CyberSeek Tracks Explosion in Cybersecurity Demand

Companies are finally taking cybersecurity seriously thanks to the headline-making theft of digital data, vulnerabilities in the Internet of Things, and increasingly cunning methods of social engineering that are being used to infiltrate private networks.

As a result, cybersecurity jobs surged three times faster than other IT jobs in the past few years, according to Burning Glass — 91 percent from 2010 to 2014.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook, cybersecurity jobs are also predicted to grow more than five times the national average through 2022.

Despite all the demand, cybersecurity pros still have trouble finding the geographical areas where their skills are in high demand. To help, CompTIA and Burning Glass created CyberSeek, using a grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce, through the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE).

“We built a tool to better understand the dynamic between people looking for jobs with people who need qualified cybersecurity experts,” said Tim Herbert, CompTIA’s vice president of research. “CyberSeek is for anyone directly or indirectly affected by the unprecedented growth of IT and especially cybersecurity jobs across the country.”

Cybersecurity Supply and Demand at a Glance

CyberSeek includes a comprehensive heat map. Zoom in on a city or state for more detailed picture of cybersecurity job openings, the number of people employed in cybersecurity and the supply of available workers in the area. Zoom out and compare demand for cybersecurity jobs across the country, spot job clusters and track the demand in a specific location relative to the national average. Incisive, data-driven maps and graphics break down career paths, salaries and trends in job openings.

Drill down with CyberSeek filters to find job-related data unique to your needs. Think Chicago’s got opportunities but feels too congested? Filter the metro area down by population and find clusters of cybersecurity jobs in Atlanta and St. Louis. Need to go smaller? Fargo, North Dakota, lists about a hundred open cybersecurity positions while nearby Rapid City, South Dakota, promises nine times as many.

“There are cybersecurity jobs where you wouldn’t expect them to be,” Herbert said.

Map Your Career Path

Once you’ve exhausted the tools on the job seeking side, click over to Career Pathways to find detailed job description, jaw-dropping salary averages and a clear flowchart that walks you from entry and mid-level to advanced career roles.

Helpfully, the site details different ways the same type of work can be labeled. “Information Security Specialist, IT Forensics,” for example, can include jobs like IT Forensic Investigator, Computer Forensics Analyst, Cyber Forensics Specialist and Cyber Incident Respondent. Job titles can make a big difference, too. Cybersecurity Analysts in this field make about $70,647 on average, while Cybersecurity Architects make twice as much, about $117,403.

Use the site to research the education and skill level expected in each roll, including job-related certifications. Knowing that will help you understand if adding malware analysis experience or a Security+ certification will boost your resume.

CyberSeek dedicates the lower half of the page to on-the-job competencies required for different jobs, and shows how many people in the area hold cybersecurity-related certifications.

Explosion In Cybersecurity Demand

The site’s data comes from various certifying bodies, including CompTIA, ISACA, ISC2 and IAPP as well as Burning Glass, which uses technology deliver insight on workforce and economic development, career exploration and counseling, and match people with jobs. Over the next year, the plan is to include data from other certifying bodies as well.

“The pool of skilled workers can’t keep up with the demand, so if you’re in this field and certified by one of the major certifying bodies, CyberSeek is layered with data on a hundred different opportunities,” said Herbert.

Michelle Lange is a freelance writer and designer living in Chicago.