How to Learn Cyber Security Engineering
Cybersecurity engineers master how to protect us against attacks. They keep private information safe for individuals, governments, and corporations.
In this guide, you’ll learn about cybersecurity courses, coding bootcamps, books, and training programs and find out how to enter the job market for this fast-growing tech career.
What Is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is the protection of systems and networks from theft or damage to their hardware, software, or data. It also aims to stop the disruption or misdirection of the services rendered by these systems.
Among tech jobs, the demand for cybersecurity engineers is incredibly high. It offers high salaries, positive career prospects, and high problem-solving skills. However, learning how to become a cybersecurity engineer can be difficult, especially if you have no experience.
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What is a Cybersecurity Engineer?
A cybersecurity engineer is responsible for protecting data and systems against unauthorized use by external parties. Cybersecurity engineers create policies and programs to prevent security breaches and protect an organization’s data.
Cybersecurity Job Requirements
Cybersecurity engineers are focused on protecting networks, websites, databases, and other technological systems against attack. A cybersecurity engineer’s responsibilities vary between organizations. Here are a few of the everyday tasks you can expect to have as a cybersecurity engineer:
- Keep up-to-date with the latest technology developments and security systems
- Identify potential weaknesses in a system and create policies to resolve them
- Advise staff on how to stay safe when using company computers
- Evaluate new security policies
- Monitor a company for attacks and report on any problems
A cybersecurity engineer does more than just monitor attacks. They also create programs to fix vulnerabilities and work with others to ensure that the systems are safe from attacks. Such attacks can cause damages that are costly and time-consuming to repair.
Cybersecurity engineers are on the front line in protecting our data.
Cybersecurity Engineer Job Outlook
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in cybersecurity are expected to grow by 32 percent by 2028. This is much faster than the average job, and faster than many other roles in computer science.
How much can you earn? (source: Glassdoor)
$188,000
Senior Engineer
$120,000
Middle Engineer
$50,000
Junior Engineer
Cybersecurity Engineer Salaries: How Much Do Cybersecurity Engineers Make?
According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for a cybersecurity engineer is almost $120,000 per year. Junior cybersecurity engineers usually earn over $50,000, and more senior engineers can earn up to $188,000 per year.
The exact salary you will earn depends on the company you work for and your location. For example, cybersecurity engineers in San Francisco earn an average of almost $125,000. Some positions offer salaries of up to almost $363,000.
Some cybersecurity engineers work as independent consultants and are not affiliated with any company. These engineers usually have more experience in cybersecurity and can earn thousands for only a few hours of work.
How to Become a Cybersecurity Engineer?
There are many different career paths you can take to become an entry-level cybersecurity engineer. Here are the most common ones:
- Pursue a cybersecurity degree at a traditional university
- Attend a cybersecurity engineering coding bootcamp
- Learn cybersecurity engineering on your own through self-study
Each career path has its own benefits. In cybersecurity, the most common path is to pursue a computer science degree, because many employers require a CS degree when hiring cybersecurity engineers.
However, more short-term, intensive coding bootcamps and training programs have started in recent years. Take one to become a cybersecurity engineer in six months to a year. Learn all the practical cybersecurity engineering skills you need at a lower cost than at a traditional university.
Types of Cybersecurity
Generally speaking, cybersecurity can be divided into five broad categories. Different tools are available to the cybersecurity expert according to their specialization:
- Critical infrastructure security:Much of today’s essential infrastructure is connected to the Internet, which makes it vulnerable to cyberattacks. It is imperative to guarantee the safety of the electricity grid, water purification systems, traffic lights, shopping centers, and hospitals.
- Application securityThe focus here is on the cybersecurity software and hardware needed to tackle cyber threats during the development stage of an application. Antivirus programs, firewalls, and encryption programs fall into this category.
- Cloud securityThe cloud is gaining prominence in our lives. As a result, the need to protect the data in cloud resources has drastically increased. Cloud providers are constantly updating their tools to ensure user data is safe.
- Network securityNetwork security deals with unauthorized intrusions in internal networks. The goal is to guarantee the integrity of the network by protecting the infrastructure and preventing security issues from occurring. Common examples include intrusion detection, new passwords, penetration testing, and antivirus programs.
- Internet of Things securityThe interconnectedness of today’s world has brought a myriad of problems and new cyber threats. With a growing number of devices connected to the Internet, opportunities to carry out cyberattacks with malicious intent have multiplied.
- Chief Information SecuritySecurity engineers that show exceptional skills in leadership may take on cybersecurity engineer roles such as this. A chief information security position is a high-level cybersecurity engineer role where someone works with experienced cybersecurity engineers to neutralize new and persistent threats.
