The Public Eye with Eric Chabrow

Jobs Aplenty for the IT Security Pro

Jobs Aplenty for the IT Security Pro

Information technology isn't doing as badly as other professions in terms of employment. In fact, the IT profession is on a rebound. As we reported last week, American employers added 50,000 IT jobs in the second quarter while most other professions showed anemic growth or, in many job categories, a reduction in employment.

The government doesn't track infosec job titles; they're mostly lumped in with eight IT job categories, but the online employment service Dice.com does. And, Dice.com shows dramatic growth - 17 percent - in the number of IT security jobs posted on its website over the past year.

After Java/J2EE programming, security is the most difficult skill set or position to fill, according to Dice.com's hiring survey conducted in May.

Of course, there's no such thing as an IT security job per se; each is tied to a range of disciplines. To get an idea what type of IT security jobs or skills are in demand, Dice.com provided the most frequent skills/keywords/certifications attached to IT security positions posted on its website:

  1. Networks/networking: 1,021
  2. Engineering/engineer: 670
  3. Development: 624
  4. Communication: 539
  5. Design: 487
  6. CISSP (Certified Information Security System Professional): 436
  7. Implementation: 423
  8. Access: 395
  9. Firewall: 390
  10. Testing: 367

Dice.com also reports that employers finding IT pros with active federal government security clearance is tough going; it's No. 10 on the list of most difficult skills sets or positions to fill.

This bodes well for job prospects seeking a career in IT security at a federal agency or a contractor working for government. IT security skills with government security clearance seems like a ticket for lifetime job security, or at least for the foreseeable future. The cybersecurity threat isn't going to vanish anytime soon.



About the Author

Eric Chabrow

Eric Chabrow

Retired Executive Editor, GovInfoSecurity

Chabrow, who retired at the end of 2017, hosted and produced the semi-weekly podcast ISMG Security Report and oversaw ISMG's GovInfoSecurity and InfoRiskToday. He's a veteran multimedia journalist who has covered information technology, government and business.




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