Cybersecurity is one of today’s high-paying sectors. But, what can you do to increase your cyber security salary?
Although the cybersecurity field is an in-demand sector, there are ways to help you raise your pay fast. So this post will guide you on how to increase your cybersecurity salary in 5 ways.
5 Ways on How to Increase Cyber Security Salary
1. Earn Certifications
According to Hacker News, earning cybersecurity certifications can raise your annual salary by 5% to 25%. 5% may not look that much, but this is good extra cash that may build up across your whole career lifespan.
The type of certification also defines the raise of your pay.
For example:
- Security: $81,000
- CISSP: $116,000
- CISA: $102,000
- CISM: $126,000
- GIAC GSEC: $92,000
To see the difference, consider this. Information security analysts can earn up to $25,000 annually with a CISM certification. While only $15,000 with a CISSP. Isn’t that a big good cash increase?
2. Specialize In-Demand Cybersecurity Skills
Cybersecurity falls with plenty of different skills that you can specialize in.
For example, here are the most in-demand sectors of cybersecurity:
- Cloud security
- Web application security
- Threat intelligence
- Auditing
- Security software development
Perhaps specializing skills connected to these can help you land a high-paying job in the field.
3. Work for an In-Demand Sector
You can work for any sector, wherever you are, with cybersecurity. However, there are specific sectors that highly need cybersecurity professionals.
For example, they are the following sectors:
- Healthcare
- Banking and finance
- Retail
These sectors have an increasing need and demand for cybersecurity. Healthcare deals with patient data. Also, banking and finance deal with the financial data of their clients. While the retail industry has its leads and third-party vendors’ data. Because of this, these sectors are willing to pay more for cybersecurity professionals. Not to mention that there is a gap in cybersecurity professionals’ talent today.
4. Know and Pick the Right Cybersecurity Job Position for your Target Salary
Do you have target salary goals? If so, you better plan your career early. Cybersecurity, for instance, comes with plenty of career options. Besides, your earning potential depends on the job position you are working with in the field.
Try resourcing career guides and tips for cybersecurity with CyberSeek. Here, you can foresee the average earning potential for a specific job position. Also, they include the needed certifications for you to get there.
Here are a few examples of the job positions and their salary potentials:
- Cybersecurity analysts: $95,000
- Penetration testers: $103,000
- Risk managers: $117,000
- Chier information officers: $126,000
- Security engineers: $101,000
5. Target High-Paying Companies
Lastly, salary differs depending on the size of the company you are working for. So you can do the same job in different companies, but earn better with the other. The key is to do your research in advance.
Of course, the company size matters. For example:
- Small to medium businesses can offer up to $90,000 annual wage.
- Fortune 500 companies can offer $103,000 or more annual wages.
