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The differences between cyber security specialists and security engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cyber security specialist and a security engineer. Additionally, a security engineer has an average salary of $104,524, which is higher than the $93,395 average annual salary of a cyber security specialist.
The top three skills for a cyber security specialist include cyber security, incident response and NIST. The most important skills for a security engineer are java, cloud security, and infrastructure.
| Cyber Security Specialist | Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,395 | $104,524 |
| Hourly rate | $44.90 | $50.25 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 65,235 | 86,093 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Cybersecurity Specialists are information technology (IT) professionals who safeguard and protect the company's networks. They ensure that the network infrastructure is secure at all times. They do routine checks to see whether the infrastructure is vulnerable to attacks. Cybersecurity Specialists monitor and respond to security concerns. They launch programs or software to mitigate any attacks that the company's infrastructure may receive. They also look for ways to minimize the network infrastructure's vulnerability to risks, threats, and attacks.
Security engineers are responsible for developing and overseeing data and security software to help prevent data breaches, leaks, and taps related to cybercrime. Other duties and responsibilities include developing new systems to help protect computer networks and assets, configuring firewalls, and conducting penetration testing to pinpoint vulnerabilities. Additionally, security engineers are responsible for investigating attacks and help prevent cybersecurity threat. They are also responsible for creating new processes for authorization, encryption algorithms, and authentication, and analyzing current security policies.
Cyber security specialists and security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cyber Security Specialist | Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $93,395 | $104,524 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $125,000 | Between $77,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | ICE Mortgage Technology |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a cyber security specialist and a security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Cyber Security Specialist | Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | North Carolina State University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between cyber security specialists' and security engineers' demographics:
| Cyber Security Specialist | Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% |
| 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, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |