As cybersecurity job shortage remains one of the greatest challenges businesses are facing today, the industry calls for more competent, skilled, and deserving talents to be part of this diverse field.
Among the highest-paid cybersecurity jobs includes Information Security Manager and Application Security Engineer. It is a known fact that having bigger salaries also mean the job is tougher.
If you are aiming to be paid more than what you are receiving now, targeting these jobs is not the only way to earn more money.
Here are the 7 pointers that you should consider if you want to put more money in your pockets:
Get yourself certified
If you want your employers to pay more money, or hire you in the first place, you have to learn new skills, and that can be achieved through obtaining certifications.
Organizations are aware of the dire need to have competitive and skilled people to be in their team, and security certification is one-way bosses will screen their candidates.
Certification is an indicator of an employee’s willingness and dedication to learn the discipline and practices of the job.
Certifications are there in order for you to stand out in a market where skills, talents, and dedication are your ticket to making it big – and legitimizing yourself with certification is one way to do it.
Develop deep expertise in skills
Being a generalist in this field won’t give you the highest salary in the long run. If you want higher positions with higher pay, these positions require you to develop a deep expertise in your field.
Being a jack of all trades can benefit you, but it is not sustainable if you are aiming for more money.
In fact, according to a study by IDC, it is not hard to fill entry-level positions; it is higher-level positions that require long work experience and advanced skills necessary that are in shortage. If you want to make it big, take note of this fact.
Diversify your list of skills
A cybersecurity team consists of numerous roles that need to be filled. As such, you need to avoid being stuck in just one role. This will limit your growth and potential.
If you want to excel in this career, target skills diversification and focus on adding more abilities to your list. More so, having diversified skills will serve as leverage for you to move into a higher-level position.
Learn new technologies like Blockchain
Another way to earn more money is to learn new technologies. The cybersecurity setting is evolving rapidly than you can imagine. The industry needs more people to take part in inventing sustainable and dynamic solutions.
Blockchain is one of the newest technologies surfacing the field right now. Learning this new technology will certainly help you with your promotion.
Try to participate in Bug Bounties
Bug bounties are a fun way to test your skills while learning and earning at the same time. Bug hunters have been very helpful to small companies that don’t have the capacity and resources to hire full-time experts.
As such, participating in bug bounties might be a way for you to earn extra income. The harder the bounty, the more you are paid.
Become a Freelance Security Specialist
Small businesses are also at risk of cyber threats. They have smaller budgets to build an entire in-house security team, as such; they invest more in contracting specialists.
This is where you enter the picture. Being a freelance specialist will give you a chance to learn, test your skills, and will also help you develop your skills in negotiating.
Always take risks
You are in a very dynamic field where every day, your job requires you to be competent and driven. If you want to earn more, the general rule is – always take a risk! If you want to acquire skills, try learning a new one by accepting harder projects.
If you think you are reaching a learning plateau, leave and search for a new environment that will make you grow. At the end of the day, earning more money will always come right after you decide to reinvent and challenge yourself with new possibilities.
