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Search roles in your areaHave you ever wondered what is the difference between a software engineer and a cyber security engineer? Or how to get hired as an engineer?
Maybe you always pictured yourself working in the technology field but can't decide on cyber security vs software engineer. If you're looking for a job as an engineer, the job market can be seriously intimidating. When you don't have help it can feel like you're flying blind.
Well, here's some good news: We're going to help you land your first engineering job!
The market for both cyber security and software engineers is hotter than ever but do you know the difference between these roles?
In this post, you'll learn what a cyber security engineer is, how these differ from a software engineer, and which skills and experiences will help you put your best foot forward. You'll also learn how to become a software engineer.
Cyber security engineers are the people who help organizations protect their information technology (IT) security systems from potential hackers and cyber-attacks. And they go by many names. Sometimes they're called information security engineer, information systems security engineer, information assurance engineer, security analyst, or security engineer.
Although these terms are often used interchangeably, security analyst roles usually focus on identifying cybersecurity weaknesses, while security engineers focus on proactively building defensive systems like firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
In any case, cyber security engineers safeguard sensitive business data from criminals looking for ways to infiltrate private databases.
Cyber security engineers find, look into, and deter intrusions. They also solve technical problems with IT equipment and software. Companies expect security engineers to collaborate with other IT professionals to solve security problems.
Duties could include installing firewalls, implementing intrusion detection systems, conducting tests, security assessments, and risk analyses, evaluating new security measures, and making IT security recommendations.
You'll be expected to understand firewalls, virtual private networks (VPN), data loss prevention, IDS/IPS, and security audits. When you look at job openings you may see employers looking for:
Here are a few common cyber security roles along with their median base salaries according to our2021 Technology & Engineering Salary Guide:
Software engineers are computer science professionals who use engineering principles and programming languages to build, maintain, test, and evaluate software for computers and applications.
As you may have guessed, software engineers have a few different names as well. Sometimes they're called programmers or developers. The US Department of Labor, reports more than 1 million people were employed as software developers in 2019. Demand is high with the job outlook expected to grow 21% over the next 9 years.
Software engineers build software products, maintain network security, develop computer games and customer-facing web pages, and run computer information systems.
Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of software engineers: applications software developers and systems software developers.
Software engineers may build and maintain the systems that run devices and networks. Or, they might build apps that let users perform specific tasks on computers, cell phones or other mobile devices.
To excel as a software engineer you'll need to know programming languages, how to monitor and evaluate system performance, and how to resolve technical issues like software system design and maintenance.
When you look at job openings you may see employers looking for:
As with cyber security engineers, there are many different kinds of software engineers. Here are a few common roles along with their median base salaries according to our 2021 IT & Engineering Salary Guide:
For even more details on salaries and workforce trends, download a free copy of our 2021 Technology and Engineering Salary Guide.
How to become a software engineer
So, how do you actually land a job as a software engineer? Here are a few tips to get you started.
Key Takeaways
As you prepare to navigate the job search and interview process, keep in mind that you don't have to do it on your own. Engineering is an exciting field that allows you to get paid well to solve interesting problems every day.
No matter whether you decide to pursue a career as a cyber security engineer or a software engineer -- both are flourishing and companies are constantly looking for talented engineers.