Explore Moraine Valley’s programs, all of which are designed to ensure students gain the knowledge and skills needed to meet the demands of a changing world. The Cybersecurity Specialist Program is designed for ITSA graduates and other IT professionals who want to gain additional credentials and expand their skills set in Information Assurance or Networking and Cyber Security.
Is cybersecurity a lot of math?
Most entry-level and mid-level cybersecurity positions like cybersecurity analyst aren't math intensive. There's a lot of graphs and data analysis, but the required math isn't particularly advanced. If you can handle basic programming and problem solving, you can thrive.
The demand for security specialists who can develop effective cybersecurity solutions continues to grow. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency , ransomware attacks occur about every 11 seconds in 2021, up from every 39 seconds in 2019. In terms of skills, experience, and general mindset, a cybersecurity specialist needs to be like a Swiss Army knife of the digital world.
What Is the Cybersecurity Specialist Program?
MyComputerCareer is an accredited IT career college that provides degree program training, certification preparation, and job placement services for anyone who is looking to enter the IT industry. Also, we are there to help security professionals seeking additional knowledge and skill sets to help them advance in the field. If you are interested in enrolling in our CSS program (either online or on-campus), feel free to reach out to us for more information. A cybersecurity specialist is basically an entry-level position in the world of cyber security. It means that there are various positions that you can start out in, and then work your way up into a management role. The career path of a cybersecurity specialist is promising, and there are different paths to take toward an executive role.
- The degree program is designed with an IT Security core curriculum combined with a set of fundamental IT courses.
- Perform research, testing, evaluation, and deployment of security technology and procedures.
- Work ExperienceAlways inquire with a potential employer for their specific job requirements.
- You may have a role in software design, implementation and the subsequent testing of Information Technology Security related applications and tools.
- Cyber Security Specialists are responsible for providing security for an organization’s overall IT systems.
But now that our world has become so heavily dependent on using advanced technology for practically everything, the stakes are higher than ever. You will be using your knowledge of IT security, authentication, session and communication protocols and general awareness of the environments at your organisation to get your job done. The installation and configuration of firewalls and other intrusion detection systems might be part of your role.
Salary
Combine this upward growth in the industry with thezero percent unemployment rate, and the result is a white-hot job market that featuressix-figure salaries. These specialists apply programming languages and ingenuity to create solutions for complex issues. Developing security systems often involves the collaboration of many specialized professionals. Like 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.
Why do I find programming so hard?
The major reason why programming is considered difficult to learn is primarily due to the complexity of the instructions that computers comprehend. You can't give computers instructions in English or any other human language.
A person in this role needs to be multi-disciplinary and adaptable to a wide variety of situations. Cybersecurity specialists are also responsible for continual monitoring security systems and networks for anomalies and tracking those activities in documents and reports.
Cybersecurity specialists — often called information security specialists or network security specialists among other related job titles — play a central role in securing the information systems of businesses and other organizations. According to a recent PayScale questionnaire, most employees with the job title cybersecurity specialists responded that they have a high level of job satisfaction. Sometimes, cybersecurity specialists might have really detailed expertise on a particular vendor’s product , or they might have experience in other domains such as computer operating systems or mobile applications. Browse the top-reviewed undergrad & graduate degrees, professional certificates, online courses and self-paced training programs matching the IT security specialist education requirements and career path. A security specialist can be defined as anyone that specializes in the security of people, assets, networks, telecommunications systems, and IT systems. You might be a personal bodyguard, security guard, or computer security analyst.
- They search for vulnerabilities in software, hardware, networks, and data centers and design strategies and defensive systems to protect against attacks and threats.
- Base Cyber Security helps organizations build knowledge and capabilities in information security.
- As a data analytics captain at a nonprofit called COOP Careers, Monali helps new grads and young professionals overcome underemployment by teaching them data analytics tools and mentoring them on their professional development journey.