There are many reasons to work in cybersecurity. It is a gratifying job and offers unlimited growth opportunities. Anyone with the right skills and training can work in the field.
Common Misconceptions About Cybersecurity Careers
However, many consider working in the field and then quickly dismiss it because they don’t fully understand what the work involves. Some think cybersecurity is a narrow career with limited growth opportunities or challenges. However, the truth is that professionals in this area are widely involved across all areas of a business or agency, and their work significantly impacts the workplace far beyond the IT department.
To increase your awareness of workplace responsibilities and the broader scope of the role, let’s take a deeper dive into what a typical day for a cybersecurity analyst looks like, what their goals typically are, and where the best places to work are in terms of industry and location.
A Day in the Life of a Cybersecurity Analyst
In general, a cybersecurity analyst is responsible for protecting a company’s networks and systems from potential cyber-attacks or data breaches. The day-to-day workload of a cybersecurity analyst will vary depending on the industry and the size of the business they work for. However, in general, these are the main tasks they are involved in and responsible for:
Monitoring Security Access
To keep their organization safe, analysts must constantly evaluate security best practices, employees’ behaviors online, passwords, badges, log-ins, and more. Among their responsibilities are working with firewalls and upholding security standards.
Executing Security Assessments
They also perform vulnerability assessments and risk analyses as part of their ongoing efforts to identify security weak spots. From there, they make the necessary changes to ensure their networks and systems remain secure.
Implementing or Overseeing Security Audits
Internal or external teams may perform audits to provide a detailed understanding of how well an organization is maintaining security controls.
Identifying and Responding to Security Breaches
Moreover, beyond detecting security breaches or cyber-attacks, cybersecurity analysts are responsible for understanding how breaches occurred and ensuring that patches are developed to prevent future attacks.
Creating and Updating Disaster Recovery Plans
Cybersecurity analysts are responsible for writing what the organization will do to restore their data and information systems after a security breach. They work closely with the C-Suite to ensure the executive team understands what went wrong, the fixes being suggested, and why. Interpersonal and customer-facing skills are as critical as the technical expertise they bring to the role.
Managing Vendor Relationships
Cybersecurity analysts must cultivate relationships with vendors to ensure that their products and services meet regulatory standards.
Key Focus Areas for Cybersecurity Analysts
Overall, the tasks described above give you a clearer picture of what a cybersecurity analyst’s day looks like. This daily routine can be grouped into three main areas:
- Preventing potential attacks – Constant monitoring and updating systems to avoid vulnerabilities.
- Detecting and investigating suspicious activities – Identifying potential breaches and responding appropriately.
- Training the organization on cybersecurity best practices – Ensuring employees are informed and act responsibly.
Flexibility and Availability Requirements
Furthermore, it’s important to remember that security incidents don’t always happen during typical work hours. Cybersecurity analysts must be prepared to work outside of a 9-to-5 schedule. Vendor meetings, security analysis, and responding to incidents can occur at any time. Since hackers don’t care whether you’re in the office or not, your skills will be needed whenever an attack happens.
Best Places to Work as a Cybersecurity Analyst
If you are looking to pursue a career as a cybersecurity analyst, you’ll find plenty of opportunities. In the United States alone, there are thousands of openings. As of January 2021, Indeed.com listed 2,732 jobs, and Glassdoor.com showed 6,748.
Top States for Cybersecurity Jobs
According to Zippia.com, the best states to work in are:
- New Jersey: 610+ jobs; average salary: $89,605
- Delaware: 50+ jobs; average salary: $96,660
- New York: 910+ jobs; average salary: $93,059
- Massachusetts: 610+ jobs; average salary: $88,045
- Maryland: 950+ jobs; average salary: $87,689
- Virginia: 2080+ jobs; average salary: $81,196
- Rhode Island: 70+ jobs; average salary: $78,399
- Connecticut: 200+ jobs; average salary: $83,059
- Texas: 1,400+ jobs; average salary: $77,948
- New Hampshire: 60+ jobs; average salary: $84,762
These are just some of the states with high demand, but there are many more positions available nationwide.
Ready to Start Your Cybersecurity Career?
When looking for a cybersecurity job, it’s important to choose a company that aligns with your desired work environment, industry interests, advancement opportunities, and professional development prospects.
At CyberWarrior, we understand the unique challenges of navigating the cybersecurity job market. That’s why our platform is designed to help you master the essential skills and stand out in this competitive field.
We provide career-building tools, such as resume assistance and LinkedIn profile optimization, to boost your professional presence in the cybersecurity industry.
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