As we get into the swing of 2021, we thought it would be pertinent to dig in a little bit and figure out what the top cybersecurity jobs are in the current industry landscape that can lead to a prosperous cybersecurity career. As we all well know, cybersecurity careers are very much on the rise as the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals continues to outpace the available workforce. This is a strange reality, and with it comes the potential for great opportunity.
Today, there are over 521,600 open cybersecurity jobs nationwide. You read that correctly. Over a half-million available positions… For those already working as a cybersecurity professional, the opportunity for job advancement has never been better. The question is, what is the best line from point A to point B as it relates to your success in a cybersecurity career?
To help facilitate that answer, CyberSN has uncovered the top five cybersecurity jobs in 2021 that are both in-demand and present a great path for a highly-successful career in cybersecurity. As you read on, we will detail the top jobs in the cybersecurity marketplace and where they can take you as your cybersecurity career moves forward.
Open Nationwide Jobs: 18,400+
General Requirements: Four-year degree in Cybersecurity, some employers require a Master’s Degree
Threat hunting is the practice of proactively searching for cyber threats that are lurking undetected in a network. Cyber threat hunting digs deep to find malicious actors in your environment that have slipped past your initial endpoint security defenses. See CrowdStrike for more information.
Currently, there are over 18,000 Threat Hunter jobs open in the US alone. As more and more systems and businesses become fully digital, the potential for security flaws increases. These systems, both in the private sector and public sector, need skilled Threat Hunters to uncover threats and monitor adversary techniques to avoid data breaches and successful attacks.
Cyber Threat Hunters can expect to advance their careers through a number of paths, many becoming Cybersecurity Engineers creating frameworks to solve for the latest security threats. Others will move past the engineering stage into leadership roles such as Information Security Managers, Information Security Officers, or even a Chief Information Security Officers (CISO).
Open Nationwide Jobs: 57,100+
General Requirements: Four-year degree in Cybersecurity, some employers require a Master’s Degree
A Cloud Security Analyst has detailed knowledge of common security threats, security controls, and associated technologies and practices related to securing cloud platforms, cloud services, and associated IT resources based on typical cloud technologies. They monitor and maintain existing cloud security environments, security performance, security testing, and setup.
Cloud Security Analysts generally feature educational backgrounds such as a bachelor’s degree in IT, computer science, or a related field. Previous work experience in computer science and network security systems provides job seekers with the best opportunity to obtain this role. Employers are often looking for 2-4 years of applicable experience in a similar cybersecurity working environment.
Currently, there are in excess of 57,000 Cloud Security Analyst jobs available throughout the United States. Given the times, many organizations have either made the switch, or are in the process of making the switch to a more comprehensive cloud based environment for their core business operations.
A Cloud Security Analyst is a great position to advance your career in cybersecurity with further growth opportunities. Cloud Security Analysts can expect to advance their careers through a number of paths which offer broader security reporting and threat monitoring. Others will move past the engineering stage into leadership roles such as Security Directors and, Chief Information Security Officers (CISO).
Open Nationwide Jobs: 6,200+
General Requirements: Four-year degree in Cybersecurity, some employers require a Master’s Degree
A DevSecOps engineer has involvement in and appreciation of every stage in the software project lifecycle, from initial design and build to rollout and maintenance. In a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) environment. DevSecOps engineers are responsible for securing software deployment, identifying security threats, and the configuration of network infrastructure. DevSecOps engineers must have some knowledge in network protocols like HTTP, DNS, and FTP. They also need to know how to implement threat intelligence and risk assessment techniques and be up to date with the latest security best practices. Previous work experience in computer science and network security systems provides job seekers with the best opportunity to obtain this role.
There are currently over 6,000 DevSecOps Engineer positions open in the United States. Companies with a solid foundation of preventative thinking are employing more DevSecOps Engineers to help assess cybersecurity risk at the beginning stages of launching cyber based initiatives rather than implementing a solution and addressing system threats as they happen.
A DevSecOps Engineer position can move rather quickly through the cybersecurity career ranks and might expect to further their career by becoming an Application Security Engineer who works to combat cybersecurity threats pre and post system initiation. From that post, one can expect to move further up into a role such as a Security Director or Security Product Manager.
Open Nationwide Jobs: 1,100+
General Requirements: Four-year degree in Cybersecurity, some employers require a Master’s Degree
From the BMC Blogs: a SecOps engineer is a security professional who is responsible for securing and protecting network systems, applications, and data. In short, a SecOps engineer supports enterprise security operations. SecOps engineers help to design and build all of these different computer networks and put tools into place to secure and protect them. These systems typically require regular maintenance, so SecOps engineers must update, tuning and return operations issues arise. Security engineers are also responsible for deploying new security software and hardware.
There are currently over 1,100 vacancies for applicable SecOps Engineer positions throughout the country. This number is likely one that will continue to grow due in part to the number of different applications organizations are designing and integrating to fulfill unique mission tasks. Thus, there will be an increased interest in having a cybersecurity professional like an SecOps Engineer to “own” these vital application environments and protect them from threats.
A SecOps Engineer can expect to experience cybersecurity career growth by taking the next step and becoming the organization’s pointed Security Engineer who would oversee the tasks and goals of an applicable team. From there, it’s realistic to expect to become a Security Director or Security Product Manager down the line.
Open Nationwide Jobs: 29,000+
General Requirements: Four-year degree in Cybersecurity, some employers require a Master’s Degree
From Cybrary: A Security Engineer is tasked with the role of protecting the networks and computer systems of a company from any security threats or attacks. A Security Engineer is responsible for establishing and implementing security solutions that can defend a company and its networking assets. This can be accomplished through a variety of ways. Just a few of the essential duties of a Security Engineer include: establishing security standards and best practices that an organization should follow, evaluating an organization’s systems, networks, and data to determine what types of security protocols are necessary, developing proper security measures to meet an organization’s needs, implementing security controls to protect an organization’s infrastructure and digital files, monitoring and upgrading security measures as necessary, and responding to any security breaches or intrusions that may occur
At this moment there are in excess of 29,000 open Security Engineer positions. This is an area that is ripe with opportunity as businesses everywhere move to employ Security Engineers with the skills necessary to design and maintain stout cybersecurity architectures that facilitate business operations without fear of costly data breaches. System Engineers will often be employed to manage and oversee a team of cybersecurity professionals to see to it that the overall digital architecture is armed and operating effectively to diffuse disruption.
As a Security Engineer, you can expect in due time to have a great shot at becoming a Security Director who would oversee the cybersecurity efforts of an organization.
We’ll end this conversation the same way we started it… There’s A LOT of opportunity in the cybersecurity marketplace right now. With over 521,600 open cybersecurity jobs nationwide, there’s no shortage of positions to be had, and if you’re a cyber professional your path to continued or bolstered success in advancing your cybersecurity career is yours to choose. On the flipside, if you’re a hiring manager looking to solicit the help of a qualified cybersecurity professional, you likely already know that the competition is fierce, so consider your pitch, and put some time and energy into making sure it’s worth the pursuit. If you need help, we’re here for you. Programs like CyberSN’s KnowMore platform offer tools and templates to build job descriptions specifically targeted toward people in the cybersecurity industry for free.
