The field of cybersecurity is in high demand, particularly as more and more businesses shift their operations into the digital world. These jobs are a great opportunity for people with more than a little bit of tech-savvy skill to make a good living in a flexible career path.
The positions are competitive, but with the right background, you can find one that is right for you. In this article, we highlight several lucrative cybersecurity careers to earn the most money in the growing cybersec field.
A Lucrative Career Path You Can Do from Home
Historically, most high-earning positions required the professional to go into the office — sometimes even experiencing a long commute to gain access to the ever-elusive high-paying career path. This dynamic has shifted considerably over the past decade, with much of the momentum of the “work from home,” movement coming in the wake of Covid-19.
Now, it is very possible to work a high-income job from home. Just about all of the career paths featured below fall into that category. While actual requirements may vary based on the wishes of your future employer, all of these 5 top jobs can at least theoretically be completed from home.
Ethical Hackers
Of all the cybersecurity career paths, ethical hackers have perhaps the most romantic and exciting career path in cybersec. They work a little like Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief, eying the issue of cybersecurity from the perspective of a criminal.
Their job is pretty much exactly what the title suggests it would be. They get hired to break into a business’s computer network. In doing so, they learn what it would take for an actual hacker to bust in.
Viewing the situation through this lens, they are well-equipped to perform updates, upgrades, and generally make recommendations that help make the business’s security network more secure.
Ethical hackers usually need to have several years of experience working in a cyber-security-related field. Additionally, they will need a background in computer sciences, cyber security, or a related field. It’s a competitive field to be sure, but also a rewarding one. Ethical hackers can make upwards of $150,000 a year.
Cybersecurity Architects
Cybersecurity architects help coordinate and complete large cybersecurity projects. While they might be involved in the nitty-gritty manual aspects of cyber security development, more of their work goes into coordinating the project. Often, they serve as a bridge between the client and the development team, making sure that both parties have their interests and requests heard.
Of course, fundamentally, they represent the customer. This means that, in addition to working on cybersecurity projects in a logistical capacity, they may also work on other matters strictly related to the customer's interests. Is the project running on time? Is it staying on budget?
Because their goal is the ultimate success of the cyber security program, they may also continuously evaluate threats and make ongoing recommendations. These recommendations could include updates and upgrades, but they also often involve other points of consideration. Employee training. Adaptation at the executive level. Because cyber security architecture is very much a leadership position, it isn’t really a job that exists at the entry-level. People interested in pursuing this career path may start their journey with a related undergraduate degree — something in the field of cyber security — but typically, the journey won’t begin and end there. Usually, graduate degrees, and some career experience will be required to claim a job in this competitive career path.
Cyber security architects routinely make an excess of six figures.
Analyst
Cyber security analysts go in, often but not always after a breach has occurred, and evaluate a company’s cyber security system. This might involve pressing on weak points to find out how a hacker might get in, or even evaluating employee behavior to help determine the source of a breach.
Of course, humans are the most volatile variable of any cyber security plan. Consequently, the analyst might also recommend training, perform updates, make product recommendations, and generally ensure that the company has all of the resources and understanding required to improve its cyber security.
Programmers
Programmers work on the developmental end of the cybersecurity spectrum. Some may work for cybersecurity firms, jobs that play out more or less like a traditional 9-5, though of course, with the potential to work from home.
Others may work directly with the client, helping to bring their bespoke cybersecurity vision to life. In all cases, the job is to do the physical work behind cybersecurity design. The salary range can be pretty significant for this job.
It is skill heavy, which is why some professionals make more than six figures. However, programming as a whole is also a slightly more accessible career path than some of the other jobs we have highlighted today — if only because the jobs rarely require graduate degrees and advanced skills/education. Consequently, there are more people available to do it, which sometimes results in salaries in the $60-90 thousand range. As with any job, the variances in salary will depend largely on your experience level and location.
Engineers
Cybersecurity engineers have many of the same responsibilities of the cybersecurity architect. While they don’t operate at quite the same level, they are often responsible for implementing their client's cybersecurity vision. This involves selecting the right cyber security system for the company.
It may involve providing staff members with login credentials and training. In the event of a cyber security breach, the engineers will go in, take a look at what went wrong, and see what they can do to prevent it from happening again.
It is, of course, a very technical job, but because it involves a lot of collaboration, it also requires social skills. Successful cybersecurity engineers need to be able to communicate clearly and work well with others to operate effectively.
Like most of the career paths on our list, this job typically begins with an undergraduate degree in cybersecurity or computer science/engineering. However, a graduate degree, as well as extensive career experience will both be required to get competitive jobs.
The effort is worth it for your cybersec career. Cybersecurity engineers earn an average of between $90,000 and $140,000 — a rather significantly wide range that is influenced by the professional's experience level. The more you know, the bigger your earning potential becomes as a cybersec engineer.