7 Highest Paying Markets for Cybersecurity Engineers

The Field of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is by far one of the highest paying IT fields across the globe. The simple reason for this is the stakes being too high. Cybersecurity is a term that is not unheard of anymore. From technical experts to a grown-up layman, the term has become quite a buzz word given the latest advancements witnessed in the so-called era of digitalization.

So, what is Cybersecurity? The term can be broken down into two for better understanding. Cyber means anything related to the internet, and security means, well, security. In a broader sense, cybersecurity is the security of anything on the internet from threats that can reach us from the internet. If this doesn’t help you get a broad idea of what cybersecurity is, here is another better way to understand it. Cybersecurity involves practices to defend computers, networks, servers, electronic systems, mobile devices, and data available or present with limited access on the internet or cloud, from malicious attacks made through the internet.

We have all witnessed the way technology has been playing a role in connecting the world and enhancing the positive side of globalization. With this increasing connectivity, an inevitable flow of data has occurred making it widely available on the internet, of course with safety protocols and security measures. However, with the increasing flow of data availability on the internet and technology being used in the right way, there is always a flip side to be kept in the account. That is the role hackers play, specifically malicious hackers, who intend to take measures of varying nature in pursuit of penetrating systems that are both vulnerable as well as contain highly sensitive data.

Cybersecurity Evolution

Cybersecurity is based on a CIA Triad. CIA stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability, and all these terms are talking about data. Confidentiality means the data and information must be protected and safe from falling into malicious hands, Integrity means the methods of cybersecurity must all ensure accuracy of data as it was originally uploaded, and availability means the practices must make the data available for the right parties to use at the right time, also called access management in other words.

From the very beginning, these three pillars have been constant in cybersecurity. However, with the changing times and rising technological advancements, hackers have become smarter and new faces and methodologies of penetration and cyber-attacks have emerged. This has created the need to sharpen our cybersecurity blades with even better methods of defending. The fact that hackers will always stay one step ahead remains a fact, always.

Let’s look at it from a layman’s perspective. When there is one door that leads to the treasure, you will put your resources to secure that one door, and hackers will have just that one door to penetrate. When the doors that lead to treasure increase in number, hackers will have more access points, and so you will have to secure each door to ensure no unwanted access is witnessed. Today, access to data has increased with the various types of devices data is made available to. Quite understandably, hackers now have more opportunities to try their luck on those various touch-points to penetrate and get access to sensitive data. In a nutshell, ease of access to data has been provided to both users and hackers at the same time, which makes it an even bigger challenge for organizations and end-consumers to secure the data from malign hacking attempts.

Every organization is on the lookout for smart cybersecurity specialists, and similarly, cybersecurity engineers are also in high demand, as they are expected to design and implement robust infrastructures that are difficult to penetrate. Let’s look at the highest paying job markets for cybersecurity engineers in the US.

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Highest Paying Markets for Cybersecurity Engineers

Cybersecurity Engineer is a job role that befits cybersecurity professionals having work experience ranging from one year to as much as 20 years. This is a reason there isn’t a definite answer to the highest paying markets for cybersecurity engineers. However, we have compiled a list of the top 7 highest paying markets for cybersecurity professionals. But before that, we will dig a little deeper into cybersecurity engineers’ salary posture on the basis of career level, and a couple of markets that pay higher than the national average. We have taken help from PayScale which shows surveyed data, trusted by employers and employees across the globe.

The average national salary for cybersecurity engineers is $96,465 per annum, with $66k being the lowest average and $138k being the highest. Now, these salaries are highly dependant upon the cities these jobs are offered, and more importantly years of experience under the belt. Getting into the further breakdown of salaries as per the number of years of experience, PayScale mentions the entry-level positions to earn (including base, bonus, profit sharing, etc) an average of $76k based on 115 salaries. A cybersecurity engineer with 1-4 years of experience has a recorded average salary of around $81k based on over 600 salaries. With experience around 5-9 years, $102k based on 451 salaries. A coveted cybersecurity engineer with 10-19 years of experience takes away an average of $118k based on 440 salaries and an engineer with 20+ years of experience can earn an average salary of $126k or higher.

