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The differences between cyber security specialists and specialists 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 specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a cyber security specialist has an average salary of $93,395, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a cyber security specialist include cyber security, incident response and NIST. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Cyber Security Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $93,395 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $44.90 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 65,235 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Cyber security specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cyber Security Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $93,395 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $125,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a cyber security specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Cyber Security Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | North Carolina State University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between cyber security specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Cyber Security Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |