What Jobs Are Best in Cybersecurity?

The question of what constitutes the "best" job in cybersecurity isn't straightforward; it heavily depends on an individual's priorities, whether that means the highest pay, the least stress, the most technical challenge, or the best work-life balance. With job demand consistently outpacing the supply of skilled professionals—in one report estimating over 521,600 open positions nationwide—the field is ripe with opportunity across many specialties. Furthermore, forecasts suggest growth will continue, with information security analyst roles projected to grow by 33% from 2023 to 2033, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.

Cybersecurity careers can generally be mapped across several pathways, often categorized by their focus: governance and risk (GRC), offensive security (Red Team), defensive operations (Blue Team), engineering, and executive leadership. Understanding these areas and how they translate into compensation and lifestyle is key to choosing a rewarding path.

# High Earners

For many, the "best" job equates to the highest potential salary. Executive roles consistently top the compensation charts, though specialized engineering and architecture roles are not far behind.

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is almost universally cited as the apex of the salary structure. CISOs manage the entire information security strategy, risk posture, and executive alignment on security matters. Average salaries can hover around \245,194** in the US, with top earners potentially exceeding **\364,000 or more, especially in large tech hubs or major corporations. However, this role demands significant business acumen, strategic planning skills, and the ability to communicate complex concepts to the board.

Beyond the CISO, high-paying technical leadership roles include:

• Security Architect / Cybersecurity Architect: These roles focus on designing the organization's security blueprint, balancing business needs with technical defenses. Salaries for architects often range from the mid-90s to over $170,000. They require deep knowledge of security frameworks and aligning strategy with business objectives.
• Security Engineer: Often cited as one of the most technical and highly compensated roles, engineers build and implement security systems like firewalls and monitoring tools. Their average earnings are substantial, sometimes exceeding $140,000 in the US, with top engineers potentially earning much more in high-tier companies.

It is worth noting that compensation is highly dependent on location, company size, and industry, with major tech hubs and finance sectors often paying a premium. For instance, in California, a CISO can average around $364,000 annually.

# Technical Pro-Activity

A significant segment of the cybersecurity community values technical engagement and proactive work over reactive troubleshooting. Roles focused on offensive security or deep technical engineering often appeal to those who enjoy continuous learning and complex problem-solving.

# Offensive Roles

The "Red Team" mindset appeals to those who prefer to anticipate and break defenses rather than just react to alerts.

• Penetration Tester / Ethical Hacker: These professionals simulate attacks to find weaknesses. They require proficiency in scripting languages like Python, Ruby, and Bash, alongside strong networking knowledge. While an average salary might be around $96,000, skilled pentesters in consulting can command significant rates. Some community members view Red Teaming as "easier" than defense because the goal is to proactively find issues, not constantly react to every new threat.
• Vulnerability Researcher and Exploit Developer: This specialized, advanced role involves finding zero-day vulnerabilities—weaknesses that are completely unknown—in applications and devices, requiring deep expertise in exploit writing and code analysis.

# Engineering and Architecture

Security Engineering often surfaces as a preferred role due to a perceived better work-life balance compared to incident response, combined with engaging, project-based work.

Security Engineers focus on building security into systems proactively. They are involved in secure system design, control implementation, and automating detection methods. One professional noted that their engineering role was 95% project-based, leading to better control over their schedule, compared to the constant demands of reactive roles. For those with a software development background, roles like Application Security Engineer or DevSecOps Engineer offer a natural transition, embedding security checks (like SAST/DAST) directly into the development pipeline. DevSecOps engineers are responsible for securing deployment processes in CI/CD environments.

A practical approach when considering an engineering role is to assess the level of coding required. Some positions might only need basic Python scripting for automation, while others are nearly on par with dedicated software engineering roles, requiring mastery in languages relevant to the organization's stack.

What Jobs Are Best for Side Hustles?

# Defensive & Investigative Roles

The core of daily security operations often falls to the Blue Team, which is responsible for detection, monitoring, and response.

# The Sentinel

The Information Security Analyst is frequently mentioned as an excellent entry point into the field. Analysts monitor for security events, investigate alerts, implement security software, and research current threat trends. While entry-level salaries might start around \70,000** (in high-cost areas like California) or an average of **\78,570 nationally, this role builds the foundational knowledge—SIEM tool proficiency, threat analysis, and incident triage—necessary to progress.

# Post-Incident Expertise

When defenses fail, specialized roles take over:

• Digital Forensic Analyst / Cyber Crime Investigator: These professionals specialize in evidence collection, examining compromised media, and reconstructing what happened during a breach. This path is for those who enjoy investigative, puzzle-solving work, often requiring strong knowledge of operating system internals and forensic tools.
• Threat Hunter (Threat/Warning Analyst): Shifting incident response from reactive to proactive, Threat Hunters use emerging intelligence to search for adversaries who have bypassed automated defenses. This is an advanced defensive role that shows high projected growth, signaling its importance to organizations.

# Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)

For professionals who prefer structure, policy, and aligning security to business needs rather than deep technical vulnerabilities, GRC roles offer a distinct environment. Community feedback often suggests that GRC roles generally offer the best work-life balance.

Risk Managers assess systems against industry standards, audit security documentation, and help establish security protocols. While some might find the work too sedentary, others value the predictable schedule. It is important to note, however, that there is a growing regulatory expectation that GRC professionals move beyond simple checklist audits to possess genuine technical competence, making a background in IT or security engineering increasingly beneficial even for these roles. Roles like Information Security Manager bridge the gap, overseeing policy implementation and leading security teams, often requiring certifications like CISM or CISSP.

What Jobs Are Best for Part-Time Work?

# Career Trajectories and Skill Integration

The "best" job might also be the one that best sets up a transition to a CISO role or provides broad, marketable skills. One contributor suggested that Security Operations (SecOps) or Compliance roles provide skills desirable for CISO positions, while Security Engineering is best for complex problem-solving.

The industry demands professionals who can bridge gaps. For example, the Purple Teamer role explicitly requires a deep understanding of both offensive (Red) and defensive (Blue) practices to optimize detection engineering and security controls collaboratively.

A key takeaway across high-paying roles is the necessity of blending technical skill with business understanding. While you can often start in a technical role with foundational certifications like Security+, moving into senior or architectural positions frequently necessitates validation of broader knowledge, with the CISSP being highly associated with senior roles in architecture, management, and the CISO track.

To gain an edge, especially when pivoting, focusing on emerging areas like Cloud Security or AI Security is strategically sound. For instance, a Cloud Security Engineer needs deep expertise in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) combined with standard network security knowledge. The existence of roles like Cloud Consultant shows the demand for hybrid experts who can advise on cloud migration while ensuring security standards are met from the start.

When evaluating which role is truly best for you, consider the environment: entry-level roles can be difficult to land without any IT experience, but related IT roles (like systems administration) serve as strong feeder paths into security analysis. One seasoned professional noted that their success in security engineering came from a decade of prior experience in systems administration, incident response, and compliance—proving that an eclectic background is highly valuable. If you are jaded by day-to-day coding, looking for "bigger picture" security work, a transition to infrastructure or product supply chain security engineering might be more appealing than remaining a pure developer. The best path, in the end, is often one that keeps you engaged and constantly learning, as stagnation is the greatest threat to career longevity in this dynamic field.