What are the salaries in the cybersecurity industry?

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What are the salaries in the cybersecurity community?

At the beginning of their career, a young graduate in cybersecurity can expect a salary of around 40,000 euros gross per year upon hiring.

The strong development of the sector allows the position to maintain a solid and comfortable salary. Faced with an ever-increasing demand for protection of IT systems, the budgets allocated by companies are constantly increasing to meet the demand. Thus, the trend in wages continues to be upward. As such, the cybersecurity engineer job promises to be one of the jobs with the highest salary growth in 2022.

Cybersecurity analysts can expect to earn between 45,000 and 70,000 gross per year, depending on experience and background.

The most responsible positions can have a ceiling of between 100,000 euros and 200,000 euros gross per year. The majority of these are information systems security directors.

What is the salary of a cybersecurity consultant?

As soon as the training is completed, a cybersecurity consultant is quickly hired because the demand is so high. The salaries are advantageous.

On average, a consultant’s job pays 50,500 euros gross per year, or 25.90 euros per hour. A junior starts with a salary of about 41500 euros gross per year. Finally, the most experienced can earn up to 62,000 euros gross over a year.

What education is recommended for working in the cybersecurity field?

Any student with a high school diploma can apply for a degree in cybersecurity. However, the scientific sections will have an easier time committing to such a course of study. The initial training courses found in these sections are mainly :

  • Bac S
  • Technological Bac STI2D
  • General baccalaureate specializing in “numerical and mathematical”.

In order to prepare for entry into higher education institutions, there are two options available to applicants:

BTS computer science following 2 different orientations:

  • BTS SIO – Computer services for organizations
    SISR option: infrastructure, systems and network solutions
    SLAM option: software solutions and business applications
  • BTS SN – Digital Systems
    IR option: computer science and networks
    EC option: electronics and communication

a DUT in computer science with orientation :

  • DUT RT – Networks and telecoms
  • DUT GE2I – Electrical engineering and industrial computing

In parallel to this training, a 10-week internship in a company allows the student to prepare for the reality of the field and to put into practice his theoretical knowledge.

After the two-year preparatory cycle, which allows the student to acquire the fundamental notions, it is possible to move on to :

  • a Bac + 3. The student can go on to a professional computer science degree. There are 3 options:
    – Licence pro Computer Science
    – Bachelor in computer science, specializing in “computer security”.
    – General degree in computer science, cyberdefense course
  • At Bac +5 level, there are several possibilities for training in cybersecurity.
    – CDSI – Master Cyberdefense and Information Security
    – MSC – Cybersecurity
    – MBA – Digital Data Security Management
  • a Bac +6, in order to finalize his career and refine his specialty:
    – MS – Information and Systems Security
    – MS – Cybersecurity of critical service operators
    – MS – Network Architecture and Cybersecurity Design
    – MS – Attack and defense of information systems

What are the career paths in the cybersecurity environment?

After many years as an expert in computer security, it is possible to evolve in large companies as a manager or director of information systems security. The employee will then have to manage a whole team to which he will transmit his methodology and his knowledge, in the service of IT security.

After having been an employee, it is also possible to work as a freelancer and offer your services to companies. Thus, he will become an independent cybersecurity expert, able to manage a wide variety of digital infrastructure protection missions, without ever remaining affiliated with the same sector.

What does the job of a cybersecurity expert involve?

The jobs of cybersecurity experts consist of evaluating the risks of flaws in computer networks and responding to them with security protocols to defuse any intrusion attempts.

Thus, it assesses the fragility of websites and implements protection systems to limit the risks:

  • Firewall
  • Passwords
  • Cryptology
  • Antivirus

He must stay abreast of technological developments to offer ever more effective tools, but also be aware of the new threats to IT infrastructures. Its diagnostics are now a major issue for the health of companies, which makes the position of cybersecurity expert particularly prized. Finally, this job requires a constant involvement and a total confidentiality of internal data.

Learn more about cybersecurity training

Updated 2 January 2024