The Top 9 Cybersecurity Jobs and What You Need to Get One

Updated with new data from CyberSeek in November 2018.

Interested in a career in cybersecurity? With more than 300,000 open cybersecurity jobs in the United States, you chose a great time to join a booming industry – but where to start? To help close the cybersecurity skills gap, CyberSeek provides detailed, actionable data about supply and demand in the cybersecurity job market, which helps job seekers identify what they need to transition between cybersecurity roles and advance in their careers.

In this blog post, we will share the top nine cybersecurity job titles requested by employers within the U.S. cybersecurity job market and the education requirements, certifications and skills needed to find a job in one of these roles.

Education Requirements for Cybersecurity Jobs

CyberSeek breaks down education requirements and shows the percentage of online job listings requiring either less than a bachelor's degree, a bachelor's degree or a graduate degree.

For example, a systems administrator is considered an entry-level job. The job postings for this role don’t require as much education as others – 23 percent of systems administrator postings require less than a bachelor’s degree, which is higher than more advanced job titles.

In contrast, a cybersecurity engineer is on the advanced-level career track, so if you’re interested in a career as such, you should know that 89 percent of job openings require higher education. In fact, 67 percent of cybersecurity engineer postings require a bachelor’s degree and 23 percent require a graduate degree. You can dig deep into CyberSeek’s data for any of the top nine job titles and discover what education level is most common for your dream job.

IT Certifications in Cybersecurity

If you’ve done any research on the topic, you know that the choices in IT certifications are endless! We’ve combed through the recommendations for these top nine cybersecurity job titles and identified the certifications requested most.

• The CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway: With CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+), CompTIA PenTest+ and CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP), the CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway helps technical specialists achieve cybersecurity mastery, from beginning to end.
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): CISSP is an advanced-level cybersecurity certification put out by (ISC)2. It focuses on cybersecurity management skills.
• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA): At the associate level is where Cisco certifications begin to specialize, and some of the most common ones include CCNA Routing and Switching, CCNA Security, CCNA Cyber Ops and CCNA Data Center.  
• GIAC:GIAC certifications cover topics including cyber defense, penetration testing, digital forensics and incident response, developer, and information security management.

Skills Needed for Cybersecurity Jobs

It’s easy to assume that one of the top skills recommended for any of these job titles would contain the word “security.” But what about the less obvious skills? As with IT certifications, we’ve filtered through the most popular skills on the job postings.

• Linux: If you have an Android phone or a security system running at your house, they very well could be running on Linux. Because of its versatility and broad use, it can only help you in a cybersecurity career. CompTIA Linux+ will validate your Linux skills, showing employers that you have what it takes to work on a wide variety of operating systems and devices.
• Project Management: IT professionals need to manage many projects at once, and strengthening this soft skill can give you a leg up. Consider CompTIA’s project management certification, CompTIA Project+. CompTIA Project+ goes beyond one specific methodology or framework, covering essential project management concepts. Added bonus: CompTIA Project+ is one of the top-paying IT certifications, according to Global Knowledge.
• Information Systems: An information system is an organized system for the collection, organization and storage of data. Having a knowledge of information systems is essential to a successful career in cybersecurity.

Now that you know more about what education, certifications and skills are recommended for these particular cybersecurity job titles, you can plan your career journey accordingly. CyberSeek data is constantly updated, so come back often to find new skills or certifications you can add to your repertoire to make yourself a more attractive job candidate. If you are currently in an entry-level role and looking to get ahead, hone in on the items needed for that dream job, and you will be better prepared to join one of the hottest sectors of IT.

Check out the CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway to see how CompTIA certifications can help you get into cybersecurity and advance your cybersecurity career.