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Cybersecurity jobs are everywhere. Here’s how to find them

CompTIA breaks down where the hottest jobs in cybersecurity are located and the pathways to well-paying careers in this IT sector.
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Thousands of cybersecurity jobs are open nationwide and two online tools will help you find out where these important workers are needed most.

CompTIA, a leader in industry-standard certifications, is here to point you in the right direction. Its CyberSeek website features a heat map showing which states have the most cybersecurity job openings. Additionally, it has an interactive element showing the pathways and average salaries of careers in this fast-growing IT sector.

Developed in partnership with Burning Glass Technologies and the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the CyberSeek map aggregates data taken from the more than 200,000 job postings available right now. From Alaska to Wyoming, there are at least 100 open jobs in each of the 50 states in both the private and public sector.

Take a look at the image from the heat map below and notice how cybersecurity jobs are clustered in states with the largest populations and highest job growth. The odds are favorable that you are already living in one of them. You can click on the image to visit the interactive map.

Image – Cyberseek.org

Each state has a detailed breakdown of the types of cybersecurity jobs available and the number and types of certifications requested by employers. In Florida, for example, the ratio of supply versus demand for cybersecurity workers is running above the national average. CyberSeek also breaks down what specialty areas are in demand and defines the roles within each one.

Image – Cyberseek.org

The top job title of Cyber Security Analyst has a median salary of $138,322 in the Sunshine State, according to Glassdoor. Workers in this field can expect to earn a higher single income than the state’s highest median household income. Florida also does not have a state income tax, which makes it a prime destination for migrating workers. It was second behind Texas — itself a top market for cybersecurity jobs — in population growth in 2016-2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The state with the highest amount of job openings was Virginia, with more than 33,000 available jobs. This is not surprising given the number of government agencies and military bases located in and around the Washington D.C. metro area.

To get a sense of how many positions are open near large cities, the heat map can be displayed by metro area. Selecting this option shows the large concentration of jobs along the Mid-Atlantic Interstate 95 corridor.

Image – CyberSeek.org

Getting Started

Jumping into a cybersecurity career is not for those who are looking for an entry-level position. Getting started in this field requires at least two years of post-secondary education or equivalent certifications across a host of disciplines. CompTIA provides a roadmap of certification training for newbies, starting with IT fundamentals and working toward the cybersecurity path.

For those with IT training and certifications looking to upgrade their skillsets and salaries, CyberSeek’s “Career Pathway” module details which feeder roles are best suited for each sector.

Image – CyberSeek.org

One of the fastest pathways to cybersecurity is through systems engineering. Twenty-three percent of the job openings were open to candidates without Bachelor’s degrees, the largest percentage of the five feeder roles. Since the majority of jobs in the survey require BA’s or above, choosing a two-year associate degree in systems engineering can be a more affordable option. To branch out from systems engineering, CyberSeek lists the skills workers need now and which ones to explore.

Image – CyberSeek.org

Following the career paths upward shows a realistic progression of skills-building and certifications. Having this knowledge and weighing the rate of return on investment compared to potential earnings in the real world is invaluable. Additionally, this resource can provide the data educators and policymakers can use to create industry-aligned curricula to address the skills gap in computer science education.

CyberSeek shows the pathway to six-figure incomes, but it takes work and a methodical approach to lifelong learning. A job as a chief information security officer awaits those who apply their skills to the fullest and the reward for this journey can be even sweeter.

To start your new journey, head to CyberSeek.org.

Join the Conversation: Head to the CyberSeek site and tell us your thoughts about it on our Facebook page.

This article was originally published on January 25, 2018.

Dana Beth Ardi

Executive Committee

Dana Beth Ardi, PhD, Executive Committee, is a thought leader and expert in the fields of executive search, talent management, organizational design, assessment, leadership and coaching. As an innovator in the human capital movement, Ardi creates enhanced value in companies by matching the most sought after talent with the best opportunities. Ardi coaches boards and investors on the art and science of building high caliber management teams. She provides them with the necessary skills to seek out and attract top-level management, to design the ideal organizational architectures and to deploy people against strategy. Ardi unearths the way a business works and the most effective way for people to work in them.

Ardi is an experienced business executive and senior consultant who leverages business organizational transformation through talent strategies. She uses her knowledge and experience to develop talent strategies to enhance revenue and profit contributions. She has a deep expertise in change management and organizational effectiveness and has designed and built high performance cultures. Ardi has significant experience in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, IPO’s and turnarounds.

Ardi is an expert on the multi-generational workforce. She understands the four intersecting generations of workers coming together in contemporary companies, each with their own mindsets, leadership and communications styles, values and motivations. Ardi is sought after to assist companies manage and thrive by bringing the generations together. Her book, Fall of the Alphas: How Beta Leaders Win Through Connection, Collaboration and Influence, will be published by St. Martin’s Press. The book reflects Ardi’s deep expertise in understanding organizations and our changing society. It focuses on building a winning culture, how companies must grow and evolve, and how talent influences and shapes communities of work. This is what she has coined “Corporate Anthropology.” It is a playbook on how modern companies must meet challenges – culturally, globally, digitally, across genders and generations.

Ardi is currently the Managing Director and Founder of Corporate Anthropology Advisors, LLC, a consulting company that provides human capital advisory and innovative solutions to companies building value through people. Corporate Anthropology works with organizations, their cultures, the way they grow and develop, and the people who are responsible for forming their communities of work.

Prior to her position at Corporate Anthropology Advisors, Ardi served as a Partner/Managing Director at the private equity firms CCMP Capital and JPMorgan Partners. She was a partner at Flatiron Partners, a venture capital firm working with early state companies where she pioneered the human capital role within an investment portfolio.

Ardi holds a BS from the State University of New York at Buffalo as well as a Masters degree and PhD from Boston College. She started her career as professor at the Graduate Center at Fordham University in New York.