A career in cyber security offers an exciting and resilient professional path. With cyber threats growing faster than ever, businesses across every industry are investing heavily in cyber defense, and that means cyber security careers are booming.
According to the ISC2 2024 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, the global demand for cybersecurity talent has surged, with the workforce gap increasing by 19% year-over-year to a record 4.8 million professionals needed to effectively secure organisations. The U.S. alone currently faces a shortage of over 265,000 skilled cybersecurity workers, particularly in areas like cloud security, governance, and penetration testing.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to pivot into a more specialised role, cyber security offers a dynamic and rewarding career path. In this guide, we’ll explore four key roles that are shaping the future of digital defense.
Careers in cyber security: Cybersecurity Engineers
Cybersecurity engineers are responsible for the design, implementation, operation, and maintenance of an organisation’s cyber security systems. Roles include firewall administrator, SecOps, IT security, technical director, right up to chief security officer. Cybersecurity engineers use their knowledge and experience of threats and vulnerabilities to design and implement appropriate defence mechanisms, protecting the critical infrastructure of a business. This will include both technical and policy-based solutions.
Cyber security engineers often have a background in traditional IT jobs, such as network engineers, system administrators, or software development. A career in cyber security engineering may start by focusing on a specific area, such as firewall administration, endpoint solutions, or specific pieces of software, for example. As experience and knowledge grows, the range of roles within the career path broadens, helping to design complete systems for an organisation, analysing existing implementations, as well as managerial and executive options.
Whilst skills in critical thinking, systems administration, IT networking and risk assessment are important, so is the ability to effectively work as part of a team and be able to communicate effectively to a non-technical audience. If you have a good grasp for technology and can explain what you are doing to others, cyber security engineering could be the career path for you.
Careers in cyber security: Cybersecurity Tester
Unlike the previous engineering role which focuses on making a system secure, testers try and break the system, to identify weak spots and vulnerabilities. There is usually a healthy rivalry between cybersecurity testers and the engineers! Roles include penetration testing, ethical hackers, exploit developers, vulnerability researchers and auditing. Cybersecurity testers use their knowledge of hardware, software, and networking platforms to identify ways that real-life hackers might use to illegally access a system. This needs to be done in a highly systematic and planned manner, to ensure that the full spectrum of possible attacks are covered. Information captured from these simulations will help identify and prevent real-world attacks, and help businesses recover more quickly.
Cybersecurity testers often start with a deep technical knowledge of one area, such as networking and telecommunication protocols, lower-level programming languages, or web and mobile security. It is not uncommon for ‘ethical hacking’ to be listed in the hobbies and interest section of a CV, though this is by no means a vital existing skill. Working as part of a team, the knowledge of a specific area can help identify and exploit weaknesses, in an attempt to stay ahead of a real attack. One very important area is keeping abreast of new and novel methods of exploiting systems, as well as any new viruses, trojans or ransomware which has been discovered in the real world.
This is another cyber security role where the ability to communicate effectively and explain technical issues in a non-technical way, both verbally and in writing, is important. It is also a role where both creative and ‘out of the box’ thinking needs to be matched with a systematic and logical approach. Unlike the stereotypical movie portrayal of a hacker, cyber security testers need to be team players, each understanding their part in the testing process. If ethical hacking is something that appeals to you, then as a career path, there will be very little to rival that of a cyber security tester.
Careers in cyber security: Cybersecurity Responders
So far, we have looked at the Engineers who design and build the cyber-defences, and the testers who safely look for any vulnerabilities, but what happens when a real-life external cyber security incident occurs? This is when the responders come into play. Once a cyber-incident is in progress, the responder team needs to understand what is happening, minimise the damage taking place, and stop the attack. The incident team can then analyse the cause and their response, proposing changes to minimise the risk and impact of a similar issue arising.
Responders are likely to have some experience in the world of cyber-security, including security operations and incident management, network and physical system security, malware, and psychology. Whilst the focus of the role is resolving live attacks, there is also the need to formulate security policies, develop incident handling procedures and planning test attacks and incidents.
The ability to think and act under pressure is vital in this role, as is the need for clear communication. Whilst there should be an attack playbook to follow, the ability to investigate complex problems and find solutions is equally important. Collaborating with other teams, some in very different roles, and evaluating the social, commercial, cultural, ethical, and environmental consequences of both the attack and response, is also part of the job description.
Careers in cyber security: Cybersecurity Forensics Analysts
What happens once a cyber-attack has occurred and the immediate issues have been resolved? Forensic analysts are used to gather and analyse the digital evidence, recovering data and determining how the incident happened. They look for clues and evidence as to how access was gained to the systems, how security systems were breached, and whether other systems have been compromised. The analysis is likely to include human factors as well as the technical ones. The forensic team will start their work in parallel with the response team, however their role extends beyond the operational resolution of the issues. This work will help inform the cybersecurity engineers, helping to create better defences against future attacks.
Cybersecurity forensic analysts will naturally have an analytical mind, with attention to detail. They are likely to have a background in some aspect of cybersecurity, including programming, systems engineering, perhaps as part of one of the three roles we have discussed. Forensic analysts can specialise in a number of areas, including malware, network, mobile, e-mail and database. As well as data gathering and analysis, the ability to present findings and recommendations in a concise and effective manner, is vital.
How To Choose Your Cybersecurity Career?
The world of cybersecurity is constantly evolving, with new roles and disciplines being created to meet the needs of organisations and combat the latest threats. For all the career paths we have discussed, the most important thing is to get a few years of experience, learning new skills and understanding more about the technologies involved and the needs of businesses.
Many people discover they have a natural talent for one of these fields, making a decision easy. Others enjoy trying new roles, gaining experience as they do so, whilst deciding which path is best for them. A good employer should make it easy for a suitable employee to move around between roles, allowing their skills to be applied to new areas. If this is not possible, there are plenty of externally available cyber security jobs for a talented candidate to apply for!
How can Intaso help?
At Intaso, we specialise in connecting cybersecurity talent with impactful career opportunities, from early-stage professionals to seasoned leaders. Whether you’re exploring your first cyber security job or plotting your next strategic career move, we’re here to guide and support your journey.
We work with top-tier companies that value their security talent, offering exciting projects, supportive cultures, and long-term growth.
Ready to find the right cyber security career path for you? Get in touch with Intaso today.
