Looking for a well-paying job that doesn’t require a college degree? Well that might sound impractical or even impossible, but fortunately, it isn’t.
Plenty of jobs, especially some of the fastest growing and most well paid careers can be acquired without a traditional degree. One of those career options is in cybersecurity.
Entry-level cybersecurity engineer salaries are well above the norm and can be achieved after a part-time, 24-week cybersecurity bootcamp. Best of all, there is no shortage of cybersecurity jobs. In fact, the most in-demand tech job of 2022 is information security engineer, a mid- to senior-level cybersecurity position.
What is Cybersecurity?
Over the past few decades, as large portions of our lives have moved online, so has the need for online security. The first cyber attacks were reported in the late 1980s, starting with a Denial of Service (DoS) attack and malware attack in 1988 and ‘89, respectively.
Despite that, it wasn’t until around the new millenium that cyber security and cyber attacks really entered the public consciousness, at least in the United States. It wasn’t until 2003 that the world saw some of the first cyberattacks, including the first iteration of the hacktivist group Anonymous, and an infiltration of Chinese hackers to a U.S. Naval system.
From there, it became clear everyone, from basic internet users to governments, would have to start defending against cyberattacks.
Today, after thousands of cyberattacks, companies and governments are looking to protect their data and the data of their users. That makes jobs in cybersecurity plentiful, and since it’s a relatively new career path, the supply of cybersecurity experts doesn’t meet the demand.
What does a Cybersecurity Engineer Do?
A cybersecurity engineer is someone who builds and maintains a company’s security network. Cybersecurity engineers do this in a variety of ways, including:
- Troubleshooting known issues in a cybersecurity network
- Performing tests on current network functions
- Create new solutions to make a cybersecurity network as strong as possible.
Cybersecurity professionals are the frontline of a company’s data protection, and as threats can come any day in a variety of ways, cybersecurity engineers not only need to make sure a system is secure enough, but also find ways to make it even more secure.
Cybersecurity Tools
There are a variety of tools and programs cybersecurity exports need to be comfortable with to do their job well. These include:
- Encryption tools (Tor, NordLocker, AxCrypt
- Vulnerability scanning tools (SQLMap, Nikto, Paros Proxy)
- Antivirus Software tools (Norton, Kaapersky, McaFee)
- Network monitoring tools (Pof, Splunk, Argus)
- Network intrusion monitoring (Kismet, SolarWinds, Zeek)
You can get a firm grasp on all of these tools during a Coding Dojo cybersecurity bootcamp.
Entry-Level Cybersecurity Engineer Salary
If you think that a huge demand in cybersecurity engineers means high salaries in the field, you are correct. Here’s a look at the average entry-level cybersecurity engineer salary in the United States:
- ZipRecruiter: $87,000
- Salary.com: $91,000
- Glassdoor: $92,100
For any entry-level position, those are salaries that would be life changing. Many careers can’t promise that sort of income even with years of experience.
Naturally, the average entry-level cybersecurity engineer salary changes depending on location. According to ZipRecruiter, cybersecurity engineers in Metro Detroit can expect a salary of around $80,000, while roles in the Indianapolis area top out around $87,000. Topping the Midwest list is Chicago, with an average of $89,000. Entry-level cybersecurity engineers in coastal cities can expect even higher salaries.
Fortunately, the rise of remote work means people from across the country can work for companies in California, NeW York, Seattle, and more, and still expect high salaries.
What is the Median Salary of a Cybersecurity Engineer?
Okay, so you’ve secured your entry-level cybersecurity engineer job. What’s next in terms of salary? Let’s take a look at the median salary in the United States for cybersecurity engineers of all levels of experience.
- ZipRecruiter: $121,000
- Salary.com: $140,000
- Glassdoor: $121,000
Obviously there is some descrecenpy between the three reports, but what’s clear is that cybersecurity engineers can expect far higher than average salaries then the average American worker, and higher than many tech salaries as well.
Plus, those salaries should only increase as demand for cybersecurity engineers continues to increase.
Cybersecurity Demand
Like mentioned above, information security analysts is the No. 1 most in-demand job in tech this year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics a 33 percent growth in cybersecurity jobs until 2030, considered much faster than average.
In 2018, Cybersecurity Ventures there will be 3.5 millions unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2021. That number far exceeded other tech disciplines, and it’s not slowing down. The most recent report by the company estimates the same amount will remain unfilled by 2025.
A quick glance at Indeed shows that there are currently just under 50,000 cybersecurity jobs available in the U.S. at the time of writing. Filtering for remote only jobs brings the number down to 12,300.
Obviously not all of those jobs are entry-level, but if you’re a recent graduate of a cybersecurity bootcamp you’ll instantly have thousands of options.
Cybersecurity Career Path
Besides salary, what can you expect out of your career after securing an entry-level cyber security job? Here is a look at what companies you can expect to work at and what a common cybersecurity career path looks like.
What Type of Companies Hire Cybersecurity?
Currently, there are two two types of companies who do the majority of cybersecurity hiring: cybersecurity and consulting firms, and major corporations. A lot of small to midsize companies and start ups can’t justify spending the money needed to fill out a cybersecurity team, but they can afford consultants to fill that need.
When you start your cybersecurity job search, be prepared to send out resumes to firms or major corporations. Here’s just a few examples of companies hiring cybersecurity jobs:
- Deloitte
- Apple
- General Motors
- Cisco
- Boeing
- Accenture
- Booz Allen Hamilton
Career Path
Cybersecurity jobs can generally be split up into four different categories, although plenty of jobs can fit in two or three categories. So, don’t get hung up on what your entry-level cybersecurity job is, there’s plenty of room for flexibility when growing. Here are the four cybersecurity job categories:
- IT: Largely incident response and entry-level roles
- Cybersecurity: Network architecture and upgrades
- Cyber Effects: Constantly asses current systems and finds errors
- Intel: Data analysts and generally leadership roles
Now, let’s take a look at what job titles cybersecurity workers have depending on their experience.
Entry-Level Cybersecurity Jobs
- Cybersecurity Specialist
- Cyber Crime Analyst
- Incident and Intrusion Analyst
- IT Auditor
- Information Security Analyst
Mid-Level Cybersecurity Jobs
- Security Systems Administrator
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Penetration Tester
- Security Engineer
- Security Architect
Senior-Level Cybersecurity Jobs
- Cybersecurity Manager
- Chief Information Security Officer
- Chief Information Officer
Acquire Cybersecurity Certification at Coding Dojo
Interested in joining one of the most in-demand careers of the next decade? Coding Dojo can help.
Our part-time, online cybersecurity bootcamp will help you get up to date on cybersecurity certifications like CompTIA Security+, CySA+, and so many more. In 24 weeks, you’ll get hands-on experience in malicious code, security network design, log analysis, Linux audits, SQL injection, and dozens of other cybersecurity specialties.
After graduation, you’ll be ready to send out your first applications with the help of our lifetime career services. That includes portfolio building, resume curating, application guidance, and mock interviews.