Entry-level cybersecurity jobs

TOP 5 ENTRY-LEVEL CYBER SECURITY JOBS WITH NO EXPERIENCE

Introduction

Cybersecurity is one of the most lucrative career choices in IT. The job opportunities in cybersecurity are many and the salaries are often lucrative. However, getting started can be a bit challenging, many hiring managers will typically demand some level of hands-on experience. If you are just starting out in your journey and are wondering how you are going to navigate the job experience dilemma, this blog post is for you. It will explore the Entry-level Cyber security jobs you can get without the usual hassle of prior job experience.

Cybersecurity jobs can sometimes be very competitive, you want to focus on certain types of jobs where your chances of being employed as a beginner are significantly higher. These entry-level cyber security jobs will help you get your foot at the door and then further build your career in the niche.

What Is Cyber Security About?

Simply put, Cybersecurity deals with the processes, methods, technologies, procedures, and practices that are employed by an organization to secure its data, applications, and networking infrastructure from unauthorized access by malicious and bad actors. The job of a cybersecurity professional is to help mitigate against such authorized access or breach, and in cases where they do happen, how to restore services back to normalcy. He will need to understand the security landscape, security standards, regulatory requirements, etc.

In a world where many of the critical operations of an organization are in cyberspace (internet), it is imperative that adequate measures are taken to secure the organization’s resources and operations from people whose intention is to cause harm. Things can turn very bad if confidential information is compromised or access to critical infrastructure is disrupted by hackers. into the wrong hands. That is perhaps why Cybersecurity is very much in demand by Organizations.

Cybersecurity is a field that is gaining ever-increasing attention in terms of demands. According to a report by Cyber Security Ventures, there are currently over 3.5 million Cyber Security jobs that are yet to be filled globally. Coupled with high demands are relatively high salaries for cybersecurity professionals, especially when compared to those of other IT niches. It is also worth noting that cybersecurity jobs can also leverage skills acquired in other fields, even for non-technical roles, and as such, it is possible to switch careers to cybersecurity from other fields.

Starting At The Bottom

It can oftentimes be challenging to get started in core Cyber Security roles if you are a beginner. A good way to navigate this is to start at the bottom and then rank up. It is a much easier way to kick-start a career in the field. So don’t be afraid to start small. Below are some of the jobs that can be available to you, even if you are without experience. Some of these jobs may not even require some hardcore certification to begin. Include these types of entry-level jobs in your search.

Entry-level CYBERSECURITY JOBS WITH NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED

These are top Entry-Level Cyber Security jobs that you can apply for right away without job experience. The advantage of these is that they are the kind of Cyber Security jobs that are often overlooked by many people but they can help you get a foothold in the niche.

1. Security or IT Auditor

A Security Auditor’s job responsibility is to assess and evaluate the information systems, policies, and procedures of an organization to ensure that they comply with security standards and regulations (internal and external). Typically will have a list of standards and regulations to tick all potential risks and exposure of the organization against. Some of the other job descriptions for a Security or IT Auditor are as follows;

  • A Security Auditor plans, directs, follows, and leads security audits across an organization
  • Does reviews and interviews the personnel who are responsible for the risk and compliance
  • Evaluate the effectiveness and compliances of Operational processes
  • Inspect Security controls, management procedures, and Financial Information Systems
  • Properly document the Audit process among a variety of computing environments.

A Security Auditor should be able to write detailed report findings and develop best-practice recommendations for the Organization. Typically should possess some soft skills such as good Communication (written and oral). Hard Skills should include working knowledge of Windows, Linus, and Unix OS, MySQL and Oracle databases, and Virtualization Technology, and should be aware of the Security and Regulatory Standards/framework.

Some Helpful Certifications or training include Certified Information System Auditor, Certified Security Manager, and Certified Security System Professional. The average salary for a Security Auditor is 86,000/yr (Glassdoor, 2023).

2. Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst

IBM SOC Center
IBM’s SOC Center

The job of a Security Operations Center (SOC) analyst is to monitor an organization’s network security for malicious activity. A SOC analyst focuses on the detection of an abnormality in the flow of traffic and generates an appropriate response. Normally a Security Incident Event Management System (SIEM) or an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) may trigger an alarm for potentially malicious traffic, it is a SOC analyst who actually goes through the details to find out the cause of the alarm and then makes an appropriate response. Some of the job descriptions for a SOC analyst are as follows;

  • Monitors all the Intrusion Prevention Systems IPS, SIEMs Security for alerts
  • Does triage of security incidence and make appropriate responses
  • Writes new signatures for emerging threats

One of the unique traits of a SOC analyst is critical thinking abilities, the SOC analyst should be able to make a distinction between a false alarm and one that is critical to the security of the organization. Some useful certifications for a SOC analyst include Security +, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Certified SOC Analyst (from EC-Council), etc. The average salary for a SOC Analyst1 in the US is $88,000/yr (Glassdoor 2023).

3. Security Analyst

This is one of the most common Entry-level Cyber security jobs you can start with zero working experience. The average salary for a Security analyst in the US is about 98,000/yr. ( Glassdoor, 2023) The job of a Security Analyst is to detect and prevent threats to an organization. That typically could mean managing a lot of security programs in the organization. Some of the other job descriptions will include ;

  • Planning, implementing, and upgrading security controls
  • Analysing security policies and protocols; including doing audits to determine weaknesses.
  • Managing Network Intrusion and Prevention Systems, firewalls, access controls, etc
  • Researching and recommending appropriate security tools to address specific security challenges.
  • Training the employees in an organization in security awareness and procedures.

A Security Analyst is usually the organization’s staff that manages relationships with outside security vendors and will also require the basic soft skills for the job role. Hard skills for the job will include knowledge of vulnerability testing, working knowledge of Firewalls, Intrusion prevention and detection systems, Routing and Switching (Networking), DLP (data loss prevention), SIEMS, Anti-virus, ransomware, scripting language (Bash and Powershell) and Programing language like Python, C++, JAVA.

Some useful certifications for the role will vary widely, the following are some recommendations Security +, CSSP, Global Information Assurance Security Certification (GIAC Security), etc.

4. Compliance Analyst

The Job of Compliance analysts is to ensure compliance with Government rules and Industry regulations. They are more into research and administrative work. They ensure which rules directly or indirectly affect their organization and educate the members of the organization to make sure they comply.

The compliance analyst is a researcher and more than anything has top-tier project and people management skills. The average Salary for a Compiance Analyst in the US is $71,000/yr (Glassdoor, 2023)

5. Security Technician

A Security Technician’s job is to install, maintain, and repair security-related systems in an organization. It typically will include the installation, and maintenance of security systems such as surveillance cameras. Access control systems etc These are basic security measures that protect an environment from unauthorized access, theft, and other security challenges. A security technician works with other cybersecurity professionals to secure other components that contribute to the overall security posture of an organization.

A security technician should be able to identify and troubleshoot basic network-related problems on hardware and software. etc.Should be able to ensure the proper functioning of security software, and firmware updates and address vulnerabilities.

It is an entry-level job and would often involve basic technical training on the various systems. A security Technician works with other Security experts to secure an organization’s cyberspace. The average Salary of a Security technician in the US is about $50,000/yr (Glassdoor, 2023).

Conclusions

Starting a career in cybersecurity can be challenging. Prior work experience is often a requirement for most of the more popular job roles. However, entry-level Cyber security jobs like Security auditors, SOC analysts, Security analysts, and Security technicians can relax the demand for prior experience. These types of jobs help you prepare for bigger roles in the cybersecurity niche. Employers are more likely to trust you with bigger roles if you excel at these entry jobs. They are excellent ways to achieve your goal of becoming a cybersecurity professional.

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