Information security is an exciting and rapidly growing field for individuals who are interested in protecting users and their data. In an effort to map out the industry as a possible career choice, we recently conducted research into the top 10 infosec jobs based on overall pay grade. We now continue with the second part of our two-part series.

#5: Security Engineer

A Security Engineer is a mid-level employee who builds and maintains an organization’s IT security solutions. In this capacity, Security Engineers configure firewalls, test new security solutions, and investigate intrusion incidents.

Candidates who aspire to become Security Engineers must possess a strong technical background in vulnerability and penetrating testing, virtualization security, application and encryption technologies, and network and web-related protocols. The more tools and concepts with which a Security Engineer is familiar, the more they can help troubleshoot problems concerning an organization’s security systems.

Security Engineers make a median salary of $93,931, according to PayScale. They can expect to make at least $63K, though some Security Engineers can earn as much as $137K a year.

#4: IT Security Manager

An IT Security Manager is a mid-level employee who manages an organization’s IT security policy. IT Security Managers are leaders, so to be successful, they must have strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Individuals who are interested in becoming an IT Security Manager must be prepared to create and execute security strategies based on the input from the Security Director and/or the CISO. They must also test and implement new security tools, lead security awareness campaigns, and administer both department budgets and staff schedules.

IT Security Managers make on average a salary of $111,625. They can expect to earn at least $73K, according to PayScale, but those in larger organizations can make as much as $149K.

#3: IT Security Architect

An IT Security Architect (Read more...)