In 2022, it was reported that there were around 3.4 million cyber security positions not filled across the world, with around 60,000 of these being based in the UK. Could YOU be one of the skilled cyber professionals of the future, filling this skills gap?
The UK Government (DCMS) reported on cyber security skills gaps in 2020, and found that around 7 in 10 cyber sector businesses had tried to recruit someone in a cyber role within the last 3 years. These employers reported over one-third of their vacancies as being hard to fill.
Cyber security graduates earn a salary of around £35,000 a year, and in the South East, the average advertised salary for an experienced cyber security role is around £60,000, and some specialist, highly-skilled roles pay £150,000+!
There are so many cyber security roles – over 85 – and they cover a mix of technical and non-technical jobs. Not all require you to be a code ninja… the majority suit excellent problem solvers and communicators rather than specific cyber skill. Lots of roles are around strategy, incident response, consulting and management – there’s a role which would fit almost everyone.
Indeed.com have a useful page which explains some of these careers: What are cyber security roles? and Reed have a YouTube channel that is filled with technology role models talking about their day-to-day jobs. If you search on any jobsite for “cyber security”, you will soon see the number and variety of roles available for yourself!
Other sites with a wealth of information about cyber security roles that we think are worth a look are:
- Cyber security careers (ukcybersecuritycouncil.org.uk) – useful general information about pathways within the 16 areas of specialisms in cyber security
- Cybersecurity Career Pathway (cyberseek.org) – a USA-based site, shows different career paths in cyber
Spotlight on…
Each quarter, we will put a spotlight on two different careers in the cyber security industry, looking at job roles, skills required, training routes in and salaries.
This quarter, we are looking at Digital Forensics Investigators and Information Security Managers.
Previous roles we have highlighted include Digital Forensics, Penetration Testers and Cyber Security Analysts and Information Security Managers. Check back again soon for our next update!
Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst
- Cyber Threat Intelligence Analysts work within businesses, or for clients, guiding decision-making through assessments and analysis
- Research and report on cyber threats to business security
- Communicate findings to technical teams, management and executive boards
- Can be part of the Incident Response Team in response to cyber attacks
- Required to keep up to date with latest threats and trends and research Indicators of Compromise, as well as threat actor tactics, techniques and procedures
- Work with other cyber security teams across the business to ensure all are aware of latest threats and vulnerabilities
- Critical thinking, written and verbal communication and teamwork are all valuable skills for these roles
- Starting Salary £22,000
- Typical Salary £30-£60,000
- Familiarity with Mitre Att&ck knowledge base, Lockheed Martin’s Cyber Kill Chain, Diamond Model required
- Understanding of emerging and current malware and attack technologies, SecOps and Incident Management preferred
- Routes in include degrees, apprenticeships and industry qualification
- Read more at UKCSC
Cyber Security Consultant
- A Cyber Security Consultant can work across many different areas of the cyber security field
- Work with internal and external business departments/organisations to develop improved cyber security posture
- Design, implement, assess and assure the cyber security of IT systems
- Present to stakeholders, company leaders and management
- Write reports and proposals to communicate security posture to stakeholders, company leaders and management
- Problem-solving, communication and teamwork skills are essential, although much of your work may be completed independently
- They work either for a consultancy company or on a self-employed consultancy basis
- Typical Salary £35,000-80,000+ dependent on experience
- Familiarity with ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR required; PCI-DSS may be necessary, subject to the business area you are working with
- Understanding of latest threats, trends, procedures and facilities is essential
- Prior experience within cyber security roles preferred, unless joining at entry-level
- Related degree and/or industry qualifications required
- Read more at Glassdoor.co.uk
Jobs in the Computer Games Industry
There are also lots of available careers in the computer games industry. Roles encompass the creative arts including idea generation, storyboard creation and graphical design to the physical coding and development of the game engine. As gaming has moved online there is also a massive industry around the technology and infrastructure required to support that and the cyber security of games and gaming platforms.
Read more about these kinds of jobs at Prospects:
The UK has a number of top-level Computer Games companies developing many of the latest releases. Some simple online searches can connect you with apprenticeships and internships with these companies.