Since cybersecurity engineers can range from entry-level to late-career level, here is another way to look at their expected salaries. On average, entry-level and early-career engineers earn 21 percent and 15 percent less than the national average, while mid-career, experienced and late-career level engineers enjoy around five percent, 23 percent, and 31 percent more than the national average respectively.

To give you a better idea of the current highest markets for cybersecurity engineers, there are only two cities in the US currently paying higher than the national average. San Diego, California pays eight percent more than the national average, and Arlington Virginia pays four percent more than the national average. Again, this is average data, so the application of these numbers and facts on your career may be very different, depending on the skills you have and the amount of work experience you possess.

To make it easier for you, we have taken help from ZipRecruiter to identify for us the seven highest paying markets for cybersecurity professionals. The average national salary for these professionals is recorded as $112,974 by ZipRecruiter. Let’s look at the cities beating the average, and by how much:

• Mountain View, CA: The annual salary for cybersecurity professionals is $139,064, which converts into a monthly salary of $11,589. This is 20 percent higher than the national average.
• Santa Clara, CA: Santa Clara follows the trend with an annual salary mentioned at $136,683 per annum, equal to around 18 percent higher than the national average.
• San Francisco, CA: Third on the list, cybersecurity professionals in San Francisco have recorded an average annual salary of $136,642, which somewhat similar to what is being offered in Santa Clara.
• Fremont, CA: There is a slight dip in Fremont compared to San Francisco, with an average annual salary of $131,252.
• San Jose, CA: San Jose has a recorded annual salary of $128,410 on average, which is still higher than the national average.
• Alexandria, VA: Slightly lower than San Jose, but still quite higher than the national average, cybersecurity professionals in Alexandria are enjoying an average annual salary of around $127,462.
• Oakland, CA: Last in the list, Oakland professionals have recorded their average annual cybersecurity salaries to be $127,020.

This list may provide you an idea of where to start your job hunt if you are looking to advance, start, or switch your career to get into cybersecurity. Also, this might help you more, since the cybersecurity skills gap allows professionals with valuable skills under their portfolio to easily navigate across job titles and apply in various markets to find a decent paying job in the field.

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Below we have shared a few tips for you to ace your job hunt and end up with a job that offers scope and the pay you need to stay motivated as a cybersecurity professional.

Job-Related Tips to Fire up Your Cybersecurity Career

Expand Your Professional Network

An astounding fact about cybersecurity is that there is zero percent unemployment in the field. Isn’t it mind-blowing? Of course, it is. What you still need to take advantage of this fact is being a little proactive. You need to focus on your professional network. The best way to do it is to start indulging yourself in relevant social platforms, talk about stuff related to cybersecurity, and get to know experts who are already in the game. InfoSecAcademy.io’s subscription features Expert Connect, a platform with thousands of IT professionals who can be reached for any real-world problem or discussion related to cybersecurity and many other fields.

Choose a Specific Career Path Within Cybersecurity

It is always better to see where you can fit as a cybersecurity professional. There is a cloud security specialist, penetration tester, ethical hacker, cybersecurity analyst, cybersecurity engineer, and much more. Read about each role and how you can move on a pre-planned career path.

Build your Skills with Certifications

Getting yourself in-demand cybersecurity certifications by top technology vendors validates your skills and tells the hiring managers how abreast you are with the latest talent in cybersecurity. It is not only a measure of you being a knowledgeable professional, but it also reflects your passion and dedication to stay in the game. As a matter of fact, certifications are a great way to prove your potential.

Cybersecurity is a field that is expanding in terms of opportunities. Once the economy bounces back, positions will be flooding in to be filled, and a huge skills gap will be witnessed. Until then, you can get prepared and appear for various certifications and get yourself prepared for when the time comes.