With cyber crime on the rise, the need for experts to combat this surge has never been greater. Cyber security career options are burgeoning. In fact, it’s one of the fastest growing career sectors in IT.

Cyber crimes are expensive. They tax the world economy at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars annually with the numbers continuing to rise. According to CIMCOR, 3,617 data records are lost or stolen every single minute. The average victim of cyber crime spends around 20 personal hours combating a stolen identity, with losses to civilians exceeding $126 billion worldwide (as of 2015). By 2019, experts are predicting that cyber crime could tally a worldwide total loss in excess of $2 trillion.

National brands are the latest victims of cyber crime, with big names like J.P. Morgan, Target, Home Depot—and even big data think tank Equifax—all experiencing unheard of security breaches that exposed the personal and financial data of millions of consumers.

With cyber crime on the rise, the need for experts to combat this surge has never been greater. Cyber security career options are burgeoning. In fact, it ‘s one of the fastest growing career sectors in IT. But the good news is that with increasing demand, an expanding workforce can rise to meet the challenges of tomorrow, today.

An online cyber security training from Woz U can help you enter this ever-growing workforce so you can help make a difference.

Worldwide Shortages for Training in Cyber security

The need for cyber security training is increasing year-over-year. According to the Robert Walters Salary Survey, “Salaries for cyber security jobs around the world will rise by 7% in 2018.” Worldwide, salaries for those in the information technology industry are expected to rise by as much as 18% this year—with this sector topping the list of highest-paying and most in-demand jobs.

As of 2014, there were 1 million unfilled positions in cyber security, according to a report by Cisco. Fast-forward to the present day, and few career demographics have as much demand as this IT-focused niche does. According to the Global Information Security Workforce Study, the increasing shortage in training for cyber security will result in an estimated 1.8 million unfilled positions by the year 2022.

Cyber Security Salary Range

A career sector this high in demand makes one wonder: What ‘s the salary range for cyber security? The simple answer is that it varies depending on what sector niche (and there are a few of them) that you are pursuing. For example, cyber security training can cover several aspects ranging from threat intelligence to security software development, cloud auditing and even big data analysis.

Knowing what you can expect to make in this exciting and emerging IT sector can help you better decide if it ‘s a career worth pursuing. With that in mind, here are some of the leading careers in cyber security and what you can expect to make as far as annual salary is concerned.

In-Demand Cyber Security Jobs for 2018

Here is a quick overview of the top-ranked positions and their aggregate salary ranges—so you can see just how lucrative this field is.

Information Security Analyst

One of the most in-demand careers in cyber security is Information Security Analyst. According to a report by U.S. News, this job was ranked as one of the most desired jobs of 2015. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there is no on-the-job training required, and that there ‘s a 28% job outlook for 2018 and beyond.

What you ‘d be doing: In this career, the main duties consist of helping to safeguard sensitive data by preventing cyber attacks and creating policies and operations that monitor data and protect it from intruders.

Average annual salary: $92,600

Lead Software Security Engineer

CIO has repeatedly placed this job in its top-10 list of the highest-paying (for this sector). A quick search on Indeed reveals that there more than 11,000 open positions, and a Glassdoor query finds that there are more than 18,420 jobs that are currently available.

What you ‘d be doing: As a Lead Software Security Engineer, you ‘d be managing a team of other developers underneath you, helping to assess and analyze current and future risks while developing software and security protocols to combat these threats.

Average annual salary: $173,777

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Easily one of the highest paying careers in the cyber security, CISOs are sought-after security experts that fall into the uppermost echelon of the pay grade. This senior level position currently has 3,821 job openings on Indeed, and thousands more found in a quick search on LinkedIn and other career websites.

What you ‘d be doing: As an ISO, you ‘d be at the top of the food chain and would be tasked with overseeing the development, integration, management and processes of cyber security, helping to defend and put into motion future safeguards that protect the company you work for.

Average annual salary: $192,500

Security Architect

One of the most in-demand jobs in cyber security is a Security Architect. Glassdoor has more than 17,000 opening listed, and LinkedIn features more than 4,400. Certainly you ‘ll have to have some experience to get your foot in the door, but with a few years of related experience under your belt, you ‘d be qualified enough to apply.

What you ‘d be doing: A Security Architect is a senior level position that helps develop, create and modernize hardware and software in combination with training company employees and integrating modern security models, including CAT access, VPNs, firewalls, antivirus programs and more.

Average annual salary: $147,873

Penetration Tester

Don ‘t let the name fool you, this job has a ton of openings and pays more than you may suspect. In many cases, you can even work remotely for various cyber security firms, helping them to reduce threats and improve security.

What you ‘d be doing: As a Penetration Tester, you ‘d be working alongside security experts to help identify any vulnerabilities in the networks of the company. In some cases, you may work for a cyber security firm that protects the networks of multiple companies.

Average annual salary: $71,929

How to Get Started in Cyber Security

To get started with a career in cyber security, you ‘ll want to make sure you are as prepared as possible. If you have prior experience in Computer Support services, that is a great way to prepare yourself for the curriculum you will be building on in cyber security. Woz U ‘s Cyber Security training can help you to get you the proper foundations you will need to excel in their Cyber Security course.