Highest paying cyber security jobs involve the highest amount of experience. IT tech fields continue to grow as companies require more professionals to manage their secure networks. Their duties involve installing software and hardware related to security, building the network, managing IT departments, responding to security breaches, and coordinating solutions.
This means that the highest-paid cyber security (or “cybersecurity”) jobs require a mix of programming, security expertise, and business administration. Assuming that you’ve acquired or hope to acquire relevant education in programming, IT, or other computer science fields, you may be curious what the highest paying jobs actually are. Therefore, read on to learn about the 5 most lucrative positions in an already lucrative field.
Chief Information Security Officer
If you start as an analyst or programmer, you’ll gain experience being responsible for a company’s network. As you climb the ladder, you’ll be more in charge of their secure data network. As larger companies hire you, your paychecks will get larger too.
Chief Information Security Officers run all day-to-day operations of a company’s data security. This position is guaranteed to pull in 6 figures, with larger firms paying in the $400,000 range.
Cybersecurity Architect
Architects design secure networks for companies. When the firm is large, this computer security architecture can become a massive undertaking. Therefore, this position requires not only experience in hardware installation but incident response procedures, risk assessments, employee training, and policy management. Cybersecurity architects pull in around $140,000 per year for a mid-level firm due to their essential role in the company’s data security protocols.
Freelance
Cybersecurity may seem like a regimented field where technicians earn company wages. However, many experienced IT professionals now turn to freelance as a way to make more money in their field. Consultants and “bug bounty hunters” can make hundreds of thousands of dollars when they’re picked up by firms to test their data security systems and implement solutions.
Company wages aren’t the only option anymore in this competitive field. Thus, many programmers find freelance to offer the opportunities they’ve been looking for.
Lead Software Engineer
A software engineer for security systems can make entry-level pay at the beginning of their career. With enough experience, however, lead software engineers can become a company’s top programmer and use them to maintain and update their security systems. Thus, companies often groom this position for senior management jobs down the line.
Sales Engineer
Sales in cybersecurity represent a lesser-known aspect of security positions. While many IT graduates remain comfortable coding for company networks, management and communication experience can translate to sales. And that can therefore translate to higher pay.
Experienced programmers can switch to giving demos for security tech and procedures, add sales experience to their resume, and thus increase their salary by a whole digit in the process.
The Takeaway for Cybersecurity Workers
Highest paying cyber security jobs range in required experience from coding and management to sales. Use the above information to understand 5 of the highest-paying jobs in cybersecurity. Even low-level analysts and programmers positions can achieve these positions eventually. Freelance consultations and sales demonstrations can beef up your resume and increase your salary in this already lucrative field.
