Cybersecurity Careers 101: Entry-Level Roles, Skills, and Requirements

Every day, cyber threats get more sophisticated, and businesses are responding by investing substantially in cybersecurity talent. The best part is, entry-level roles pay well and don’t always require a tech degree. Whether you’re a STEM graduate or planning a career change, cybersecurity offers great opportunities for a resilient and rewarding career.

Entry-Level Roles

Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst

These professionals monitor security tools, investigate alerts, and react to threats in real time. This role is often a launchpad to more complex and higher-paying careers in cybersecurity. As an entry-level SOC analyst, you might make between $55,000 and $70,000 a year.

Cybersecurity or Security Analyst

This role focuses on monitoring, policy enforcement, and system checks, and is often involved in compliance and incident responses. Starting off in this role, you can expect to make anywhere between $70,000 and $78,000 per year.

Junior Forensic Analyst

As a junior forensic analyst, you’ll be dealing with organizing various incidents, as well as digital investigation. Individuals in this role pay great attention to detail. The average U.S. salary range for junior forensic analysts is between $70,000 and $90,000 a year.

IT Auditor/Compliance Analyst

This role combines governance, risk management, and compliance, and is a strong fit for those with interest in processes. Entry-level IT auditors can make anywhere between $60,000 and $90,000 a year.

Critical Skills, Degrees & Certifications

Security roles often require knowledge of firewalls, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), system fundamentals such as security controls and incident responses, and familiarity with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools.

In terms of soft skills, cybersecurity roles require excellent communication, problem-solving, organizational, and critical-thinking skills. For example, someone working in cybersecurity might have to convey complex ideas to non-tech colleagues, which requires sharp communication skills.

There are a number of college degrees that can be applied to the world of cybersecurity. For starters, there’s…ehem…a Cybersecurity degree, degrees in Information Technology or Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and even Criminal Justice degrees for those looking to get into cybercrime or digital forensics.

If you’re still in school, you may want to choose electives in networking, cryptography, or risk management. Along with this, seek out cybersecurity clubs (if possible), and consider signing up for some “Capture the Flag (CTF)” events. These events simulate real-world scenarios and challenge participants to identify and resolve security threats. By participating in a club or a CTF event, you’ll be building relevant experience before you even land your first job.

Certifications you might want to look into include CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst Certification (CySA+) if you’re interested in a career as a SOC or security analyst, or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Certification if you’re looking to get into security engineering or perhaps consulting down the line.

Another good certification to have is Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC), which will demonstrate a well-rounded knowledge of cybersecurity to potential employers. This includes cloud security, digital forensics, auditing, and more.

Why Cybersecurity?

If you’re still on the fence about a career in cybersecurity, consider the following: entry-level roles like SOC analysts or cybersecurity analysts are commonly filled by recent graduates with bachelor’s degrees. While these roles often start at around $55,000 and $70,000 a year respectively, skilled professionals can move into mid-level roles very quickly. This means you might be making around $90,000 to $120,000 a year, all within a couple of years.

Beyond that, those who pursue leadership roles in cybersecurity might move into roles such as security architect, incident response lead, or chief information security officer (CISO). Of course, these positions will demand more from you, but you could be making some serious money—think upwards of $150,000 a year.

The bottom line is, if you’re a student or a recent graduate with a related degree, a career in cybersecurity will provide a great starting salary, excellent potential for growth, and a sense of security (see what we did there?) for the future of your career.

Rob Porter is an editor at Vault.