News: Jobs & Salaries in Cyber Security Are Exploding!

In an article published in early-2015 by Peninsula Press, it was reported that the demand and the salaries for cyber security professionals are exploding! They cite that 209,000 cyber security jobs were unfilled last year, and that job postings have increased over 74% in the last 5 years. Job opening are expected to grow by another 53% over the next 3 years. You are definitely in the right field, my tenderfoot hackers!

Some researchers are expecting information security jobs to continue to grow exponentially in the coming years. Some expect as much as a tenfold increase in the next 10 years. That is unprecedented growth. We have never seen a job category grow this fast in the last half century. That means that there will incredible demand for your services when you finish your studies here at Null Byte and beyond.

With all this demand for cyber security professionals, the salaries are rising rapidly as well. Three years ago, the average salary for a cyber security professional was over $100,733—and it probably has surpassed $115,000 this year. However, many people are earning far more than the average that have high-level skills and some experience.

Most cyber security professionals know little or nothing about hacking. Those that do are in high demand as they understand what the attackers are capable of. They understand the mindset, the tools, and techniques of the hacker. That makes them better prepared to stop and stymie the attackers.

Without hacking skills as a cyber security pro, cyber security engineers are simply guessing what the hackers/attackers can do—and their guesses are usually wrong. That's one of the main reasons so many successful attacks are still taking place, despite huge advances in defensive technologies such intrusion detection systems and deep packet inspection firewalls such as those from Palo Alto Networks

I post this data for you here, both to confirm your decision to go into this field and to encourage you to continue. What you are learning here is in high demand in the marketplace. Get yourself some education, some certifications, and maybe even a degree, and companies, governments, and institutions will beat a path to your door with high-paying job offers.

Keep at it, my tenderfoot hackers—it will pay off!