Hundreds of thousands of cybersecurity roles are unfilled.
Yes, we said that first part right.
So which one is your next move? You might consider the role of a cybersecurity engineer.
What are the job expectations of a cybersecurity engineer?
If you're asking yourself, "what do cybersecurity engineers do, anyway?," we're here to help.
According to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS), these are a few of the common job duties that this position handles in an organization:
- Create new ways to solve existing production security issues
- Configure and install firewalls and intrusion detection systems
- Perform vulnerability testing, risk analyses, and security assessments
- Develop automation scripts to handle and track incidents
- Investigate intrusion incidents, conduct forensic investigations, and mount incident responses
- Collaborate with colleagues on authentication, authorization and encryption solutions
- Evaluate new technologies and processes that enhance security capabilities
- Test security solutions using industry standard analysis criteria
- Respond to information security issues during each stage of a project's lifecycle
- Define, implement, and maintain corporate security policies
How much do cybersecurity engineers make?
Needless to say, cybersecurity engineers can live very comfortably.
The median salary for this position is over $90,000, more than double the national average. And some experienced cybersecurity engineers make more than $120,000 a year.
Do cybersecurity engineers need a degree?
It's true, many companies are looking for cybersecurity engineers with a bachelor's degree, ideally in cybersecurity or computer science.
Some companies specifically advertise for "entry level" security engineers which gives you a place to start in that role.
Which soft skills help in a cybersecurity engineer role?
There's more to a successful cybersecurity engineer than computers and coding.
It's also a job with interpersonal demands, and people in the role should expect these soft skills to come in handy:
- Complex problem solving
- Creativity
- Strong communication
- Ability to work in a team
- Capable of handling stress
Is a cybersecurity engineering role the perfect new job for you?
Check out more details from NICCS here.
Learning resource: SecureWorld web conferences
