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The differences between cyber security analysts and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a cyber security analyst, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $88,422 average annual salary of a cyber security analyst.
The top three skills for a cyber security analyst include incident response, windows and SIEM. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Cyber Security Analyst | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,422 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $42.51 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 64,387 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to protect a company's computer networks and systems. They constantly keep tabs on threats and monitor their organization's networks for any security breaches. Their tasks involve installing computer programs or software and encryption, reporting breaches or weak spots, exploring new IT trends, educating the company's information security team on security. They also do simulate security attacks to find possible network and system vulnerabilities.
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Cyber security analysts and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cyber Security Analyst | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,422 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $117,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Neighborly | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a cyber security analyst and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Cyber Security Analyst | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between cyber security analysts' and software engineers' demographics:
| Cyber Security Analyst | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.5% Female, 21.5% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |